Robert Dozier had an uncomfortable feeling as the clock ticked down Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena:
That he'd lived this scene before and he didn't like it.
Just like last February at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee was going to Tyler Smith to deliver the big basket.
Last year, Smith made it, nestling a shot over the 6-foot-9 Dozier's outstretched arms to give UT a one-point lead with 28 seconds to play. The Vols went on to upset the No. 1 Tigers, 66-62, and ruin their perfect season.
Saturday, Memphis was clinging to a 53-52 lead when Smith again went into the lane and put up an off-balance shot with 6 seconds to play.
"It was sort of the same predicament and the same spot,'' said Dozier. "I said, 'Man, I hope he don't hit this shot again.'
"I just tried to be long like I was last year and move my feet. I played great defense on him last year and he just made a tough shot.
"Unfortunately for him, this time it didn't fall for him.''
Memphis rebounded and escaped with a 54-52 victory.
Not many shots did fall for the Vols. They hit only 30.8 percent in the second half and just 32.7 percent for the game.
Smith struggled for his 13 points, making five of 18 shots.
Wayne Chism was the only Vol to score after Smith's bucket with 10:39 to play.
On the fateful Tennessee possession, Memphis predicted Chism would again get the first look.
"We thought they'd go to him, which they did,'' Dozier said. "We kind of blocked that and we knew the second option was Tyler.''
This time the option didn't work and Memphis snapped a two-year losing streak to the Vols.
"Oh, man,'' said senior Antonio Anderson. "It would have killed me, three in a row.
"Now we get to get on the plane and smile.''
Neither team was smiling in the tense stretch run.
Tennessee's final field goal was a 3-pointer from Chism with 3:56 to play. That sliced the Tigers' lead to 51-50.
"That 3-pointer Chism makes; how about that?'' gushed Memphis coach John Calipari. "On national television.
"You talk about courage.''
The Tigers made a 3-pointer that turned out to be just as big.
UT had clawed to a 29-25 lead in the waning moments of the first half, but the Tigers got a lift when Anderson hit a long trey just ahead of the buzzer to make it 29-28.
Calipari had called timeout with 4.3 seconds left to set up the shot:
"I told him, 'I don't think you're going to get to rim, kid. Pull up wherever you can.' ''
What turned out to be the winning points for Memphis came from an appropriately designated play.
After Chism's 3-pointer, Memphis ran a set in which freshman guard Tyreke Evans slashed off a screen and drove for an open layup to make it 53-50.
"That play,'' said Calipari, "we call 'Winner,' and we don't run that at all until the game is on the line.''
Calipari predicted Tennessee will be a winner in the weeks to come.
"They're young, that's all,'' he said. "They're trying to figure each other out. "He (coach Bruce Pearl) will get this team going.
"By the end of the year, they'll probably win their division and have their chance to do something crazy in the NCAA tournament like they've done before.''
Look It Up: Calipari is a big fan of UT's Smith, comparing him to one of his favorite players, Lou Roe, an All-American for Calipari at Massachusetts in 1995.
"If you look in Webster's dictionary under 'warrior' there's a picture of Lou Roe,'' said Calipari.
"Now, there're two pictures: Tyler Smith.
"I grabbed him after the game and told him, 'I love players like you.' ''
Notebook: Lane Kiffin and UT's new football staff were introduced to a thunderous ovation during a first-half timeout. . . . Prior to tipoff a moment of silence was observed for North Carolina State women's coach Kay Yow, who died of cancer Saturday morning.
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Tennessee defeats Georgia 3-2 in…
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Comments » 35
dwa7#337691 writes:
1st...............another tough loss....
Stokes44yrs writes:
Hey it's only 9pm here. At least there are no Memphis fans here. Tough game! We could have won it and probably should have. Refs were not helping us but that's not why we lost.
We lost because of perimeter play...or lack of...poor free throw shooting...and lots of balls bouncing to Memphis!!!
Last year Luck served us a little better.
Stokes44yrs writes:
Hopson was great against Vandy... I'd sure like to see that Scotty beemed up more.
justbware#205283 writes:
What goes around... GO TIGERS!!! I guess it's time for your women to take over.
ETNTigerFan writes:
Great game, great win, GO TIGERS!!!
pms151 writes:
CBP needs to ask Allan Houston and Dale Ellis to come down for awhile and work with these kids.
Stokes44yrs writes:
Hope so! although I'd rather see maze take over!? He 's gotta score more...Outside preferably. I think both teams fought hard tonight but Maze just hasn't made this his team. A Point guard is like a quarterback (for all you football fans).
Tyler can't be the only one with assists. I don't know...someone needs to penetrate without running into a wall inside. How many times have we seen them drive into bigs and have to back out...( I know some of that is planned). Scotty last week got in against Vandy but it was more in transition. We need to draw out the bigs more maybe.
DeerPark12 writes:
No, unlike Memphis, we're good in more than one sport.
Thanks for your interest in the program.
volroadwarrior writes:
Why can't these guys shoot foul shots? I watch 16 year old girls do better than these super athletes. We win if we get a decent FT %.
Stokes44yrs writes:
We deserve better?!!! Let's see... we ran off Bill Battle we ran off O'neil, Green, Buzz, just to mention a few. I know Battle was a football coach but I thought he was good. We don't really like our coaches here. Most the coaches were good coaches. I didn't mention another football coach who proved himself over and over.
Sorry, I don't know where all that #%@%& came from!
tennisvol writes:
No shooters!
Slystone writes:
Interesting that no one recognizes that the Defense Memphis plays is the reason for the Vols losing. Granted the Tigers are not pretty offensively, but the entire tempo of this game was where Memphis wanted it. The Vols had not faced a defensive team like this one. They made the Vols play a half court game and the dribble drive worked accordingly. I'm wondering why no one has asked why Pearl didn't make adjustments by pushing the ball up faster. The Vols really never got into a rhythm. Look at the Vandy game and then watch this one and it's like viewing two different teams when looking at the Vols. Defense wins games, pretty offenses sells tickets.
dyoung2020#325368 writes:
Sly, this is the exact same pace game UT has played all season. Memphis didn't dictate it. Tennessee wastes about 20 seconds of each shot clock because we don't have any shooters, and we don't press, because we're too slow. As much as I would like to give all the credit to Memphis, this is just the way Tennessee plays this year.
uglyorange writes:
Simply put,Pearl was outcoached in this game. He has the superior athletes,but chooses to play a slow down type of game, right into Coach Calipari's hands. Free throws,thats obvious,just takes practice,alot of practice.Get the ball down low to Chism. Play slowdown basketball,then heave up a 25 ft prayer. Either Pearl is not coaching these guys,or they are running (ruining) the team.
Also,any reason Pearl didn't go to the scorers table and get a ref to possibly add time? the announcers said as much and also on ESPN they questioned the fact. Maybe he was caught up in the moment....or had a hot date with a young college girl.
Stokes44yrs writes:
I was impressed. They fought hard as a team maybe for the first time. We at least showed some charachter last night...not that you're wrong about their shooting skills.
forkball writes:
You're right although it wasn't that wild of a shot, it was just poorly defended by Prince and Hopson. Hopson was especially lazy and I'm shocked to see a Bruce Pearl player that doesn't play hard every second he's in the game.
TommyJack writes:
Not a great TN team, but almost beat Memphis State. State would be about middle of the pack in the SEC.
BleedOrangeForever writes:
It frustrates me to no end the way Hopson stands and watches the opposing team's players shoot the ball and plays no defense. The 3 pointer by Anderson at the buzzer, Hopson just stands there with his hands down and lets him shoot un-contested. I know Pearl didn't want him to foul but geez at least put your arms up! He looks like he is admiring their technique, which he could use a little of himself. Come on guys get this thing turned around before its too late. Go Vols!
mullinsworld writes:
So I guess that makes the Vols in the lower tier?
WE__ARE_MEMPHIS writes:
Free throws, its all coaching right??? Cal, drop this loser of a series. Lets play Vandy home and away in both sports. Vandy, better team, better coach, better city and better class of people. Why cant we just let the tri city area be part of kentucky, its a better fit for all. Now the best thing you have to look forward to is a punk football coach that was fired for losing(what was his record in Oakland by the way??) and needs his daddy to help him coach. Cal, please drop this series, who cares.
WE__ARE_MEMPHIS writes:
only one of these teams has ever gotten past the sweet 16. Guess who????
MEMPHIS! Two years in a row. Get that?? We made it further the last two years than you ever have in your history. So as a vul fan, your not really qualified to speak or judge sweet 16 teams. your not used to them, we are.
ITS GOOD TO BE A MEMPHIS TIGER
Volumnus writes:
Too bad we can't trade Hopson, Tabb and two future recruits to ETSU for Cortney Pigram(spelling?). We don't have that perimeter threat. And we need a point at the end of the game with free throw shooting ability, I don't care if he can shoot from the field or not, just a defensive savvy, ball distributing, free throw shooting fool!!! You know, a prototypical point, the blue collar kid who works his butt off and all he has to show for it are steals, rebounds, assists and 4 points from the line... oh and a few tough wins.
twmartin21#209204 writes:
The strength of Memphis inside was outstanding.Hopson,Tatum,and Woolridge are boys among men and are playing scared.They need to get stronger both physically and mentally.If Childress is healed and ready to play,I don't understand why Bruce is not working him into the rotation.Although he is not as talented as the others,he is not scared of anyone and can hit the 3 point shot.
thebadsamaritan writes:
I think UT was held, what - 20 points below their season average?
So, obviously the Memphis defense did dictate something right?
thebadsamaritan writes:
Middle-of-the-pack.
That's the second one of those quotes I've seen.
Memphis is ranked higher than any SEC team. We just beat an SEC team that is 3-1 in conference.
Tulsa gave us a tougher game than UT.
thebadsamaritan writes:
Anderson is 6'6 and can dunk with his elbows. Hopson getting his hands up would have had no effect.
WE__ARE_MEMPHIS writes:
Tell Oompa Loompa to tune in to the Gonzaga game and he can get another lesson from Cal, his daddy.
Free Throws??? Its all coaching right???
licknpromise777#651578 writes:
I totally agree..Ryan has a solid shooting form and if I recall hit some very big 3 point shots in a lot of games.. He's proably not in as good physical shape as the other players but he should be good for at least 8/10 minutes a game.. Hopson and Tatum are insanely inconsistent; it wouldn't hurt them to ride the bench until they can at least hit the F@@@@g backboard!!!
licknpromise777#651578 writes:
Far as Iam concerned Hopson was about 50% of the reason we lost that game..Not only did he miss every shot he took but he made about 3 or 4 really stupid turnovers when nobody was even defending him..I love this team and hate to be critical about it but we have yet to play one game when all 3 of our guards played to their potential together as a group!!!!!
Stokes44yrs writes:
I can't imagine a tougher game than UT vs. UMS.
What Tulsa did has nothing to do with it. Their are no better teams in the state and probably the whole region. Unless you count NC as this region.
WE__ARE_MEMPHIS writes:
Tough game??? come on, against a little ole high school team like tiger high?? You guys shouldnt stoop to our level anymore. dump this series.
Stokes44yrs writes:
Hey it's our only time to get to watch Ya'll. You're like all the way over on the other side of the campus!
Stokes44yrs writes:
You probably didn't see the UTC game!
WE__ARE_MEMPHIS writes:
You have a tv dont you. Just turn on March madness and follow up until the elite 8 where the TIGERS have been for the last two years. The whole nation watches, you can too. You probably thought the whole thing was only three rounds. understandable, since your school has never made it any further than that. Stay tuned for now on, it last a couple weeks longer for some teams. Like MEMPHIS.
Stokes44yrs writes:
HONESTLY I HOPE TO BE THERE!It's not looking good for either team.
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