Five things to watch at the Rocky Top League
1. Cameron Tatum
Tatum leads the league in scoring (40.5) and goes head-to-head against Hopson at 6 p.m. Monday. Tatum will compete with both Hopson and J.P. Prince for playing time at UT.
Tatum, who redshirted last season, will tackle Tyler Smith and the HT Group Wednesday night.
2. Tyler Smith
Smith could score 50 a game if he wanted but takes it upon himself to play team ball and guard fellow UT players in an effort to improve his game as well as theirs.
The unquestioned leader of the Vols, Smith is a shining example of how a star should carry himself.
3. Bobby Maze, and Daniel West
UT’s point guards of the future have put on quite a show, and not of the showboat variety.
Despite hard-scrabble social backgrounds — Maze from Washington, D.C., West from Saginaw, Mich., — there’s very little “street’’ in their games. Both play a controlled game with fundamentals and compete like champions.
4. Scotty Hopson
The McDonald’s All-American has shown flashes of brilliance, but he has yet to dominate like many believe he can. Hopson clearly needs work on his 3-point shot and defense, but his driving and dunking abilities are otherworldly.
5. Courtney Pigram
That wasn’t Chris Lofton stroking 36-foot 3-pointers and draining 11-of-12 treys Wednesday — it was Pigram.
Pigram, along with All-Atlantic Coast Conference freshman Terrence Oglesby (Clemson), provides UT players the competition needed to get better.
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Comments » 10
utrxlax writes:
Can anyone tell me when the best time to arrive is to get in? I know seating is limited so want to make sure I can get a seat. Thanks.
Hunter writes:
Yesterday.
UTVols1698 writes:
5 things to watch? they were all people not things to watch, and one of them was 2 people... so shouldn't this be titled 6 people to watch in the rocky top league? But i'm still very exctied to watch these guys play together. Here is ESPN's updated preaseason top 25:
1. North Carolina
2. Pitt
3. UCLA
4. Notre Dame (Luke Harangody sure looked good in the torunamnet... HA)
5. Louisville
6. Duke (REALLY?? give me a break)
7. Memphis (come on!)
8. Miami (HAHAHAHAHAHA)
9. Gonzaga (another team we get to beat... again)
10. Purdue
11. Michigan State
12. Arizona State
13. Texas
14. Marquette
15. UCONN
16. Oklahoma
17. Tennessee (WAY TO LOW)
18. Villanova
19. Arizona
20. West Virginia
21. Baylor
22. Wisconsin
23. Kansas
24. Davidson
25. Wake Forest
This is just Andy Katz's top 25 and after reading this I dont know why he's working for ESPN. The Big East did HORRIBLE in the Tourney last year, Harangody is OVERRATED!
I don't understand How Duke, Memphis, Or Miami (7,8,9) are ranked this high or in front of the Vols at all.
alfrizzle097 writes:
I believe Tatum was putting up 50% before the redshirt. I'm sure that Daniel West is servicable from three (kind of a first half of the season Jordan Howell maybe), and Maze dropped 47 points the other day. You don't do that without being able to shoot some. Tyler should be working on his three and Wayne is decent. JP will hopefully learn to shoot with one hand instead of two. Woolridge? Hopson?
We may not have a go-to 3 pointer guy this year, but I see us being able to stretch the floor better as a team.
UTVols1698 writes:
The 3 point line is moving back too thats going to hurt everyone shooting 3s, and I'd say its better we rely on athleticism than 3 point shooting, I think we all know what happened when Lofton was cold. Lofton is by far my favorite UT basketball player ever but I do think we will be better in this coming season. I would have loved to see what would have happened if Lofton Redshirted due to the cancer and we still signed Hopson. Having these guys plus Lofton we would be DAMN good.
b_neas writes:
Lofton was the 2nd best 3pt shooter ever, not 3rd (if you are going on made 3pters). And since when does a team need a 3pt shooter to excel? Chism and Hopson and Tatum will shoot the 3 good enough for UT to be very multi-dimensional. I also agree with UTVOLS1698, it better to reply on taking it to the rim and athletism than long shots. Some nights the long ball wont drop, but athletism shows up every night. And TT you saw how we tore zones up last year putting Tyler at the FT line. Pearl has great zone ofenses, well they seem great because when Tyler gets the ball at the FT line, he does great things with it.
alfrizzle097 writes:
Just wish Woolridge would get here for the Rocky Top League. I know there are restrictions, but I would have loved to see him in action.
volboy81#211803 writes:
MIAMI has mens basketball?????
Orangebrewbasher writes:
C'mon overated, where are u at? Were on here mentioning mempiss, time for u to post a cocky mempiss comment and stir up another 200 plus posts.
TommyJack writes:
Apparently defense is another thing not to look for.
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