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Vols ace final checkup
Childress leads way with 19 off bench
Tennessee’s Tyler Smith dunks for two of his 17 points Monday night against Lincoln Memorial at Thompson-Boling Arena during the Vols’ 124-61 exhibition win.
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Ryan Childress and Tyler Smith provided a dynamic 1-2 punch at power forward as the Tennessee Vols scored a 124-61 knockout over Lincoln Memorial.
An announced crowd of 18,840 turned out at Thompson-Boling Arena on Monday night to watch No. 7-ranked UT finish its exhibition season 2-0 heading into Friday's 7:30 p.m. home opener against Temple.
Childress scored a team-high 19 points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds while Tyler Smith had 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting.
Childress said he believes he and Tyler Smith could prove to be quite a combination.
"You've got the athletic one (Smith), and the one that wants to elbow somebody,'' Childress said. "Our goal is to stay fresh and (combine) to be the best four man out there.''
UT coach Bruce Pearl was generally pleased with his team's cumulative effort against the Division II Railsplitters, though he had a couple of bones to pick.
"The players continue to be unselfish; we had 31 assists,'' Pearl said. "We shot a great percentage (63.6 percent), although we didn't shoot well from three (29.2 percent).
"Defensively, we continue to play solidly (31 forced turnovers), but unfortunately we took a big step back in the free-throw shooting (19-of-34, 55.9 percent).''
The Vols' press showed its first signs of life this season during a 34-second span in the first half that saw UT go on an 8-0 run.
Freshman Cameron Tatum had two steals off the press and Tyler Smith had another leading to three dunks and a layup that made it 57-23 at the 5:51 mark.
"Cameron is in the rotation,'' Pearl said. "He has a nose for the ball and he can score, and he takes the coaching.
"Coach (Steve) Forbes is always in his ear, and he's like a sponge, hungry for it. That wasn't his M.O., his deal, coming in. It's wonderful to see that from a freshman.''
Tatum scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, had three steals, four assists and one turnover.
Vols' sophomore point guard Ramar Smith was the star in the backcourt, however, with 16 points, eight assists, no turnovers and two steals.
"I thought Ramar played better coming off the bench,'' Pearl said at the press conference, shooting his smile at Ramar Smith, who was standing in the back of the room.
Chris Lofton, who scored 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, took some ribbing, too, and on the day he was named preseason first-team All-America.
"You don't make every shot you take - everybody misses,'' Lofton said with a laugh after being teased by media about his 1-of-8 shooting beyond the arc through the first two exhibition games.
Lofton's improved defense and ball-handling skills continued to be on display; the reigning SEC player of the year turned down open shots in making three assists and added two steals.
Sophomore Wayne Chism made up ground in the battle for the starting-center position with a 10-point, seven-rebound, three-assist and three-steal performance.
But Pearl wasn't completely pleased with the play of Chism nor fellow center Brian "Big Baby'' Williams.
"I've got such high expectations for Wayne; I'd like to see him compete for more rebounds,'' Pearl said. "Their big player (6-foot-10 Alfred Anderson) got some looks I would have rather not seen him get.''
Williams, a freshman who opened his UT career with an impressive performance in the Vols' 106-46 win Friday night, also struggled with the physical Anderson. Williams had one field goal, five rebounds, three blocked shots and two turnovers before fouling out after playing 11 minutes.
"Brian was off a little bit tonight,'' Pearl said. "He got a few bad matchups. Obviously, didn't play his best game.
"But Brian has a great personality. He said, 'Coach I had as many fouls as minutes played.' He handled it OK.''
Pearl said he ran his players through a hard practice Sunday in an effort to make Monday night's game more challenging.
"We practiced Sunday, full-court, and I don't normally do that the day before the game,'' Pearl said. "It was an attempt to fatigue us a little bit and hope that would affect us little bit.''
It didn't, and Childress and Ramar Smith explained why.
"When you're wearing this jersey, there's only one way to play and that's all-out,'' Childress said. "You can't just flip the switch on and off. You have to be ready all the time.''
Ramar Smith agreed, and said it's not possible to tire out this :Vols squad.
"No, that can't happen, because we're too deep,'' Ramar Smith said. "We've got 12 or 13 players; I don't think we can be worn down.''
Perhaps not, but Pearl will do his best in the upcoming practices.
"We're going to have to step up,'' Pearl said. "We're going to be challenged.''
© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Posted by DenmarkVol_aka_Mbumburu on November 6, 2007 at 12:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Two words, team: FREE THROWS.
Posted by mparker on November 6, 2007 at 7:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
S. Pearl was 0-4 on ft's???? Hmmmmm
Just kidding.
One thing I wish every one would remember: the vols fought to win their games last year, not too many laughers.
This team, while better, has some tough times ahead of it.
Remember the 3-game bad streak last year? Close, tough losses while Chis was out??
Fan support is going to still be a big deal.
Posted by iowavol on November 6, 2007 at 7:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I think Chism's 0 PF in 22 minutes says it all regarding Coach's comments about rebounding. Better hustle in there. The Smith's were a combined 18-27 from the field and 6-15 from the stripe - focus boys. Coach better find a way to get pressure on Lofton because it doesn't look like he's going to have to carry this team. Dang, we're still in the SEC title hunt in football and I'm getting excited about basketball. It's good to be a Volunteer.
Posted by james on November 6, 2007 at 7:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Free Throws cost the Vols an elite 8 last year. Work on Free Throws. After all, they are FREE. NO ONE GUARDS YOU. With these players, 70% as a team is not too high to shoot for. Free throws are more mental, than physical. Go Vols.
Posted by vol4good on November 6, 2007 at 7:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Mabye our guys should shoot the FT's from behind the 3 pt arc.
Posted by Chainsaw on November 6, 2007 at 8:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You guys said it: free throws really need to be a focus for this team. It's just not acceptable to miss the front end of a 1-1 and leave 2 easy points on the floor. That aside, this is really an exciting team to watch. When we get into league play, TB is going to be rockin' harder than it was last year, that's for sure!
Posted by hueypilot on November 6, 2007 at 9:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I guess since they don't make cough drops anymore, the Smith Bros would be lost on today's generations of fans, huh?
Posted by alfrizzle097 on November 6, 2007 at 9:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Lofton simply doesn't seem to get motivated for the unimportant games. Motivation may not be the right word even, he just seems content to be the team player and not force the issue. That would probably be why he didn't make the national team.
Posted by 55Vol on November 6, 2007 at 10:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
FT's guys...FT's guys..FT's ... it wins championships. It sometimes wins games when the 3's are not falling. FT's are easy points. Check UCLA's FT % when they won 10 National Titles...it pays.
Posted by Orange4life on November 6, 2007 at 10:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
bah, they'll be fine, free throws come when they need em, you'll see. This team will be special and everyone will know the BIG ORANGE!
Posted by bleed_orange on November 6, 2007 at 10:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I went to the game last night and I was impressed with a lot of things except 3-point shooting and foul shots. I know we were only playing LMU a division II team, but our defense at times was amasing. I think the concessions stand might not have any customers during the game, because they are afriad to miss the non-stop action. I needed to go to the bathroom before the game started, but I didn't. So, I had to wait until halftime, because I didn't want to miss a dunk, 3-pointer, steal, block shot, or a great pass. I was impressed with the passing and team play. They looked like a team that had played together for a couple of seasons. If they stay hard working, unselfish, simply buy into Pearl's System - there's nothing this team cann't accomplish. They need to keep working to get better every game (that specially includes free throw shooting). It's simply scary how athletic this team is. Those people out there worried about Lofton's 1-8 3point shooting - DON'T WORRY! The bigger the game the better he plays. Now we have the perfect cast around him where he doesn't have to do everything. We might not need those 30 point games this year, but if we need a shot in the clutch he is still the man. However, there are alot of options - Ramar, Jajaun, & Tyler are 3 other pretty good options to have. We are going to beat OHIO State this year. We might lose to Memphis this year- maybe not. I know one thing- Memphis will know they have been in a war when they get done. They will have to be on their A game to beat us. It's going to be a great game. What am I saying- this is going to be a great year! GO VOLS!
JDS
Posted by DSaVol on November 6, 2007 at 10:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
For all you folks whining about FTs - GET OVER IT! They did NOT cost us games last year and won't cost us games this year. IMPROVED DEFENSE is ALL that is needed for this team. You don't blow 20 pt leads because you miss free throws folks! But I guess that's the easiest thing for simple minds to see.
Posted by Chainsaw on November 6, 2007 at 11:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Lofton is being a leader and giving the new kids some time to hone their game. When the season gets underway, especially once we get into league play, he'll be bombing in from the perimeter.
Posted by marc_ash on November 6, 2007 at 12:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I was at the game last night and was very impressed with Tatum. He played very loose and made good decisions at critical times. He appeared to be very knowledgable of where to press and at what spots on the floor. He should see some minutes this season in a very deep rotation.
The Vols press also looked much more crisp this year than last. I think this has mainly to do with the fact that the Vols are 9-10-11 deep this year as opposed to 7-8 deep. This seemed to allow greater intensity of defense with the fresher bodies in the mix...and chemistry didn't seem to be an issue.
Tyler Smith is the real deal as advertised. Many of his points came off of alley oop's and layups, but he looked very active and got to a lot of loose balls.
The only weakness I saw was free throws. This HAS to be worked out, or it will cost the Vols some games.
Should be a great year for the Vols.
Posted by marc_ash on November 6, 2007 at 12:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
DSaVol, "For all you folks whining about FTs - GET OVER IT! They did NOT cost us games last year and won't cost us games this year."
Sorry friend, have to disagree with you on this one. When the Vols played against Ohio State last season in Columbus, they were 5-11 from the free throw line. If you recall, UT was up by 2 with less than 10 seconds left. Chris Lofton (who was clutch all season) missed the front end of a 1-1 that would have put the Vols up by 3 if he'd hit it and 4 if he had hit the second end. He didn't, and Mike Conley Jr. came down and hit the game winning 3pt shot.
FT's are the key to winning games. They allow teams to come back from big leads because they offer easy "free" points with the clock stopped. Missing free throws is the same as getting turnovers.
Oh, and by the way....Ohio State shot 18-20 from the free throw line. You can't tell me those 13 free points didn't make a difference in Ohio State coming back from 20.
Posted by redneckerson on November 6, 2007 at 12:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
marc_ash - you have to ignore dsavol and his asinine comments. He is clearly ignorant of the basic precepts of basketball.
Posted by 55Vol on November 6, 2007 at 2:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
DSaVol... wrong . We lost to Ohio State TWICE last year because when shooting FT's we couldn't hit the backboard in the first game and then when we lost a 21 point halftime lead becuase of sloppy defense, we couldn't hit the FT's in the last 2 minutes which would have made for more possessions for OSU to have to have to beat us.
A team needs every weapon at it's disposal to win at the NC level. We certainly have the talent thi syear but go ask Pearl if he would have liked to have hit 80% at the line in those two games and then tell him he is simple minded when he tells you "yes".
Posted by agentorange on November 6, 2007 at 3:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
you're 29 jay raymond? i figured you were probably in your late 70s as bitter as you are. you need to lighten up dude.
Posted by marc_ash on November 6, 2007 at 4:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
fyi, Childress started last night..he didn't come off the bench as indicated in the article.
Posted by jcvet on November 6, 2007 at 6:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
18000 people at a UT exibition basketball game? Who wooda thunk it 3 yrs. ago? See what competent coaching gets you Hamilton? Sad it took TN 15 yrs. to get a decent BB coach. How long is it going to take the football team?
Posted by creepykev on November 6, 2007 at 7:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This team is the one that all future Vol teams will be compared to. I went to the game and everyone is better. Childress turned into he man and got some new moves to boot. Lofton doesn't have to score twenty a game anymore. He did just fine on drives to the basket, assists and defense. The newcomers are the real deal as well. We have a long season but this year we are incredibly deep. Enjoy this season because I don't think we will have too many that will top it.
Posted by paulvol on November 6, 2007 at 9:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Just beat Florida and Kentucky and make it to the final 8 in the NCAA tournament this time and I will be a happy man. However, don't lose sight of the ultimate goal of winning it all. Anything is possible with faith and hard work.
Posted by Plasticman on November 6, 2007 at 9:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I was at the game too. I was extremely impressed with Cameron Tatum. He is perfect for Pearl's system. He played with alot of confidence for a young freshman and will definitely help us this year. THis team is loaded with talent. Chism is better, Childress looks to have improved as much since last year as he did between his Frosh. and Soph. year. One game at a time fellas and this could be the year the basket vols knock the door down!! DSAvol, wrong about the FT shooting dude. It did cost us the OSU games last season without a doubt.
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