Tennessee Men's Basketball
CHATTANOOGA - This one was personal from the opening tip.
Fans crammed what was once known as "The Roundhouse," all but hanging over the court as the bodies collided beneath them throughout the night.
University of Tennessee schools from Knoxville and Chattanooga battled for basketball bragging rights before an ESPNU national cable audience and a record crowd of 11,221 Tuesday night at the McKenzie Center.
The Vols survived an inspired effort from the Mocs, winning 76-70, but not before Chattanooga reminded them what it is like to play in a hostile road environment.
Chris Lofton led five Tennessee players in double figures with 16 points, while Stephen McDowell paced five Chattanooga players in double figures with 14.
"They had the band going, their fans were yelling any kind of cuss words," Tennessee senior Jordan Howell said. "That kind of got us jacked up … and got us ready."
Vols' coach Bruce Pearl, who elected to bring UT to Chattanooga for the first time in 25 years, expected no less.
"Maybe some Tennessee basketball fans would have expected us to blow them out," said Pearl, whose 10th-ranked team improved to 8-1. "That was not our expectation. This team (Chattanooga) wins 82 percent of its home games. We went against the odds and pulled out an 18-percenter."
The Mocs (4-4) served notice early they were to be taken seriously, jumping out to a 4-0 lead.
"Playing Tennessee at home, that's personal," Chattanooga coach John Shulman said, "and our kids took it personal."
The Vols led by as many as eight points in the first half when Ryan Childress hit a 3-pointer at the 14:17 mark to make it 16-8.
But time and again Chattanooga came back. The Mocs, playing in special black uniforms for the first time this season, trailed only 34-33 at the half.
"How many (halftime) adjustments can you make when your starting (No.) five man doesn't have a defensive rebound?" Pearl said. "At that point, we had one defensive rebound out of the center position."
The Mocs' 25-11 advantage on the boards through the first 20 minutes mitigated the 21 turnovers Tennessee had forced to that point.
The numbers balanced out slightly in the second half, but when the final horn sounded Chattanooga still held a 46-31 rebounding edge and the Vols had forced 34 turnovers while committing 17 themselves. Pearl said the Mocs' big rebounding edge and the high number of turnovers his team forced were the only things that surprised him.
The Mocs' spunk did not. Chattanooga opened the second half on a 4-0 run to claim a 37-34 lead on a Marcus Watts' dunk that sent the crowd through the roof.
After the teams exchanged baskets, the Vols settled in, going on a 6-0 run to reclaim the lead at 45-41 on a Duke Crews' dunk with 16:54 remaining.
Tennessee didn't trail again, though it took a 14-3 run fueled by a pair of Howell 3-pointers to give the Vols a 61-49 lead with 7:36 left.
Double digits proved to be just enough breathing room.
A JaJuan Smith 3-pointer gave UT a 70-57 lead with 1:15 left.
But the Mocs weren't finished, forcing three straight turnovers with their press to go on a 6-0 run and make it 70-63 with 32.5 seconds left.
The only mistake Chattanooga made after that was putting Lofton and the red-hot Howell on the free-throw line over the final 20 seconds.
Lofton went 4-for-4 and Howell hit both of his free throws in those closing seconds to secure the victory.
"It wasn't easy," said Lofton, who was 4-of-13 shooting including 4-of-12 beyond the 3-point arc. "But these difficult tests will get us ready for tough games down the road."
Tyler Smith, who had 10 points and led the Vols with five rebounds and six steals, gave credit to Chattanooga.
"They came in ready, and they played a great game," he said. "Now, it's study time."
The Vols are off for finals and don't play again until 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 15 when they play Western Kentucky in Nashville. Tennessee's only home game in December comes on the 19th against UNC-Asheville.
Oregon sends Lady Vols home from…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 49
Pocket_Passer writes:
at least we made some free throws. we really need to make those in these close games.
amyslins writes:
all i have to say about this is that i am glad that it is finals time and the boys do not play for another week and a half...something needs to change quickly or everyone and i mean everyone is getting up for us...one of the two at least
GreerVol22 writes:
34 turnovers huh Chatt? 32 more than Ainge had but the result is still the same...snap!
chrisw2967 writes:
I was at the game tonite and the vols didnt play well at all , like the prev. post we got out rebounded in the first half.
We still need someone to step up and be a leader , they look lost and I got 1 question and I am not bashing Pearl or anyone but I am just wondering if we have so much talent that Pearl dont know what to do with it or how to coach it ? he hasnt had this much talent his first 2 years here and I doubt that he has had this much talent any place else he has coached.
Surely he isnt a coach that does more with less talent versus cant coach this much talent.
I am just asking an opinion cause they have not really looked good at all this year and I keep thinking they are going to come together this game and or next game and so far it hasnt happened.
Bit Lofton or somebody is going to have to step up and take over the leadership role.Go Vols.
eduardo writes:
Something is just not right with these guys. I thought with the addition of Tyler Smith it would be a foregone conclusion UT would be playing for a Final Four berth. I don't know if they are just not tough enough or if everyone is trying to figure out their roles. Next game on the 15th in Nashvegas, JP Prince will be making his debut with the Vols. Whose minutes will he get? Things need to straighten out in a hurry or there is going to ba lot of disappointed Vol Fans! Come on guys get mentally tough!
Kwitcherbellyachin writes:
Watched the game on ESPNU, and I have to say that the refs had no clue what an offensive foul was. The one on Lofton where he went to the cup and dished it to the trailer for a layup was awful. The NCAA really needs to adopt the semi-circle underneath the basket.
volinlouisville writes:
I understand our primary strength is supposed to be our guard play, but we better learn the benefits of at least letting someone in the paint touch the ball on the offensive end. Jacking up three after three after three makes it awfully easy on the defense.
nickperkinsalc#627224 writes:
I am always a optimistic, glas half full kind of guy, but I am also realistic. The Vols do need to get it figured out in a hurry! A win is a win, but ugly wins eventually turn into losses. Coach Pearl is gettin great play from Jordan Howell, he has to be one of the most improved players in the SEC. JaJuan Smith, thought, inconsistent, is a tough leader, who is not afraid to take the big shot.
nickperkinsalc#627224 writes:
I meant to say JaJuan Smith, though inconsistent, is a tough leader, who is not afraid to take the big shot. We need an edit button on here.
vegasvol writes:
Got to get the ball in the paint. If you live and die by the trey, you're going to do a lot of dying. Surely we have someone that can play with their back to the basket.
PowerT writes:
Did anybody else see the only male on the UTC dance team. He was sitting with the band and had a Lightning bolt on his shirt. That guy was more entertaining than the game and way more than the halftime guys on stilts. I still cant stop laughing!
yabadabadoo1026 writes:
"playing tenn at home--thats personal and our kids took it personal"????????????--thats a stupid sounding comment--whats that supposed to mean???--he'd rather play us at our home???--just a sound bite that makes no sense to me
DenmarkVol_aka_Mbumburu writes:
It's chemistry, guys. We still haven't found that magic mix, that mojo, where the five on the court have their voltage wired properly.
slsmithsr#269458 writes:
4 games against Lil Bro Chatt and each game has been decided by 6 pts or less. What did you expect?
It is personal. It carries the appearance that Pearl has been the only coach with the gonads to play them at The Roundhouse. Devoe was forced to do so, and all the others ran like Bin Laden. Makes me wonder if Big Bro will have the b*lls to go back or will it be another 25 yrs!
mbrown2097#247469 writes:
Been to most of the home games this year. I noticed that pre-game, all of the players are praciticing 3 point shots during the shoot-arounds. (Even Duke Cruze) Literally all of them! Seems to me that this team is content to live or die by the 3.
lnbadger320 writes:
you guys are all a bunch of IDIOTS, we're 8-1. we're still improving, eduardo, you're clueless, we just got into december and you think we've lost the tourney. we'll get tough, BP understands that. if you guys listened to his post game show, he said basically we're the same size as we were last year except that Smith replaced Bradshaw. we forced 34 turnover last night. i was at the game and it was a rowdy crowd. it was good experience for them to get ready for more road games. have a little faith, we're gonna be fine.
tigervol9802 writes:
For those of us who raised a red flag very early that this team may not be as good as advertised, we'll gladly take people on our side.
Rebounding is atrocious, half court defense is still less than desireable, and there doesn't seem to be any cohesiveness on offense.
I hope Prince is the missing piece to the puzzle because right now this team looks like nothing more than a bad NBA team and I don't think they have improved that much to date. If I am Billy G or Billy D, I'd be licking my chops at what could be done to them if it could be made a half court game.
tigervol9802 writes:
Sorry, let me rephrase my comments -
A college version of a bad NBA team.
That better?
fundamentals83 writes:
vegasvol hit the nail on the head. We don't have anyone playing well in the paint. I expected more from Chism and Cruze this year. Looks like they would rather shoot the 3.
King30 writes:
Basketball is, and has always been, an inside-out game. Too often the offense is running through our bigs (as it should be), but OUR BIGS ARE BEYOND THE THREE POINT ARC. Whatever happened to foul-line extended?
Whoever dissed Tyler earlier couldn't be more wrong. He's an unselfish team player who fills up the stat sheet every night. I'm already tired of hearing people compare him to Dane. The kid's only a soph. Wait'll his senior year and then compare them.
RTYAB!!!
fundamentals83 writes:
marc_ash "BUT THIS TEAM DOESN'T RUN A HALF COURT OFFENSE."
So what happens when this team doesn't get a transition look? Theoretically, they would run their half court offense.
tnbanker_govols writes:
I believe this basketball team is very talented.....maybe too talented. Right now, they're just trying to find that niche to get them firing on all cylinders. Basketball is a sport in which it is vitally important to play as a team. It's like the New York Yankees....plenty of high talented athletes but they struggle to play as a team. Pearl has some freshmen this year that are still trying to find their place on this team. Let's not be doom and gloom just yet.....give 'em some time. Remember, they've only lost one game this year, and that's to an undefeated Top 5 Texas team. Not a bad start for a basketball program that wasn't even on the map a few years ago.
GO VOLS!!
THE_VOL writes:
Wow...the season is officially one-third complete and we're still "finding ourselves?" with really only 1 new guy (Tyler) playing? Seems like a team with basically everyone returning, that went on a 2 week European vacation together, and spent the entire off-season playing together would have FOUND THEMSELVES months ago. The REAL problem is this is the most selfish team I've seen in a long time. With the exception of Lofton, T. Smith and Howell, everybody else is only interested in "getting their's" and trying to impress the NBA. They have shown NO commitment to true team play or defense and obviously believe they can show up when they want to. This team is undisciplined - on and off the court - and generally as an attitude of being better than they are. Call it chemistry, selfishness, leadership or whatever you want but there are significant issues with these guys - again, on AND off the court - and until BP decides getting the message across is worth a loss or two, it ain't gonna change. Based on the performance to date, this team is not likely to achieve even last year's W-L record let alone go deep in the tourney.
Tellicovol writes:
Last year coach bp said he was not a good x and o coach, he better find somebody who is or this team is going to get killed on the road. It seems like every player on this team wants to play guard. Any good 3 point team goes inside first and if there is nothing there they kick it back out and get an open look at the basket. Guys this is not the summer league so let's get it together and learn how to play a half court game.
tigervol9802 writes:
marc_ash,
I hope I am wrong. But here goes. And I apologize in advance because I get long-winded.
This team's talent level is nothing short of Final Four material. No one can argue that. But right now watch this team play and watch the teams they will be competing against to get there. UNC, UCLA, Memphis, Texas, etc. Have you watched any of those teams? We have already witnessed what Texas did to us, and I think any of the others would do the same.
I'm all for the full-court, up-tempo type of game....when it's done right. Actually, I love it. Rebounding and the like really doesn't matter as much when a full-tempo game is being ran because other areas make up for it. However, right now this team does not do it right.
Why? I think the crux of the problem is shoddy point guard play. Howell is a serviceable point, but he's not a good enough athlete to really run it in Pearl's style. And Ramar....he is more concerned on getting to the goal that getting the ball to the other players. Another big problem in this offense. Not having someone in the role of distributor makes up-tempo less effective, thus makes other areas on the court more important. Steals don't mean nearly as much if they are being converted into points and rebounds become all the more important.
Right now, this team misses Bradshaw more than can ever be stressed. Tyler Smith is a great athlete, but he does not have the point guard mentality Bradshaw did. I don't know if Prince will or not. Tabb seems to be that guy when he is on the court, but right now he's not getting the minutes.
Can it be changed? Absolutely! But, I have not seen any improvement thusfar, and THAT is what worries me. So far in 9 games this team has played what I would call 1 complete game. They've just been able to completely overwhelm teams with talent thus far except Texas. (WVU is NOT that good.) Unfortunately, there are more teams like Texas looming and THOSE are the teams we will have to beat in order to be considered successful.
Sorry to make this so long, and you folks can disagree and call me an idiot if you feel the need to do so. But that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
jemcrynlds#266342 writes:
Seems to me like all the disgruntled football fans are now posting on our basketball boards, are know-nothings concerning roundball, and would prefer our team run an offensive style like Buzz had us doing.
I guess the Legion of the Miserable will always be with us.
fundamentals83 writes:
jemcrynlds - Do you think this team is playing up to its potential?
bleed_orange writes:
Coach said they are the same team as last year with Tyler in place of Dane. Some how to this point we were a better rebounding team last year. I realize I'm only a UT fan, but what would be wrong with bringing Jajuan off the bench and starting Tyler,Duke and Wayne on the front line with Chris and Jordan at the Guards (6-2,6-3,6-7,6-7, &6-9)? Maybe even J.P. at the PG. Would that make us a better rebounding team? Ofcourse, that would take away some of our Guard play & quickness. However, maybe we could establish some inside game and then sub a quicker line-up of Ramar,Josh,Ryan,Cameron and leave Tyler in. Or if coach might not be going to play Brian or Cameron then it would be: Jordan,Ramar,Chris,Josh,Tyler, J.P., Jajuan,Duke,Wayne, & Ryan (10 players). On the other hand, Coach said he wanted to play a 9 man rotation. Who does that leave out Ryan, Wayne, Duke, or Josh? I think he of course still plays Chris, Jajuan, & Jordan (3 seniors),Tyler and Ramar. Now we are done with any easy games. NC Ash is probally the easist one left. WKY is good, Xavier, & Gonzaga and then the SEC. Oh, I forgot Ohio State and Memphis too. I think you are getting ready to see how good TN is going to be. I still say look out SEC. GO VOLS!
JDS
fundamentals83 writes:
marc_ash sounds like we agree then. Tennessee has a limited half court set. I think they should work on that aspect of their game as it is a clear weakness.
volfan1511 writes:
Were 8-1, chill out this team is still going to be special!
Agent_longball writes:
Where was big baby? He is our best rebounder and thought he could master the paint last night.
nickperkinsalc#627224 writes:
I hope a lot of Vols fans, myself included, are not getting used to the 07-08 version of Chris Lofton. If he can play consistently close to his level of play last season, we will feel much better about the ball club. It is easier for other guys to "learn their way" so to speak, if #5 is playing "all american" ball. What do you guys think?
THE_VOL writes:
marc_ash - Am I (or is anybody for that matter) REALLY supposed to care what you think? You can look at stats all you want but trust me when I say I know more about this team than you ever will and I stand by my post. As I said, either BP will get it corrected or this season will not be close to what everybody was expecting.
As for YOUR expertise - you were ranting earlier in the season about what an impact Williams would have in the post this year. Now that that hasn't happened (and won't) you've jumped on the Jurick bandwagon. Tell me - just WHO will he take minutes from in the post? NONE of them are leaving after this season??? Bottom line - YOU are a joke who continues to embarrass himself daily on here. I'd appreciate it if you never replied to a post of mine again.
tigervol9802 writes:
So far Ramar has disappointed me this year. I really expected him to continue as the type of player he had become at season's end last year. If he would just dish it some then I think it would open up his ability to score more. There's absolutely no reason he can't average a double-double (points-assists).
rbhobbs73#226545 writes:
guys, calm down.
I see a lot of the same things that you all see, BUT...Pearl will fix it and the rotation will shrink. Pearl is not going to recruit these young guys and waste a whole year of them not playing. He is giving these kids a taste of the action, as well as giving himself and the other coaches an idea of where these guys may fit best in the future. He is playing more guys, more minutes early...but by SEC time...the upperclassmen will be playing more minutes and you will see more cohesiveness.
I think he is smart. Remember, the key is to have your team peak in March...not December. Playing this many guys, this many minutes in the early season makes for some ugly basketball now, but also for some fresh legs come tourney time.
jdcvols#230433 writes:
THE_VOL, this marc_ash thinks he owns this site. He comments even when a comment is not necessary.
jdcvols#230433 writes:
We are 8-1 and been outplayed one time. Trust Pearl as we KNOW he will make adjustments before and during games.
DSaVol writes:
Well boys, it looks as though opinions are still like, well never mind. At any rate, I would have thought Vols fans would have learned from the '05 football debacle about expectations but apparently there are quite a few riding the short bus. I've said since the summer that this team's greatest opponent/challenge would be itself. That is proving true so far - well, okay, Texas was pretty serious, lol - but the reality is that we really won't know about this team until the last 10 days of the month. Western could give us a tussle next week but the Xavier and Gonzaga games are the next real measuring sticks. There won't be anymore, "we're young," "it's early," "trying to find the right combos," etc etc to fall back on. Win those two and we head into conference play (which opens against a very good Ole Miss squad btw) ready to roll. Lose one or both (heaven forbid) and the questions/doubts could derail what is proving to be a mentally fragile group. In the meantime, let's just all forget talk of the Final Four and let the games play out.
One poster did make an excellent point though - if you've actually WATCHED the Vols play and watched those teams that are also being mentioned as Final Four contenders, it's scary to think how we might fare against those other guys. But that's why we play the games, and I remember 2 years ago everybody thinking Memphis, OSU and others would kill us the last 2 years too. Time will tell.
volntx writes:
Need more shots in the paint from the post players and the guards driving. This would raise fg% and put more bodies in the lane to rebound.
Hunter writes:
Childress needs significantly more minutes to be a tough body down low and pound their bigs down. He is a Doug Roth clone (old-school Vol fans with me here?) who isn't afraid to pick up a foul or two. We need to make a priority of the space 2-12 feet from the basket to open up GOOD 3-point attempts.
In my humble (but accurate) opinion, Chris is settling for outside shots when he made a living last year off of the dribble-drive, slashing game to set up open outside shots for JaJuan. Get him to the lane and stripe more often and his outside game will follow.
THE_VOL writes:
marc_ass: Here is your EXACT post on a previous article regarding Williams. PLEASE tell me which facts I don't have straight regarding your previous ranting about Mr. Williams impact.
Posted by marc_ash on November 5, 2007 at 8:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"I talked about Williams the moment he arrived in Knoxville. Many folks didn't even think he would get any quality minutes. Now, this wouldn't have happened if Chism wasn't injured the other night, but that doesn't matter as sports is about opportunity...and Williams has that tonight.
I thought Williams would play an important role coming in becasue he'll be called upon for some good minutes in the paint...something UT didn't have the luxury of last season. He won't be called on to score as much, just alter shots and get some boards. All championship teams at the college level have a big man that can contribute. This is a good thing for the Vols. Williams has worked hard, and he deserves to start."
You can start backtracking now as most punks do when PROVEN to be liars but the FACTS AND YOUR WORDS are on the board on this one.
As for your attempted rebuttal regarding Jurick's minutes and the Vols lack of a traditional post offense - are you saying he's going to play on the perimeter???? PLEASE tell me that's NOT what you're saying!!!! LMAO!!! And since he won't be on the perimeter that means his minutes will have to come from POST players (those are usually tall fellas that play close to the basket) - Chism, Crews, Childress, T. Smith, and Williams. Since you obviously don't understand direct questions I'll repeat it - Just which one of these five is this freshman Jurick going to take minutes from in order to make your predicted "big impact"??? (and that is ANOTHER direct quote from YOU)
As for the selfishness - that is also a fact. I'm surprised you don't know this since you claim to know everything BP is thinking. The FACT is that Ramar, Wayne and JuJuan in particular are flat out selfish, soft and more concerned with their own numbers than they are with the scoreboard. Don't believe it? - look at their shot selection and how they play WITHOUT the ball. One glaring example from just last night - I guess you think JuJuan got pulled with a minute or so left cause BP wanted to give him a break!?? It was because he launched TWO bad shots in a row when we should have been running clock. Now tell me THAT wasn't selfish and undisciplined from a senior guard who claims to be a team leader??? I refuse to get into the off-court examples as they will come to light in due time but you can bet they exist.
One last thing - PLEASE don't respond to this cause you are just digging deeper and forcing me to make a bigger liar of you each time. LMFAO!!!!
Ironcity writes:
Guys its just to early in the season for people to be so concerned with our play. BP will have it under control when the SEC starts. I think the guys got in some bad habits when they played all those lousy teams early on. Its easy to take bad shots when your up 30 all the time. Tiger Vol, do you actually beleive Ramar could average a double double in college? The last college player to do that I beleive was Oscar Robertson. Ramar is feeling his way. He is a natural slasher that fits better as a two guard. I think he has made great strides this year but has a ways to go. Remember people we still have a lot of Sophmores playing a lot of minutes. I do worry that our inside players seem kind of clumsy around the basket. I think as the season progresses, these guys will start making the short shots as they did last year. Go Vols!
redneckerson writes:
the worst deluded are the self-deluded; i.e. - the vol.
volfan1511 writes:
marc_ash i think you should just give it up on this message board bc the vol just told you like it is. I dont think everyone should be panicking bc this team will be fine. Jordan Howell is really coming along and plays better in a starting role.
VolFan32 writes:
This team has no discipline, and until they get that they will not go far.
VolFan32 writes:
This team has no discipline, and until they get that they will not go far.
jdcvols#230433 writes:
marc_ash, where is your boring line of "can't have it both ways"? Who besides yourself put you in charge? Leave the coaching alone for our 8-1 team for gosh sakes! It is EARLY in the season and Pearl will figure out the best starting 5 and the role players. He does not need any of your advice. Speaking of advice, please re-read VolFan1511 post.
bleed_orange writes:
Time will tell all on who will play and how long. Their rebounding will improve or there will be a lot of L's ahead. Let us try to be more positive and all go buy tickets to the WKY & UNC-Ash games. GO VOLS!
JDS
jdcvols#230433 writes:
Marc_ash, Pearl and Fulmer are too different kinds of coaches today. Pearl does not need advice or help today. Fulmer needs major help.
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