Box Score
Tennessee Men's Basketball
LEXINGTON, Ky. - When the clock struck midnight and Saturday turned into Sunday, Tennessee basketball fans should have broken out the champagne. Party hats and horns would have been just as appropriate.
A new week was worthy of a New Year's-size celebration. The best thing about the new week: It couldn't be worse than the last one.
In fact, you could make a compelling argument that the last week was the worst in the history of UT basketball.
Ladies first: The Lady Vols drew coach Pat Summitt's wrath after being out-rebounded by 13 in a home-court loss to Duke. They followed that with an even less impressive effort in losing to a mediocre Kentucky team. Summitt was so infuriated she kicked the team out of its plush locker room.
And why not? Two losses in one month used to be regarded as catastrophic failure for the Lady Vols.
UT men's coach Bruce Pearl was as furious as Summitt following his team's 77-58 loss to Kentucky at Rupp Arena on Saturday. Afterwards, he apologized for his team's effort and his own coaching.
But that game wasn't an aberration. It was a follow-up.
The Vols looked every bit as inept in an 81-65 loss to Ole Miss. Thanks to CBS, they just had a bigger audience Saturday.
A member of the Kentucky media who had witnessed the worst of UT's two basketball programs in the same week was so struck by the similarities that he asked point guard Josh Tabb if the men's and women's teams hung out much together. Either he was working on a guilt-by-association scenario or suspected a virus had been passed from one team to the other.
The two UT teams have something else in common: A dismal March forecast.
Summitt can kick her team out of its locker room or boot it off campus. She can't turn it into a Final Four team. It's just not good enough to reach what has become the acceptable standard for Lady Vols basketball.
The Gentleman Vols have the same problem.
I still expect them to squeak into the NCAA tournament. But I don't expect them to stick around long. Instead, I envision some mid-major program with a major league backcourt knocking UT out of the tournament in the first round.
Pearl blasted his team for quitting against Kentucky. Center Wayne Chism blamed the performance on a lack of focus.
Those shortcomings are controllable. But the bigger issue can't be resolved. This team isn't that good.
The Vols haven't come close to replacing the production provided by guards Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith. Moreover, they're right where they were last year at point guard.
Last season ended with Pearl desperately moving J.P. Prince to point guard in hopes of stabilizing a position that was unraveling. A year later, the Vols are still struggling at the position.
Freshman Daniel West was ruled academically ineligible in October. Junior college transfer Bobby Maze hasn't played up to his preseason billing. And Tabb, an unnatural point guard, has done his best to play a position at which his experience is limited.
With a deficient backcourt, a greater burden is transferred to Tyler Smith, and he's not always up to it, as evidenced by his 1-for-11 shooting against Kentucky.
As bad as Smith and his teammates looked against Kentucky, they didn't look nearly as bad as the media's preseason predictions, mine included, which had them at least winning the SEC and maybe making a run at the Final Four.
Pearl wasn't as optimistic. But his efforts to temper the preseason expectation were written off as coach-speak.
He was right. The media was wrong.
Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.
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Comments » 73
pammyvol1000 writes:
I am still a die hard fan and root them on every game even if they don't play as expected. The guys played so good against FLA.. and the gals played so good against Ga..
Just not consistent.. I don't really see a lot of leadership for either team.
VOLAFAN writes:
I'm sick of reading post about how this is the end of the world! You all seem spoiled over our success so far in the BP era. Are there some things wrong with our team? Yes, a lot of things. Should you all start a pessimistic cry storm with one below par season? No! I wonder if half of the people that post on here have ever played a day of sports in their entire lives. Many of you seem to forget that this team is trying everything they can to win. At least I believe this is true. Do you actually think BP lets these guys walk through practice? Hell no! Cut them some slack. No real UT fan would ever be this critical of a team or a coach like BP after one "sub-par" season. Hell, we might still make the NCAA. You should all look in the mirror next time you start to call our players that work their azzes off everyday spoiled.
dwa7#337691 writes:
it's so sad...............can't hit foul shots........will not rebound..........no assists.............Lady Vols and Men Vols..............poor play.
tnmantravel#531151 writes:
HEY .... KENTUCKY JUST MADE ANOTHER 3!!!!!
Greer_Vol_22 writes:
UT has the talent to get beat at Ky by 7....not 20. Speaks to character.
BigVolFaninSC writes:
I don't think you can call it a recession when neither team has what it needs to succeed! The Lady Vols lost ALL 5 starters. The guys lost 3 guards and a bruiser on the boards. That is hard to replace. Give these players some time and they will be back near the top soon! The guys do need a point guard. I think Maze would be a better shooting guard.
jephsteph writes:
I think what we would be hilarious is if we get into the tournament, and Kentucky does not get in. That would be funny because they beat us bad both times.
JACK8254 writes:
I dont think that our coaches are close to the highest paid in the SEC. They are overpaid- i wont argue that point.
bmaples writes:
Well, let's see if we can make two comments that are somewhere in the middle of the extremes I'm reading:
(1) Both teams lost some all-everything players, and have not been able to replace them. The men's program isn't at the we-just-reload stage yet, and the reload on the women's side was short-circuited by injury. The drop in current ability (not necessarily potential) on both teams is a fact, and one that can't be overcome easily or early.
(2) That said, even green freshmen and freshwomen should get better as the year goes along, and these two teams are getting worse. I don't know if it's lack of effort, or lack of correct coaching, or lack of listening to the coaching, or what. Frankly, only the players and the coaches know which it is; none of us are in the practices or in the locker room. But something ain't right, and #1 above doesn't explain it.
And one more thing --
(3) CPS and CBP are both excellent coaches; you don't have their records of success by being clueless. But even great coaches sometimes can't find the right button to push, at least not in time. What you can do is not let it repeat. I still think we've got two of the best coaches in the business, and I believe they will figure it out. Maybe not this season, but they'll figure it out.
As my boss says, "Either you change the people, or you change the people." At UT, I think we're going to see:
"Either you change the players, or you change the players."
Bruce in Louisville
brucemaples.com
dirtywhiteboy writes:
how embarrassing!!! seems like about this time last year we were laughing at kentucky having hired gillispie as coach. one year later and gillispie is getting the last laugh over and over again. he'll get another laugh when he sees that ut didn't get any love on selection sunday and winds up playing a game in the nit at a school like mtsu.
BoydsCreekBoy writes:
Curse all you like. That does not change the fact that Bruce Pearl is a big bag of wind. Maybe next week Pearl will coach the game without a shirt, painted orange and wearing a head band.
Oh yeah, and aren't Pearl's technical fouls classy--A cry baby coaching cry babies.
Pearl's on and off court antics do not and will not win ball games. For him, maybe going back to his mid-major league will.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
yeay;
One add: recruiting is NOT an exact science, but both Bruce and Pat have really f****ed up in NOT recruiting more gurrds. Hell, every year's clss needs two guards: a breakdown/dribble type and a shooter.
BillVol writes:
Areyou, have you ever played any sport in your life? I didn't think so.
1volk-nowi-tall writes:
Truth is neither team can handle and pass the ball without turnovers nor can they shoot at a 45% clip. Both are weak at the free throw line and neither can take the ball to the basket nor defend the dribble drive by their opponent. They must both get better because no matter what these posters yell for there are not enought players waiting in the wings or on the recruiting trail to play next season to replace the ones we have....
thevoice writes:
Finally someone gets it. I would also add that character will not be a part of this team because of the players Bruce recruits (Crews? Drugs/grades, kicked off team. R Smith? Drugs/grades, kicked off team. The rest speak for themselves on the court.). The foundation of character is built in the home, before boys get to college. It's gonna be tough for anyone to just start developing character within two years of college, starting from near zero. No longer do I wonder why NC, Duke, Kansas, etc. are perennially good teams. They recruit great players who are great persons. It may sound judgmental, but character is not found on a team whose players' bodies expose as much ink as skin, can't conduct a grammar-proficient interview/conversation, and generally don't possess good basketball IQ. And it's pretty evident how such translates into playing. Until Bruce Pearl recruits players who are impressive individuals, we'll see the same results. It's no coincidence that we're proud of Chris Lofton, Dane Bradshaw, CJ Watson, Alan Houston, Ernie and Bernie. You just can't make a team from playground players.
jhayes0926#638474 writes:
Of course more burden is shifted to Tyler-why shouldn't it. If he expects to become a pro, he should be able to handle the responsibility of lifting the team on his shoulders. I think this yr. shows he is not yet capable of that. He better stay another yr. if he expects bb to be his career.
Chism should have his tale kicked. All the potential he has but he still has tantrums like a 13 yr. old AAU sub. Maze has potential, leave him in. Tabb has not shown that he is better, so stay with your best chance.
budd#207344 writes:
you and little lance would probably make a nice couple. Why don't you sign up to be his little friend on his myspace page or something cute like that. You two could cuddle and drink merlow and talk about those nasty athletics teams
orangevolz writes:
I HATE YOU. I AM SO SICK AND TIRED OF READING YOUR SAME OLE phooey ON FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL. YOU HATE KIFFIN, YOU HATE PEARL, YOU PROBABLY HATE SUMMITT, AND MOST OF ALL, YOU HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT UT. I AM ASLO SURE YOU HATE YOUR MISERABLE LIFE.
AllLadyVol writes:
To me the most telltale sign is the way both the men's and women's teams behave when the ball bangs off the rim: they stand and watch their opponent run for it.
That's effort. Plain and simple.
VolunteerMan writes:
Are you f...ing kidding me? You folks that are not-so-deftly criticizing Pat and Bruce need a slap to the face. Pat is THE most decorated womens coach in history and Bruce is the best mens coach in the history of UT. Is this run inhumanely frustrating? Absolutely. But we are lucky to have these two represent our programs.
AreYouKiffinMe, Go away. You are a disgrace.
Orangeblood13 writes:
Lookout
Adams the coach killer is on the prowl
Let the coaches coach and the writers write, oh wait....is that what he does?
utvol2485 writes:
Amen VolunteerMan. You hit the nail on the head.
I'm just as frustrated as the next UT fan, but some of you have lost it.
AreyouKiffinme...
You are an idiot.
Boycotting games? Ya, that'll show Mike Hamilton, CBP, and the team!
It's obvious that you are under the assumption that your opinions matter and that if you whine enough on here somehow it will change things.
If you don't like UT and don't want to support them, then go find another school and spread your misery elsewhere.
In the meantime, grow up and quit whining like a little b#tch.
GO VOLS!!!
###
volfan73120#211815 writes:
Areyoukiffinme is why "The Law of The Garbage Truck" was written. He and many people on here are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so.. Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't. Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent is your attitude.
Have a garbage free day!!!
BubbaVol writes:
Where are all the people that called for Fulmers head? Two years ago he was in the SEC Championshp, one play away from beating the eventual Nat. Champs and after a bad year you guys wanted his head. Now, Pearls team is a total joke, poor atitude, awful coaching, just a total embarrassment. And he hasn't even won a Nat.Championship like CPF. So why aren't you punks calling for the boot for Pearl?
wyomingvol writes:
I hope our Basketball fans are more tolerant than our football fans......
Beware of too much too soon coach Pearl....
wyomingvol writes:
Simple Minds are Simple Minds....
Yeah, I just opened the floodgates.....
SSvol writes:
The KNS hasnt fired this guy yet? Wat a bas*ard. He needs to go write for the local papper of the team that he does like..Our football team could go 12-0 and our basketball teams could win the NCAA.. and adams would talk trash about our uniforms or the bus they rode in on.......Im really not gonna like obama after I get over not liking this guy...
shipperman#280095 writes:
I have to agree with you on this one DC. Pat is rebuilding, Bruce is now playing with his recruits, and we see what is happening. His technicals and sideline antics are embarrassing.
http://www.firebrucepearl.com
MidTennVol writes:
Mr. Adams, I believe the correct English, at least from what I remember from the eighth grade, is: "The media WERE wrong." Medium is singular; media are plural.
Ironcity writes:
Shipperman, you prove once again the lack of knowledge you have when it comes to basketball. Loosing 4 players and 60% of your scoring from your team IS REBUILDING!! Coach Summit is also playing with her recruits so that arguement falls on deaf ears. If you can't come up with something better to criticize coach Pearl about then go away.
If coach Pearl has made a mistake it would be in misjudging the talent he recruited. He probably has also taken on to many transfers who tend to come with baggage. I can already see that his recruiting issues are being addressed with whats committed for next year and for 2010 so I think I will look at this year as being the exception and not the norm.
TommyJack writes:
Is Daniel West in skewl? Anyone? Anyone?
jhayes0926#638474 writes:
just looked at the boxscores, it is really sad when your center(Chism) takes as many 3's as the 3rd leading scorer in the nation (Meeks). They both took 7 three pointers.
We may be rebuilding, but the problem for next yr. is that all the teams in the SEC are rebuilding this year. We're gonna lose our 2 best players and the rest of the teams come back in full force.
invisiblekid writes:
"So why aren't you punks calling for the boot for Pearl?"
In no particular order of importance:
1)Pearl's worst season to date will still result in a winning record regardless of what happens the rest of the season.
2)If Pearl had stuck to the 8 strikes and your out policy of Fulmer(see Coker as an example), he would still have a point guard on the team in Ramar Smith.
3)It wasn't a "bad year" under Fulmer, it was 2 years in the past four and 10 years of not meeting HIS own expectations which led to HIS sliding scale of expectations for the program.
4)Fulmer had his chance to "turn it around" for 3 seasons, Pearl hasn't even made it through his worst season yet and gotten the chance to "turn it around".
5) Pearl has been fully accountable for his and his team's shortcomings and the words "magic dust" has never been offered as an excuse.
invisiblekid writes:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketba...
Haven't seen or heard anything since November so I would assume that he hasn't transferred or dropped out to attend prep school.
TkelynN writes:
Hey, as long as we win more than 5 games a season we are doing better than Wade Houston. Besides, this is Bruce's worst team ever and we still have a shot at the big dance! 4 years ago the NIT would have been a blessing! THINK POSITIVE!
DisorientedVol writes:
As an aside, in the stadium challenge, we are losing to LSU. Go vote vols.
http://www.prepticket.com/battle/mark...
invisiblekid writes:
You really think Chism is going to try and make the leap to the NBA?
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/W...
I'd say Smith is as good as gone, but Chism apparently has plenty of work to do.
invisiblekid writes:
I'm not going to call anyone a fool who has made as much money as Fulmer has over his career.
sportsfish writes:
The fact that they play with very little intensity at times is very alarming. That is hard to teach and has to come from within. However; remember the fact that we lost Lofton, J. Smith, D. Crews, J. Howell and R. Smith from last years team. Daniel West was declared inelegible and R. Childress who used to be a very important contributor off the bench has never recovered fully from his knee injury. You lost 57% of the scoring from last year's team, the top 2 free throw shooters and approximately 8 three pointers per game. Hopson, Negedu, Woolridge and Tatum (redshirt) are freshmen and Maze is a first year Div. 1 player. Williams and Tabb only avg. about 9-11 minutes each per game last year. Long story short....they are extremely inexperienced and will develop if we are patient. My biggest concern is their lack of intensity and heart and I am not sure how Pearl can teach them that. Only T. Smith truly possesses heart night in and night out.
jhayes0926#638474 writes:
good article.
I think Chism sees his inadequacies and has decided to try the Dale Ellis approach. He wants to become an outside shooter regardless of the effect on his current team.
I think he leaves, if not to the NBA, then to Europe. We will replace him with Kenny Hall and Hopson will assume Tyler's role.
We still have problems next yr. unless Woolridge and Negedu step up tremendously.
invisiblekid writes:
Did you not get the memo from KNS? Our current salary pool for assistant coaches is outrageous according to them. HAHAHA
invisiblekid writes:
I agree completely on your comments about Chism. I don't mind a spot up 3 every now and then, but he shouldn't be the one trailing in transition and popping them. The behind the back fiasco he pulled yesterday got me out of my chair. Trying to show off too much for the scouts.
Looking to next year, I hope Daniel West will be the answer at point guard. No idea what to expect out of Maze. I think we can expect some serious improvement from Hopson and Negedu.
AlpharettaVol writes:
When Chism attempted (unsuccessfully) to dribble behind his back in the lane and had the ball stolen CBP should have jerked him out of the game and sat him on the end of the bench until he came to his senses. That's just plain stupid and it was the poster pose for the entire team.
How many times have we seen players (both men and women) standing outside the 3-point circle just passing the ball back and forth until (1) the time runs out and they have to put up a desperation shot or (2) have a defender step between them and steal the ball? Let's hope we can put a team on the floor next year with more smarts.
Go4Two writes:
Amen..Of course Bruce told the TV guys that Chism and Tyler needed to hit a few 3 pointers for Tennessee to win (WHAT THE -ELL).... These players do not understand their role. Centers shooting 3's dribbling behind the back...ROCKTOP league.
rockytopatl writes:
Simply put, this team is just not very good right now. They can't shoot the three, their half-court offense is nonexistant, their defense is substandard, and even the bench is weak.
It's all not Pearl's fault, though I can't understand why he can't at least have them shooting hundreds of free throws to improve there. Some of them, like Prince and Tabb, have no fundamentals at all from the line. Isn't there someone who can TEACH them the proper way to shoot a free throw?
Bruce will recruit the players we need. This is a rebuilding year, made so by the necessary dismissals of Remar and Duke. If we had those two, we'd be pretty decent. But we don't and I agree with Bruce for making the tough decisions.
Go Vols!
VolinCT writes:
I hope Pearl never wears the orange jacket again. I'm tired of his antics. If they play like this next year, and I don't see things getting any better, they won't draw flies to the games. This team is done. They won't win another game this year. Who gives a flip about the NIT. The NIT is a tournament for losers.
richvol writes:
As I stated in an earlier post...you can't let a team play anyway they want for three years and then expect them to play with discipline. Our former players were better and smarter and that style of play worked...at least until we ran up against very disciplined teams in the sweet 16.
The returning players won't listen to Pearl and are basically uncoachable because they could do anything they wanted on the floor in the past...now Pearl needs them to play under control and they don't like it and at this point are not capable of it.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
CBP's technical came after at least three plays where UT players were whacked attempting shots with no call. Inviting a technical to make a point about such (non)calls or to fire up one's own team is a tactic used by virtually every coach in the history of basketball.
TommyJack writes:
Sounds about right.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Different eras. Many of the posters on here are too young to really remember Mears. Still, though it is early, the argument in favor of Pearl can be made; most wins in a single season, three consecutive NCAA appearances, and two consecutive Sweet Sixteens. This season has been a disaster only by CBP's OWN standard, and things WILL be better next year, one way or another.
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