NEWARK, N.J. - Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl doesn't need to worry about getting his players' attention.
Texas took care of that Saturday night in the Legend's Classic championship game with a 19-point win over the Vols that sounded a five-alarm wake-up call that's still echoing in Knoxville.
The 15th-ranked Longhorns (5-0) boasted four McDonald's All-Americans and appeared taller, quicker and more talented at most every position in the 97-78 victory over the No. 7 Vols (5-1).
Pearl said he's considering cutting down the Vols' rotation from 10 players to nine, though he wouldn't elaborate.
"It's interesting,'' Pearl said after the Texas loss, "when you're playing 10 guys, it's not an advantage at this time of the year.''
On Sunday, Tennessee's approach and execution was foremost on Pearl's mind.
"We need to remember who we are and play to our strengths,'' Pearl said, some 16 hours after the game. "We need to remember it was Texas in the Final Four a couple of years ago, not us, and West Virginia had won 19 of 20 non-conference games entering our game with them.''
The Vols escaped with a 74-72 win over the Mountaineers Friday night but failed to play with the same urgency against Texas.
Pearl warned UT better bring its 'A' game Tuesday night (TV: SportSouth, 7:30 p.m.) against North Carolina A&T, or the Vols' 20-game home-court win streak will be in jeopardy.
"I'm in the office watching film all day today because these guys we're getting ready to play are very good,'' Pearl said. "They beat DePaul (Saturday) night, and their only two losses are to Pittsburgh and St. Louis, two good teams.''
The Vols will have a different look when they take the court at Thompson-Boling Arena, though Pearl said that doesn't necessarily mean lineup changes.
"We need to stay away from our weaknesses; some of our players were still experimenting, and we're about done with that,'' Pearl said. "We need better shot selection.''
Pearl said sophomore transfer Tyler Smith played his best game with 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Pearl also said he's confident preseason All-American guard Chris Lofton broke out of his shooting slump with a 4-of-8 performance behind the 3-point arc.
Tennessee associate head coach Tony Jones, Pearl's right-hand man, said he knows the man players and assistants refer to as "BP'' will get things sorted out.
"There's no panic here,'' Jones said. "We're growing as a team, and we'll look forward to these two important games this week.
"We missed a number of layups at the start of the second half and that enabled Texas to get some momentum and get that double-digit lead we couldn't overcome.''
UT senior JaJuan Smith said he takes much of the blame for the team's performance against Texas.
"I need to step up and be a better leader,'' said JaJuan Smith, who had some uncharacteristic misses in his 4-of-11 shooting performance against the Longhorns. "We need to put that loss behind us and be ready to work hard with coach to get better.
"We don't need anyone putting their heads down.''
Tyler Smith said the Texas loss provides an opportunity to improve.
"We hit a road block, but I'm glad we hit it now rather than later in the season,'' Tyler Smith said. "It was great to face a team like this, because we're going to be challenged this year.
"We've got challenges at home coming up, and then we've got tough trips to play Xavier and Gonzaga even before the SEC season starts.''
Pearl characterized Tennessee's point guard play as "not good'' against West Virginia and Texas, and said Ramar Smith needs more purpose when he drives and Jordan Howell needs to break defenses down off the dribble more often.
Texas' D.J. Augustin, one of the best point guards in the nation, said the Longhorns limited Lofton's shot attempts by making him work hard on the defensive end so he wasn't as "energized'' on offense.
Pearl said that has become a common tactic for opponents.
"Chris has to guard somebody out there, and he is working hard on defense,'' Pearl said. "There were times he was fatigued, but (Texas) is a really good ball-handling team and controlled the tempo when they got the lead.
"Because they were such good ball-handlers, it was difficult to press them.''
UT forced a season-low 13 turnovers against Texas and were easily outscored in transition.
Next Year: The Vols will be playing in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla., during Thanksgiving weekend next year. The eight-team field that will be playing at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex also features Gonzaga, Maryland, Oklahoma State, Siena, Wichita State, Memphis and Michigan State.
Pearl's Nerves: Pearl was worried the night before the game with Texas.
"I'm always afraid of the law of averages,'' Pearl said. "We've played Texas twice the last two years and beat them in one of the best games of my career in Austin, and last year we were very fortunate.''
The Vols upset the then-sixth ranked Longhorns two years ago in Austin by 95-78 and rallied from a 17-point second-half deficit to win 111-105 in overtime last year.
Hugs For Bruce: West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said he's not surprised to see Pearl having success with the Vols.
"Not at all,'' Huggins said. "He always asked good questions and made me think.''
Huggins allowed Pearl to study his Cincinnati Bearcats when Pearl was at Southern Indiana.
Chilly Update: Junior forward Ryan Childress could have played Saturday night in an emergency situation, but the coaches opted to allow Childress to rest the ankle he injured Friday against West Virginia. Childress began rehabilitation Sunday and remains questionable for Tuesday night's game.
Memorable moments in Pat Summitt's…
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Phillip Fulmer through the years
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 21
DenmarkVol_aka_Mbumburu writes:
Not to worry, guys. This loss will make you better. Take the lessons and learn from them.
OldNumber7 writes:
shooting in the 30's on fg pct is not good. You will lose most games with that kind of shoddy stat.
THE_VOL writes:
RocketVol - you should change your name to Rocket Scientist! That was a brilliant observation. Surprised you didn't mention that letting the other team shoot 64% would lose most games as well.
mbum - read any more great cliches lately??? That is a bunch of phooey - losing has never made anybody better.
I've been to every game this season and bottom line is this team had better find some chemistry in a hurry along with a TRUE leader - sorry, JuJuan but that ain't you either - or it will never come close to what it really could be. It's obvious to me there is a whole lot of selfishness among several guys and some really bad me-first attitudes that need to get lost.
bshell12 writes:
the vol....r u sure u have been to all the games, because Jujaun is the emotional leader of the team by far...no one else is gonna step up so u better hope Jujuan is a true leader...don't worry he is
BigUn writes:
I thought we were imitating Nikki Annosiki with our layups Saturday night. Brick after brick from 2 feet away.
This is what makes college basketball great. At the beginning of the year, you play these tough teams to get ready for conference play and to give your team time to gel and come together.
My guess would be to get Newton and Williams out of the rotation now, that way they can have a few games to get used to playing the 9 man rotation. But if we don't get better PG play and FT shooting, it's going to be an early exit from the NCAA tourney.
alfrizzle097 writes:
Losing CAN make you better. It makes evident your weaknesses and stresses to all involved that something has to change.
This game looked like it just turned out to be the perfect storm. Looked like Texas did to us what we'll do to someone when Lofton and the Smiths aren't missing.
eb502us#225637 writes:
One thing was obvious in our loss to TX, and that is that they were quicker and beat us off the dribble at almost every position. Our biggest liability as I see it is at point guard. Ramar Smith has limited ability at either guard position. He doesn't posess the ball handling skills and quickness to be a point guard and is not a good enough shooter to be a starting 2 guard. And he can't create his own shot from either position, other than an occasional drive to the basket. How anyone can mention him and the NBA in the same sentence is beyond me. I'm not sure he'd even make the NBA developmental league. Howell while limited in the quickness area, should be taking more of Ramar's minutes. At least he's a threat from the perimeter which opens the floor for Chris and Jujuan. With Ramar, defenses are sagging on him and daring him to take a shot. They know his only way of scoring is to beat you to the basket, and sagging on him helps prevent that. Plus, sitting him down might just light a fire under him as I have yet to see any improvement from last year.
jdcvols#230433 writes:
WOW, we are 5-1 and it is very early in the season. It has been since 1976 that a NCAA team finished unbeaten and people are already upset over one game. It is way too early for these negative comments. This is just one game out of 35 or so that we will play.
crmcm44#321757 writes:
It looked pretty bad but remember how it looked 3 and beyond years ago. At least they are fun to watch most of the time and they don't quit. Too many in the rotation for much chemistry.
Basketball_Jones writes:
The one thing I noticed is poor shot selection. Jajuan really jacks the ball up alot. I know he busted out and had a great game earlier this year but he has a tendancy to take real bad shots. Ramar's biggest strength is also his biggest issue. He is great at getting to the basket but when he leaves his feet to pass he tends to pick up a charge every now and then. Free throws are also an issues, not sure why they can't shoot 70% or better. This team is fine overall though, just need a few tweeks here and there
bleed_orange writes:
Tyler took Dane's place in the starting line-up. So, maybe he needs to be more of a leader which I think he can be. We need better play from our PG (Ramar and/or Jordan),Chris needs to be more vocal, and Jajuan needs better shot selection. However, it is only Nov. and only the 6th game. We still have more talent from 1-12 that I have ever seen at TN snice I have been following the vols (snice about 1975). I still think we have one of the best coaches in the SEC and in the NCAA. They are going to get better with every game. I still think that Bruce can and will use a 10 man rotation. I think J.P. will be in the mix come Jan. The DEFENSE AND REBOUNDING will keep getting better too. The chemistry will be there by March. Texas owed us a pay back and we did miss Ryan's energy off the bench. Texas will contend with Kansas for the Big 12 Championship and WV will not finish at the bottom of the Big East. They will finish behind Georgetown,Louisville,Pittsburgh,and Marquette. I think they will be right there with Syracuse. GO VOLS!
JDS
tnmantravel#531151 writes:
if your a tennessee basketball player..... (and your probably not) pls don't read any of this ....people here are so silly
fatmike265 writes:
Bruce, reconsider the rotation cutting it to 9 even 8. Stay with your strengths and keep them running. Play your own game, but remember, the deeper your experience the longer you can stay in the mix. Also consider early losses and to whom only affect your current ranking and not your NCAA seed. You guys will make it there, keep the faith Tennessee B-Ball hasn’t looked this good since Ernie and Bernie, and maybe back to the England error. Your guys are young stay the pace. Cutting the rotation may not have a positive result later in the year when you may need help due to injury or just fatigue.
THE_VOL writes:
bshell - I am VERY sure I've been to every game and while it may APPEAR to you that JuJuan is the emotional leader, I guarantee you that he is NOT the locker room/practice floor leader of this team. bleed_orange is absolutely right - the REAL leader of this team is Tyler and he needs to forget about being new and take over as I believe he can. CLo is a great player and a damned good leader by example but his personality is what it is and he just isn't going to be a vocal guy. The problem with leading by example with this team is some of the others have to be smart enough to watch, learn, and follow.
What is TRULY amazing though is that I agree with everything eb posted. As for the rotation, I would expect Duke to get more minutes if not replace Chism as the starter - he just gives us more toughness and better all around effort. I would also not be surprised to see JP Prince as the starting PG before the new year. He's eligible as soon as exams are over which I believe makes him available for the Dec 15 game.
Finally, alfrizzle - you MUST be a FOOLmer relative! Only someone related to him would actually BELIEVE that losing can make you better and use the term "perfect storm" in the same thought! PLEASE don't bring that phooey to this program.
THE_VOL writes:
Oh - one other thing for BIGUN - who the hell is Newton?????
bleed_orange writes:
Looking at their next few non-conference games, NC A&T, WKY, and of course Xavier & Gonzaga will be some very good tests for UT and get them ready just fine for the SEC play. Go VOLS!
JDS
bleed_orange writes:
THE_VOL, I cann't wait to see J.P. play. Do you really think he will beat out Ramar & Jordan for starting PG? I know he is suppose to be our most versitile player we have. He could probally play at PG,SG,SF or Wing,& PF. I thought he might be a better at the Wing or SF? How good of Free Throw shooter is he? How did his surgery go? GO VOLS!
Los writes:
Just give give up on the season before it is too late. Besides, there is no way we can compete with the Memphis Tigers.
bleed_orange writes:
Los we shall see. I believe we beat Memphis by 18 points last year. Of course, it might be like the Texas game, but I don't think so. I think it will be a great game. GO VOLS!
JDS
DSaVol writes:
bleed...I don't know what THE_VOL might say but I definitely believe JP will beat out Jordan and Ramar. Jordan is a solid player but he's more valuable coming off the bench IF we have a dynamic PG that can actually understand the game and run the team on the floor. That ain't Ramar. IF JP can actually do it he also gives us some match-up advantages that BP would be certain to take advantage of.
Now for that debacle the other night. I'm really not concerned that we lost the game. I am concerned that after all the talk about playing better defense we let those guys shoot 64% on us, that we weren't seriously challenging alot of their shots and that we lacked intensity throughout the game. I've said since the summer that this team's greatest opponent will be themselves and unfortunately it's starting to look like that's correct. This team has obvious and serious chemistry issues and that's disappointing given everything that BP has done to put them in situations to come together. They all need to forget the NBA exists cause right now there isn't a player on this team that is going to that league anytime soon. The next two weeks will be real interesting in a lot of ways but if they think they can go into Xavier and Gonzaga with the same mindset and attitudes that are apparent now, then they should expect the same type of result as well.
ULTIMATEVOLUNTEER writes:
duke crews needs to hit the bench until he can do anything. why does he even attempt a layup in traffic over bigs? just jammit!
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.