'A' For Effort? How the Vols are faring at SEC midpoint

Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl and his basketball team are far from pleased with themselves at the midway point of the SEC men's basketball season.

"It's time to grow up out there,'' UT junior center Wayne Chism said. "It's hard to win in the SEC, and it's a battle every night.''

Fans had grown accustomed to UT winning the close battles with clutch play from such stars of the past as Dane Bradshaw, Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith.

"Just look at how many games we could have lost last year,'' UT assistant coach Jason Shay said, pulling out a media guide and rattling off no less than 10 games UT won that could have gone either way in the final minutes. "We're really not that far off.''

The Vols (14-7, 5-3 SEC) look to get back to their winning ways with home games they'll be favored in against Georgia (8 p.m. Wednesday) and Vanderbilt (3 p.m. Saturday).

"I'm as accountable as anyone for the fact that we're a couple games under where we'd like to be,'' said Pearl, who has taken UT to the Sweet 16 each of the past two seasons and made the NCAA tournament all three years he has been the Vols' head coach. "But nobody's panicking. We lost by one point on the road (Saturday at Auburn), and we're disappointed. But I don't think our confidence is terribly shaken.''

Pearl knows the bottom line is that UT is still on track to make a fourth-consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.

The Vols' RPI rating - which is used by the NCAA tournament committee to make selections and determine seedings - is tops in the SEC at No. 21 in the nation.

Still, Florida (No. 30), South Carolina (43) and LSU (52) have been getting votes in the Top 25 rankings while Tennessee has been ignored the past three weeks.

UT has four wins against top-50 RPI teams, and its strength of schedule ranked No. 1 in the country as of Monday, though it could dip a few spots after Georgia (214) and Vanderbilt (93) come to town.

"The SEC will get, what, four or five teams in the NCAA tournament?'' Pearl said. "I think we just need to be in the top four or five.''

An analysis of how the Vols measure up halfway through the SEC season:

FRONT LINE

(Wayne Chism, Emmanuel Negedu, Brian Williams, Tyler Smith, J.P. Prince, Steven Pearl)

Half-court offense:

B+ Chism and Smith's offensive numbers are up, and Williams and Negedu have had their good moments. Negedu brings a great amount of energy but is still learning the offense, while Williams provides an effective big body when he's playing hard. The offensive rebounding has been a "B" as well, as UT has outscored most all of its opponents in second-chance points. J.P. Prince has brought an added dimension of late with his play-making, as he leads the SEC with a 3.2 assist/turnover ratio in league games.

Half-court defense:

B Chism won the majority of battles going toe-to-toe against some of the finest big men in the country. Chism's quick feet have enabled him to stay with smaller players on the perimeter when called upon. Smith has struggled at times defensively, particularly when trying to play with fouls. Williams and Negedu, again, have been hot and cold.

3-point shooting:

B The fact that UT's frontcourt is even being evaluated in this category shows the versatility of the team. Chism has been the most effective of the front-line players shooting beyond the arc, hitting at a .385 clip in SEC play. The front line, as a unit, has hit 22 of 66 (.333) 3-point attempts in league play.

BACKCOURT

(Josh Tabb, Bobby Maze, Scotty Hopson, Cameron Tatum, Renaldo Woolridge)

Half-court offense:

C+ The best breakdown players are on the front line, in Smith and Prince, and that's somewhat telling. Maze has recently started to show his scoring skills while Hopson and Tatum have had their share of highs and lows. Inconsistency has been the bottom line, however.

Half-court defense:

D- The Vols rank only ninth in the SEC in steals and are sixth in league games in 3-point field-goal percentage defense. Pearl said six opposing players have posted career-high scoring performances against UT, including Jodie Meeks' 54-point effort. Tabb's quickness has been challenged by opposing point guards. Tatum, at 6-7 and coming off two knee surgeries, also has struggled at times. Hopson's defense has been the most improved on the perimeter.

3-point shooting:

C- The Vols' backcourt shoots a collective .336 beyond the 3-point arc in SEC games (34-for-101), not even a full percentage point better than the big men, and a far cry from the .377 UT hit last season. Hopson leads the way in SEC games (.429) while Maze is making .333 and Tatum .297. Tabb has made 3 of 7.

TEAM

Free-Throw Shooting:

B UT is hitting .691 over the course of the season and .680 in SEC. The Vols have struggled at times down the stretch, particularly Tatum (.400 in SEC play), who has missed the front end of key 1-and-1 situations. Negedu has been a pleasant surprise, making 25 of 29 (.862) attempts and all six attempts in SEC play. Tyler Smith ranks fourth in SEC games with an .830 free-throw percentage, and Prince is hitting .724 in league games. Chism's percentage is up this season to .730 from last year's .556, as is the entire team's (.691 to last year's .659).

Transition Play:

B It's a different Vols team; bigger, longer and slower, and that has taken UT out of the pressing/trapping style Pearl prefers. Auburn coach Jeff Lebo said the Vols are still best in the nation at guarding inbounds passes, and that has led to UT's fast-break points this season. The Vols are doing better getting back on defense, but not good enough.

Coaching:

B Pearl has used nine different starting lineups and started nine different players in his search to find UT's "sweet spot'' as he blends five new players into his 10-deep rotation. Pearl still out-coaches Florida's Billy Donovan each time out, but Kentucky's Billy Gillispie has been a tough matchup, as Pearl is only 1-2 against him and had to hang on for dear life last season when the 'Cats were playing without marquee center Patrick Patterson.