Tennessee Men's Basketball
Chris Lofton became Tennessee’s all-time leading 3-pointer shooter and scored a game-high 24 points in leading the Vols to an 86-73 win over UNC-Asheville on Wednesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
But Lofton, like many others, had more interest in talking about the Bulldogs’ 7-foot-7, 360-pound center, Kenny George, after the game.
Had he ever seen anything like him?
“Yeah, King Kong,’’ Lofton said. “… it’s like he’s playing on a Fisher Price goal.’’
George scored only seven points while pulling down 13 rebounds, but he blocked four shots and altered several others.
“He made me look like a point guard,’’ said UT freshman center Brian Williams, who goes 6-10, 270. “He can change the game like I’ve never seen before.’’
Fortunately for the 12th-ranked Vols (10-1), the Bulldogs (8-3) fell behind early and never got close enough to pose a serious threat.
In running its home-court win streak to 23, UT opened the game with a 9-0 run and didn’t allow a field goal until the 15:22 mark.
Lofton became UT’s career leader in 3-pointers when he hit his second of the game with 12:15 left in the half to put the Vols up 20-6.
The Thompson-Boling Arena crowd of 21,001 gave Lofton a standing ovation during the ensuing timeout.
“Did they? Man, I didn’t even see it on the bench,’’ said Lofton, who with 349 passed Allan Houston (346) on UT’s list and trails the SEC’s all-time leader Pat Bradley by 17.
“I have to give credit to a lot of my teammates because they were the ones who got me the ball,’’ Lofton said. “It is a great honor, but I just want us to win.’’
Tennessee coasted to a 42-26 halftime lead, scoring 15 points off 10 UNC-Asheville turnovers.
The Vols led by as many as 27 points in the second half, going up 64-37 on J.P. Prince’s dunk off a Lofton alley-oop pass with 13:52 remaining.
The 6-8 Prince, who had a career-high 13 points and seven assists in his second game since becoming eligible, said he’s already comfortable in the Vols’ scheme.
“I just try to take advantage of whatever the defense gives me,’’ said Prince, a former point guard at Arizona who plays wing for UT. “Most of my assists were just simple passes after reading the defense.’’
Once George re-entered the game in the second half, there was nothing easy about scoring.
UT missed eight consecutive shots after Prince’s dunk, and UNC-Ashville rallied to 69-58 on K.J. Garland’s jumper with 8:02 left.
When Williams scored with seven minutes remaining, it marked the Vols’ first field goal since Prince’s dunk and gave UT a 71-58 lead.
The Bulldogs cut it to 76-67 when Garland scored two of his team-high 22 points on a drive with 3:17 left, but Lofton answered with a jumper to give the Vols a double-digit lead for good.
“We play best when everyone contributes, and we had about three or four guys really have off-nights,’’ Pearl said. “It’s hard to play your best basketball when that’s the case.
“Asheville is a good team that will have a good year and compete for their league (Big South) title. If you’re going to play teams from these conferences, play the teams that will compete for their league titles and give you a good run.’’
Tennessee next plays at 2 p.m. Saturday in Cincinnati against Xavier (8-2) before a cross-country road trip to Seattle where it meets No. 18 Gonzaga (8-2) on Dec. 29.
The Vols’ next home game is Jan. 9 against Ole Miss, which at 8-0 joins Vanderbilt as the SEC’s final undefeated teams.
“We’re prepared to see where we’re at right now,’’ said Pearl, who’s 22-0 in non-conference home games. “This is another step-up situation for us.’’
Prince’s Take: Prince said his first experience playing a game in Thompson-Boling is one he won’t forget.
“The fans don’t realize how much they really help,’’ said Prince, who had to sit out the fall term after transferring from Arizona. “It really gets our adrenaline going.’’
Prince did his part to excite the fans, scoring his first basket of the game on a reverse dunk off a JaJuan Smith alley-oop pass.
Oregon sends Lady Vols home from…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 33
gohawks1 writes:
Better work on that headline a little bit, brother.
yabadabadoo1026 writes:
you cant help but love BP hearing his analysis in the post games, hes got an eye for detail and can break it down and while acknowleging the good when he says quite often" I'm just not happy" thats got to make the rest of us happy---hes got a higher standard and when he says " we're going to get it fixed" his confidence in that shows thru---personable guy with a lot of charisma and leadership and fire when hes sees stuff he dont like----can't help but believe in him, he's sharp
bshell12 writes:
I think Josh Tabb should get some playin time. He didn't do anything to get benched. I wish Chism would start playin like he can.
sirshanksalot writes:
bshell12, concerning Josh Tabb needing playing time and not doing anything to deserve getting benched, let me point out a few items....against LA LAF and UTC; avg 21 minutes per game playing time, 0-4 from the floor, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 4 turnovers. Pretty obvious to me with the talent UT has at that position why he has seen limited/no playing time the last two games with that type production. Help me understand your position a little better please.
THE_VOL writes:
bshell..back to the short bus brother. Tabb is getting what he's earned. He may not have done anything to get benched but he sure as hell hasn't done anything to get off it either. As for Chism - well I wish I had another million bucks too. Fat chance either is gonna happen anytime soon.
A good first half spoiled by a disinterested second half. Once again we shot ourselves out of a big lead. As bad as we play defense at times, just can't have long droughts like this. At one point early in the second half we were 7 of 12 on 3s then proceeded to go 2 of 17 the rest of the way. Good news is our percentage of 3s to total shots was way below what it normally is. This team is going to get painfully disappointed if they don't soon commit to playing 40 minutes of solid defense. BP talks that talk about it but so far he's not forcing anybody to walk the walk. Last I checked that's one of the main things a 9 man rotation is supposed to create. It's about time he turns Forbes loose on these guys.
BillVol writes:
Were there really 21,000 fannies in seats at the game? Can anyone who was there confirm? Or were UT admins stretching the truth a tad?
chrisw2967 writes:
all I know is that kid was huge , a bigger Monute Bol . Williams looked like a midgit standing next to him
newtonrail writes:
It was worth the cost of my season tickets to see Brian Williams battling "Big Bad George" all night. Don't know what they showed on TV, but when George first came in, Williams came in, and game was delayed 3 or 4 minutes while Zebras and Pearl argued about what Brian could or couldn't do defending the giant.
BillVol writes:
Good thing about the black seats is that it is less obvious when UTAD is exaggerating attendance.
dowdpat#654244 writes:
Actually it was a pretty good crowd for UNC-Ashville and Students on Vacation. I would guess around 16,500 for actual attendence.
tigervol9802 writes:
21K paid to be there. Count me in the folks who have season tickets but didn't get to make it to the game.
I thought for the first 30 minutes they looked as good as I have seen all season. The last 10 the just got out of rhythm on the offensive end. Not sure why.
It also seems to be right now the best 5 to have together in the rotation are
Howell
Lofton
Prince
Tyler Smith
Williams
Those 5 seem to compliment each other the best and gives us a little bit of everything on the floor.
splinterdand#602266 writes:
Check the team stats. Compare Josh Tabb's minutes played to the starters and some of the others and then look at his assists and steals totals. He's a go-getter, and he's contributed quite nicely.
GreerVol22 writes:
He may be as big as "King Kong" but he moves like a sloth. Nice to see Lofton getting some of his touch back...just in time for SEC play.
fundamentals83 writes:
First 10 minutes were best of season so far. Chism still thinks he is a point guard. WAYNE, THERE ARE BETTER 3 PT SHOOTERS ON THE FLOOR THAN YOU. PLEASE ALLOW THEM TO PLAY THEIR ROLL AND YOU PLAY YOURS. The couple of times that Chism muscled up under the bucket, he looked really good though.
Colliervol writes:
They asked BP about Josh Tabb's spot in the rotation last night. Bruce was honest about it and said he's basically 10th in the rotation and has the unfortunate situation of playing behind Tyler Smith and Prince or Chris Lofton. (I guess Josh swings between small forward and wing depending on where he's needed.) Unless those three falter, he isn't going to get a lot of time. That's the downside to having so much depth. Somebody's PT is going to go down.
Pretty funny to see the big kid stand on his tiptoes and literally drop the ball in the basket. Actually, I thought he had pretty good hands and passed the ball pretty well. Might be a prospect if they can improve his stamina. He can defend the entire post area just standing there with his hands up.
fjm777 writes:
During our scoring drought I saw this twice...
Lofton in the middle kicking the ball out to chism for a three.
What is going on !!!!
eduardo writes:
Hey intellectuals! Tabb has a sprained ankle, that's why he didn't play! He'll be ready to go in the queen city against Xavier. That is going to be a tough game. I hope our guys are ready for the challenge. Oh yeah, Pearl's coaching, not F$$$$lmer.
johnlg00 writes:
Not entirely sure, but I think Josh Tabb has a bad ankle right now. Thought I heard something about him being in a walking boot this past week. Tigervol, I agree with your starting five. That looks like our best combo right now. J. Smith could be SEC 6th-man of the year. Looks right now that R. Smith and Chilly, to name two, are still trying to figure out what they're out there for. Chism may just be a head case. Since Prince and T. Smith are all I had hoped they'd be and Williams is so much more, I think R. Smith, Chilly, and Chism aren't sure how they fit in anymore. How they adjust will determine how we do this season.
Colliervol writes:
I'm just telling you what Pearl said about Tabb when he was asked the question on his post game show. If you choose not to believe the man, so be it. He could have said he had a bad ankle but he didn't. Yes, he may get a few more minutes at times but not a lot more unless something happens to the guys ahead of him.
jlange#632002 writes:
Attendance is the number of tickets sold, not the number of fannies in seats. It was changed to this way a few years ago and is not a UT only thing.
THE_VOL writes:
CollierVol...you are absolutely correct on Tabb. BP said LAST WEEK he was the "odd man out." CAM TATUM has the ankle problem and has been in a boot! For God's sake people - buy a damned program or take a comprehension course!
Now - Chism. Head case. Soft. Baby. Whiner. Wannabe. Call it want you want but it's all the same. NOTHING has changed since last year when he was also ALL of those things. Don't expect anything but for him to fall further into his funk. IF Duke was healthy, Chism might be sitting next to Tabb by now. HOWEVER, in his defense, the play(s) on which Lofton (or whomever) kicks it out to him is a designed part of the offense. In theory, if his man goes outside with him, Lofton gets the lane. If not Chism has a wide open 3 which PEARL ENCOURAGES him to shoot! Funny how nobody is female doging about WILLIAMS taking 2 treys though.
Finally, nothing has change much with Lofton's shot either - as it shouldn't. Interesting how folks look at the box score or article, see he had 24 points and say "gee, good to see Lofton coming back around with his shot." HE WAS 4 of 12 FROM THE ARC - same as LAST GAME I do believe. The difference last night is he "found" his penetration game again, got a few layups and got to the line a bit. THOSE 10 points were the difference in the PERCEPTION of how he's playing. Of course that PERCEPTION is not one knowledgeable hoops people have of him - only headline reading fans.
johnlg00 writes:
Jeez, THE_VOL, I made a mistake, I didn't attack anyone's knowledge or truthfulness! In fact, I do remember that CBP had said something about Tabb likely losing minutes. I got confused about which player had the ankle problem, is all. For myself, I don't mind Chism taking 3-pointers, since, as you say, that is part of the offense. I simply object to the fact that he takes more of those, or so it seems, than inside shots. I was shocked when Williams took the shots last night, but he also does his share in the paint. I don't think Duke ever had that option, by the way.
fjm777 writes:
If Lofton feeding Chism for a three is a "designed part of the offense" then they need to rethink that. Chism is 5 for 25 on threes this year. And Williams passed up about 3 open threes last night in favor of a better shot.
rbhobbs73#226545 writes:
why don't some of you geniuses out there let Bruce Pearl coach the team.
You know the 2006 NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR!!
He doesn't give a rats a$$ what some of you think about his offense. Chism has the green light to shoot 3's if he is open. Lofton found the open man. Chism hit many Big 3 pointers last year..he is in a slump right now. Ease up. I would like him closer to the basket as well, but when he is not doing what CBP asks, then he will sit. Until then...then I am going on the understanding that he is doing what is being asked of him.
Just try watching the games and enjoy them. We are 10-1 and ranked #12 in MEN'S BASKETBALL!! Enjoy it! I went to UT during the Wade Houston error...ahem..era, so I am LOVING THIS!
GO VOLS!!!
tigervol9802 writes:
Doubt King Kong is NBA material. Too slow. Big body, not much of an athlete. In the NBA the defense of putting him at the basket and force teams to shoot outside would not work.
Colliervol writes:
If Manute Bol and Georghe Muresan can make an NBA team, that kid certainly can. He's already better than both of them.
mattlock writes:
That game was painful to watch because of having to see him labor to get up and down the court. He couldn't move. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the kid the whole game. You know it has to suck to be that big in the first place, and then you make headlines as "King Kong." Even if Lofton called him that, Griff should have went with a different title for his story.
creepykev#228270 writes:
I know some people that have met George. They say he is a nice guy. It would suck being that big. I wouldn't mind seeing a documentory on his daily life on ESPN or something. I doubt he would like that King Kong remark.
chrisw2967 writes:
I really wouldnt say king kong wont be in the NBA its not like Manute Bol could score about all he was good for was def. this kid can pass the ball and not too many in the NBA will be able to post him up,just being on the court makes teams take outside shots.
Its for sure he wont be moved around on the post
UTVol39 writes:
TDTN: "johnlg00: Ok about the mistake, but don't let it happen again or next time you will be castrated."
That might be one of your best ones yet.
natcross24#581803 writes:
if i remember correct tabb was recruited to play point guard until ramar signed. i know he played point at harmony. given his defense, rebounding and unselfishness i am not sure why he wouldn't compete for minutes there. ramar definately doesnt seem to have his game together this year. seems the team has plenty of scorers this year, but lately i dont see them turning in the performances i expected. beating unc asheville by 11 and western ky 4 are not that impressive of victories. seems as if we might need someone like tabb in the game that doesnt require many shots and would do the little things.
hoskinsfive#468391 writes:
I was on the baseline at 6'4" 260 I count as two.
DSaVol writes:
King Kong's future is most likely in the WWE! that's right creepkev - KING KONG, KING KONG, KING KONG!!!!!!
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