The stakes are going up on the Tennessee men’s basketball team, and coach Bruce Pearl knows it.
The Vols (7-2) have dropped two straight and are anxious to get back on track in Tuesday’s 7 p.m. game with Southern Cal (6-5) at Thompson-Boling Arena (TV: SportSouth). UT was ranked No. 7 in last week’s media polls but are sure to drop significantly when the polls are released today.
“The team came together at practice today and recognized where our challenges are,’’ Pearl said after UT’s Sunday workout. “We’re having trouble getting the ball into the post, and no one clogs the lane better than Southern Cal.’’
The Vols are coming off a 49-48 loss at the hands of Charlotte on Friday night, a game in which UT was just 2-of-17 shooting beyond the 3-point arc.
Pearl knows the Trojans (6-5) will pack it in on defense and challenge the Vols to make shots from the perimeter, just as the 49ers did at Time Warner Cable Arena.
“It’s the best time for us to play (USC), because what they do so well is what we need to work on,’’ Pearl said. “But that also makes it the worst time to play them.’’
The Trojans, directed by former Vols coach Kevin O’Neill, are coming off a 70-68 loss to No. 3 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday, where the Jayhawks have won 65 in a row.
Southern Cal beat No. 19 Texas a 73-56 earlier this season, using their large front line and effective, sagging man-to-man defense.
The Trojans beat the Vols 77-55 last season in Los Angeles in what Pearl called “one of the worst losses’’ of his career.’’
Tennessee was just 2-of-22 shooting beyond the 3-point arc against Southern Cal last season.
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Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 43
AlphaMan1 writes:
If we survive USC it could be a sign that we've fixed what was broken. If we get blown out, it might be a sign of a long and disappointing season.
This is a very big game.
stompintheswamp2 writes:
Lets see what an 8-9 man rotation can do. You never know, we could win alot without our 10 thru 14 ever seeing the floor. Is there a reason to play 10-14 if we are winning? I sure as hell don't think so.
orangecountyvols writes:
Vols,
Let us hope after the past two anemic performances the team will step up to the plate. We talk about what has gone wrong, so now it's the opportunity to see what they're really made of.
Coaches talk about great fan support. It's difficult to maintain the fire from the fans if they don't see it from the team.
I look forward to the Vols getting back on track.
james#216392 writes:
Post someone at the foul line against zones or flash him there. Use the high low, inside outside game instead of the pass it around the perimeter and throw up a wild 3. You will find that these guys can shoot but you have to get them good shots not wild, shot clock running out threes.
rdrgtr writes:
Because we all know that Steven Pearl will see more playing time than Maymon. And it does not take a mental heavy weight to realize that this is a huge mistake on the the coaching staff. Just stating the facts...
BleedsOrangeinMO writes:
Hey back2z1 didn't you hear? UT is sending some of that 1.5 million they are going to take back from Pearl to give to all of the "Monday Morning BB Coaches" who write in with a useable solution to the current problem. I'm still waiting on my first check to arrive in the mail anytime now!!!
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
Hey Plasticman, that sounds familiar! I guess great minds think alike..heh?
wigmeister writes:
Shooting sucks. Maybe Simmons should come over from the ladies side and help out!
cloudodust writes:
My son-n-law (a UGA fan) was ribbing me the other night regarding Tennessee Mens BB. I told him, Tennessee plays their best against the best. I hope CBP gets the message across come the SEC schedule. The Vols are capable of competing against top-notch teams. They gotta pull it together against less capable programs cause come the NCAA's, that's what they'll get round one and two and probably beyond...Speaking of which, USCw is one of those programs. GBO
Ironcity writes:
Did they forget the rest of the article?
wazzya69vol writes:
p13 well said; couldn't agree more.
wazzya69vol writes:
After watching the USC-Kansas game I'm definitely worried. USC never gave up and except for stepping out of bounds on last possession, they hustled and played well--especially playing on JayH's home court. We need this win to get our confidence back up and hopefully get our swagger back. GBO, let's take it to them and then to Carolina in Music City.
Southland writes:
Stop shooting threes if they are not falling and take it inside. Run the opponents ragged. We played two good teams and lost to them. They were not as talented as UT but they wanted it more. Our players were not motivated but they will be. Dont be suprised if we dont lose the one to USC. This team can be a final four team. It should be a final four team. This is all dependent on coaching and motivating the players. Motivate Hopson by sitting his butt on the bench and get some fire in him. He will never make it to the NBA but he could get fired up and have a good college career but someone has to convince him that he doesnt walk on water
cwbytruckers writes:
I agree with a lot of what you guys are saying. But i also disagree with some of it as well. Pearl is a good role player. He does make occasional bad decisions with the ball, but all in all he is a good role player. He hustles more than most on this team. And he makes those mistakes trying harder than the other guys that tend to just go through the motions. As far as Scottie Hopson. Im not sure there is a solution to what is his biggest problem. He is a great scorer that tends to be mostly inconsistent. If you look at the rotation i think that leads to some of the problem. Cutting back the rotation to keep more than one scorer on the floor at a time would go a long ways in freeing up Scottie for more open looks. But having Pearl, Fields, McApplebee, and a freshmen point guard on the court at the same time as Hopson at times makes no sense to me. And that was just one example of how our lineup sometimes tends to be. And then you throw in Rapper boy from time to time that only wants to jack up threes. 6'9 and acts like he is afraid of contact. Get a rebound and throw it down for Christ sakes. He makes a couple of threes against Kansas last year and now he thinks he is a threat from out there. What this team is missing in my opinion is the dynamic two guard. Someone who can put it in the hole on a regular basis. If we had that we would be a lot more of a threat for the final four. Brian Williams is a big body that does what he can do. Rebound. Maymon is going to prove in games to come that he is a man. Harris i dont think is a one and done type of guy. He needs a little more strength. Losing Brian Williams will hurt next year because we want have a real wide body in the middle. But with the help of the two guards on the way. And get some weight on McRae. And hoping that Harris and Hopson do come back next year. Then i think that next year is what everyone should be talking about. And anything that happens this year is just going to be gravy. Yeah we beat Villanova and Pitt. I give them credit for what they did on the court. But leadership is something i dont see on the court or off right now.
Vol_n_tear writes:
Looks like another year without a worthy SEC opponent. I got excited about Florida, UT, and Miss State as they may have good teams this year. I guess what other conferences say about us (SEZ, etc) is true after all.
Signed: Wildcats
rocky_topper writes:
YAWN!
rocky_topper writes:
They're not paying Pearl big bucks because he is ..... well, you know!
ATLVOL55 writes:
Everybody relax. This team will be fine. With a lot of new players, most thought it would take some time for them to come together.
Every year, Pearl takes a long break for finals and then slams several games together in a short period of time and historically we have struggled some during that time.
Does anyone not remember us getting hammered by 30 in the SEC tournament last year and then almost making the final four??
This team will be fine. We were leading both games, and both Oakland and Charlotte had nice runs and we played as bad as we could possible play and still almost won.
These will be learning experiences. I can't wait to see how everyone comes back and says Pearls a genius later on in the year when this team starts rolling (which they will)
Go Vols
asmith writes:
A lousy week to say the least.
seaplane#216536 writes:
I'd rather watch a personal injury advertisement on TV,if they're going to play like they did the last two times out.
tmartin writes:
Will this be a text message?? Because Pearl wont be there.
VOL1972 writes:
Amen -- The only thing I would add is that Pearl and McBee have earned a litte more bench time (but if you play MAYMON and MCRAE more it just follows that they will be riding the bench).
VOL1972 writes:
I think Maymon played more the Pearl in the Charlotte game, his first, but I agree -- a Maymon, Harris, Williams frontcourt would give us a much stronger inside game.
desfpvol13 writes:
This guy gets it.
MusicCityVol writes:
The Oakland loss was not a bad loss. Charlotte was pathetic. USC is better than expected but Pearl's teams have a tendency to play to the level of comopetition which could be a good thing on Tuesday.
www.checkerboardchatter.blogspot.com
johnlg00 writes:
Hard to say just what the proper approach to the USCw game might be. On the one hand, as several have pointed out, the Vols will likely see a lot of teams trying to slow the game down and playing a lot of zone, so the team should try to figure out how to win games like that.
On the other hand, maybe it is time to see if this team can run and press a bit more than they have so far. If successful, a faster pace might open up the court more, so Harris, Hopson, and Tatum have more room to operate. I know that Maymon has said he doesn't like to play the low post, but he might not mind it in a faster game where he is not having to grind it so much as he would in a slower game. I don't know if he has worked any at that position, but this might be a good time to experiment. This might also give more of an opportunity to really benefit from our depth, instead of all the pointless shuffling in relatively slower games that we have seen so far.
This is not necessarily a "must-win" game, but it is one that could really set a tone for the rest of the season if the team can get it together and play well, whatever style CBP elects to play.
mocsandvolsfan writes:
Wow! Lot's of good posts on here. Really. I'm not being sarcastic as is my tendency. Great post John and several others. But you leave me with nothing to add but this space filler.
licknpromise777#651578 writes:
It took last years team time to adjust to these desperation zone defenses teams threw at us..Of course having Chism and Maze helped breaking it down..As soon as the PG see's the opponent go zone;One glance to Pearl to get a play set to counter it and GO!!!It should NOT take a whole half to make adjustments..Iam not sure if this is a coaching flaw or players not executing.Either way FIX IT!!! Teams like Duke;KState;MSU and OState lick their chops when teams jump into a zone defense..It's pretty much like the opponent throwing up a white flag and saying we're desperate;we can't match up and this is all we can think of.You can't beat a zone solely with perimeter shooting or this backyard freestyle offense we insist on playing
PennVol writes:
Don't you guys think Hopson is much better slashing to the basket and scoring or getting fouled than shooting 3's? If he misses his first couple of outside shots, he's pretty much done for the game. I would like to see this more, especially at the beginning, kinda like getting a QB's confidence up by throwing a couple of easy passes to start the game.
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
Yes, I agree with your post.
johnlg00 writes:
Thanks, moc! You fill space better than many on here! Keep it up!
johnlg00 writes:
Good post, but IMHO, the hesitancy relates to the fact that the Vols don't have a package of players who play together well enough and instinctively enough to really WORK the ball against a zone. Of course, that is pretty much what you already said.
VolAlum2003 (Inactive) writes:
At this point, Pearl has earned our patience and the benefit of the doubt. Let him work. The season is just starting and it's a long way to March. After beating Nova and Pitt, I think this team has the potential to be one of the best at UT. They are ironing out the kinks, tweaking the gameplay, and screwing up early in the season...which is much better than screwing up later in the season. Were the losses embarrassing and unnecessary? Sure they were, but this isn't FBS football and Pearl has more than enough time to put coach these kids up.
Now....WHERE THE HELL IS PEARL'S CONTRACT!?
Even if the NCAA slams us, getting rid of Pearl would be STUPID. He is a GREAT basketball coach and he has changed the culture of UT men's basketball. If the choice is riding out NCAA sanctions with Pearl rather than going back to playing Buzz Ball...I'll stick with Pearl every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
I think the majority of UT fans agree with me.
FrostyVol writes:
poor perimeter shooting, seems like its been an achilles heel for us since Lofton and James left. if i had a critique of CBP it's his failure to recruit a consistent shooter. We have a lot of athletic slasher types at the 2 and 3 and neither goins or golden have consistent strokes at the point. The team is a streaky shooting team, which is great when they are on (Pitt) and ugly when they arent (Oakland, Charlotte). Which means pretty much what we have seen - we can beat anyone, but we can also lose to anyone. I thought McBee was supposed to be the zone buster, but he's turned out to be just a bust. Going to be an up and down year until someone (Scotty? Tatum?) consistently and reliably is able to hit the open jump shot.
FrostyVol writes:
meant Lofton and SMITH. Got UT O-lineman on the brain after reading the O line article. my bad.
johnlg00 writes:
Thought that was what you meant. No biggie; that was FAR from the silliest thing said on this board, particularly in the last week or so.
TDTennesseeisfree writes:
The reason for the last loss is simple. The team is about to get hit hard with sanctions. They will not be eligible for post-season and found out indirectly before the Charlotte game. Hamilton knows but doesn't want to say anything until after XMAS break. Thanks pearl!
johnlg00 writes:
Sure hope you're wrong, dude! That would be pretty harsh, to say the least. Seems unfair to punish the team that way, but, hey, it's the NCAA and I guess they can do whatever they want to, no matter who gets hurt. Suspend Pearl? Sure, if that's what they want to do, but the other thing? DANG!
mocsandvolsfan writes:
It wouldn't be the first time the NCAA punished the innocent and not the guilty. The players don't deserve any of this. I too can see Pearl being suspended, but leave the players alone. Although a years way too tough whether it's a player,coach,whatever with this situation...unless they know something we don't?
voltheway writes:
steven pearl should not be on the court again, and if he does i will quit watching men's bball here at ut. bruce did alright at first, but this year he has been terrible. his rotations are terrible and he does not play the right people together. maymon, harris, and williams/fields is all we need down low (not steven pearl!!). he's only on the team b/c his father is the coach, and that is not hard to see. he tried to make up for being uncoordinated by lifting weights in the off season, and now he not only can't play but he can't move. if you watched the last game vs. charlotte, we had 7+ seconds on the clock for the last shot. stupidly bruce does not call a timeout until we run it down to 2 seconds. this is terrible... i don't care we renew his contract or not to be honest. we beat nova (b/c melvin shut their two all american point guards down) and beat pitt, and then we lose to oakland and charlotte??? not acceptable!!
voltheway writes:
steven pearl should not be on the court again, and if he does i will quit watching men's bball here at ut. bruce did alright at first, but this year he has been terrible. his rotations are terrible and he does not play the right people together. maymon, harris, and williams/fields is all we need down low (not steven pearl!!). he's only on the team b/c his father is the coach, and that is not hard to see. he tried to make up for being uncoordinated by lifting weights in the off season, and now he not only can't play but he can't move. if you watched the last game vs. charlotte, we had 7+ seconds on the clock for the last shot. stupidly bruce does not call a timeout until we run it down to 2 seconds. this is terrible... i don't care we renew his contract or not to be honest. we beat nova (b/c melvin shut their two all american point guards down) and beat pitt, and then we lose to oakland and charlotte??? not acceptable!!
orangecountyvols writes:
Vols,
Good comments from most. One thing I am curious about however, and it's this. Considering all that's happened after the bar-b-cue etc, since this is Steven's final year on the court, would that have any bearing on what decisions Bruce might make for the future..........even if he has any choice in the matter?
Finally, the more I read John's posts along with PL3
the more I look forward to them.
Go Vols and get after the "preacher man" O'Neill's Trojans !
voltheway writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
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