Chism: 'This ain't Tennessee basketball'

OXFORD, Miss. — Tennessee junior Wayne Chism wore a look of exasperation in the aftermath of Wednesday’s loss to Ole Miss.

“This ain’t Tennessee basketball,’’ Chism said. “We’ve got to represent the Tennessee on our jersey.’’

Chism had 19 points and eight rebounds, but many of his numbers came late after the game was decided.

The scoreboard showed the Rebels were 81-65 winners, but the beatdown went beyond the numbers.

“We’ve got to man-up,’’ Chism said. “We got punked on the boards, just like at Auburn (a 78-77 loss).’’

Chism and Tyler Smith combined for only two rebounds in the first half, and yet, the Vols were only down 34-32.

But the Rebels, one of the youngest teams in the nation, came out of the locker room for the second half like veterans with a 7-0 run.

Tennessee couldn’t get shots off, and when it did, it missed. Five free throws in a row were missed as Ole Miss pulled away.

“It’s not our youth,’’ Chism said. “It’s a lack of focus. We’ve got to pick this thing up.’’

Smith said he was at a loss for words and struggled for an explanation of what UT needed to do to bounce back.

“We have to step up as veterans,’’ Smith said. “We played average tonight, and an away game requires you do a lot more.’’

One element that was missing was the sterling play of J.P. Prince.

Prince was battered around and bottled up by the physical Rebels throughout the night, finishing with just two points and two rebounds.

“J.P. was off his game,’’ UT coach Bruce Pearl said. “He took a pretty big hit early.’’

Prince fell hard on his back on one drive, and was seen repeatedly rubbing it for the remainder of the game.

Former NBA star Orlando Woolridge was at Tad Smith Coliseum to see his son, Renaldo, play.

After the game, Orlando Woolridge discussed strategy with the UT assistant coaches, noting how some of the younger players were hesitating with the ball. Pearl has said the same thing all season.

Renaldo Woolridge had five points on 1-of-4 shooting, and no rebounds in the 11 minutes he played.

UT point guards Josh Tabb and Bobby Maze combined for five points on 2-of-5 shooting and had one assist and three turnovers.

Ole Miss freshman point guard Terrico White certainly won that battle, as he had 21 points, five rebounds, six assists and only one turnover.

“They think I’m slow, so I had to use my speed to drive around them,’’ White said. “They were on me too tight, playing me full court.’’

Pearl didn’t cut his point guards any slack.

“Guards scoring have hurt us all year,’’ Pearl said.

Pearl also was matter-of-fact when assessing the Vols’ chances at winning the SEC East.

“I felt like heading into this six-game stretch we needed to win four,’’ Pearl said. “We still need to win four. The teams we need to beat are the teams we’re in the hunt with.

“The schedule doesn’t favor us.’’

The Vols play at Kentucky at 1 p.m. Saturday before returning home to play Mississippi State at 9 p.m. Wednesday.

UT then plays at Florida (March 1) and at South Carolina (March 5) before concluding the regular season at home against Alabama (March 8).