Hopson knows he must do more

He shoots before practice. He shoots after practice. He shoots on days off.

Scotty Hopson gets it.

The Tennessee freshman shooting guard knows what was expected of him when the Vols signed him as a McDonald's All-American out of Hopkinsville, Ky.

"I want to get to that level I need to be at,'' said Hopson, who led the Vols with 14 points in a 77-58 loss at Kentucky on Saturday and ranks as the team's most accurate 3-point shooter at a .374 clip.

Hopson, perhaps more than any of the players on the team, has more upside in reserve as the Vols hit the deciding stretch of the season.

It starts at 9 p.m. Wednesday, when UT (16-10, 7-5 SEC) plays host to Mississippi State (17-10, 7-5) in what amounts to a "bracket busters.''

Vols coach Bruce Pearl has said it's a game Tennessee must win to ensure itself an NCAA tournament bid - even though UT's RPI is 25th in the nation.

Hopson knows better than anyone that for the Vols to be at their best, someone needs to be a threat from the perimeter. It might as well be him.

"Going into the game, I have to have that (aggressive) mindset,'' Hopson said, "to take over the game, to show my talents and all aspects of what I can do.

"I really want to win this game because this will make or break our chances to make the NCAA tournament.''

Pearl has praised Hopson at times and been patient with him at others, lauding his improvement, consistency and even-keel approach.

UT junior center Wayne Chism said Hopson could be the key to the Vols' season.

"If he keeps stepping up, we can make a mean run,'' Chism said. "People have to respect him; they'll take that jumper away, and he'll go to the cup.''

Hopson's defense has been just as impressive, according to Chism.

"Out of all the freshman, Scotty's gotten better . . . he has a reputation where he can say something (to the team),'' Chism said. "At the beginning of the year people were driving by him. Now, there's no one really scoring on Scotty.''

Hopson said he feels the pressure to perform - and he likes it.

"I should have done a lot more this season,'' said the 6-foot-6 Hopson, who's averaging 9.1 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. "I can play better, and the next few games I have to show that.

"If I don't step up and do what I can, we won't have success.''

Shay Says: The Vols will try to change some things up for the remainder of the SEC season out of necessity.

"There's more tape and more info out there, so you have to ad-lib a little more out there,'' said UT assistant coach Jason Shay, who scouts and gameplans with Pearl the majority of the contests. "We have to understand that we have to execute and create in space in the half-court (offensive sets).''

Adding Hopson as a fourth scoring option - along with Chism, Tyler Smith and J.P. Prince - could provide the balance the Vols strive for.

The teams that have been successful have been balanced,'' Shay said. "We've been top-heavy.''

Smith leads the team in scoring, averaging 17.2 points a game, followed by Chism (13.1), Prince (9.7) and Hopson.

Wayne's Pain: Chism said he takes blame for some of the quit in the Kentucky loss.

Asked about Patrick Patterson's late dunk, Chism took all of the blame.

"It was a lack of focus on my part,'' Chism said. "You could see the position I was in - and I only had one freakin' foul. It made me look so bad, and they had another run after that.''

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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