Tennessee Men's Basketball
LEXINGTON, Ky. - It's been a rough season, and a tough week in particular, for the orange blazer.
Bruce Pearl's special-occasion rivalry jacket is 0-for-3.
A 73-62 loss to No. 3 Kentucky on Saturday night at Rupp Arena capped Tennessee's most daunting week of the season.
It was a week that began by getting routed at Vanderbilt - a season sweep for the Commodores.
Pearl worked and sweated up a storm Saturday night, trying to will his overmatched Vols to another giant-killing stunner of Kansan proportions. But it was not to be.
For 31 minutes, Tennessee took the fight to the star-studded Wildcats, keeping a Rupp Arena crowd of 24,402 from leaving early - and an ESPN audience from flipping the channel.
"We competed,'' said Pearl. "I was pleased with the team's effort.
"I'm just disappointed with the last 10 minutes. We didn't finish the job.''
They had finished the job against No. 1 Kansas on Jan. 10. But that was in the friendly environs of Thompson-Boling Arena.
There's nothing friendly about Rupp. Nor is there about a Kentucky roster dotted with soon-to-be lottery NBA picks.
John Calipari, Pearl's old rival from Memphis, had nothing but praise for Tennessee, citing both Pearl's strategy and his team's determination.
Tennessee's 3-2 zone defense was effective in keeping the game low-scoring.
"To be honest,'' Calipari said, "we didn't work on it at all. We knew they had it in their arsenal but I hadn't seen it on any tapes I watched.
"The other thing, they played hard. This is a hard environment and they came in here and played as well as anybody.''
Tennessee's point guards played well, better than expected. Bobby Maze and Melvin Goins combined for 29 points.
With about 11 minutes to play I scribbled a note that Goins was outplaying freshman phenom John Wall. And it was true at the time.
In a flash, however, Wall made my observation obsolete and irrelevant.
It started after a media timeout. Calipari apparently drew up a play that called for Wall to give up the ball, then slip along the baseline behind Tennessee's zone and take a lob for a dunk.
Pearl saw it unfolding, but none of his players did. Bam!
That was the first of six consecutive Wall points as Kentucky transformed a 49-48 deficit into a 54-52 lead.
Momentum was inexorably turned.
Then the other freshman phenom guard took over.
Eric Bledsoe streaked for a transition layup for a 60-52 Kentucky lead, capping a 10-0 Wildcat surge.
When the Vols answered with a couple of baskets, Bledsoe ran the baseline to one corner and buried a 3-pointer. Next trip, he ran the baseline to the opposite corner and drilled another 3-pointer.
Then he tacked on free throws for a personal 10-0 run.
Wall or Bledsoe, in fact, scored 23 of Kentucky's final 25 points.
Take away Bledsoe's bookend treys and who knows how much closer the finish might have been.
Speaking of taking away, the Vols had five baskets erased by whistles.
Three of them were charges, one each by Chism, Goins and J.P. Prince. Chism also had a 3-pointer and a layup wiped out by whistles that didn't involve the shot.
"Taking the charges were critical,'' Calipari said.
With the Vols slipping to 6-4 in SEC play, every remaining conference game is critical.
Pearl's orange blazer comes out once more in 2010. Kentucky visits Thompson-Boling on Feb. 27.
Time will tell if it hasn't any magic left in it. And as Saturday night proved, 30 minutes of magic won't be enough. Against Kentucky, you have to go the distance.
Mike Strange may be reached at strangem@knoxnews.com or 865-342-6276.
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Comments » 52
cdonsbach writes:
We'll get them in TBA.
1vavolfan writes:
If it were me I'd ditch that damn orange blazer, we are 6-1 in the SEC when he doesnt wear it
D_VOL writes:
Please coach Pearl in a close game keep Woolridge on the bench.
flatrock writes:
If Doctor J was the 'Human Highlight Reel', J.P.
Prince is the 'Human Low-Light Reel'. He has
wasted more athletic ability than any player in modern U.T. basketball history. Don DeVoe
must be ripping his fingernails out watching Prince (A.) foul 3-point shooters (B.) drive
into the defense and elevate with absolutely no
idea as to where he might go with the ball
(C.) lob passes over a wide-open teammate to
the opponent (D.) dribble behind-his-back
and into a defender's lap (E.) clang line-drive
free throws from his flat-footed stance (F.)
drop one-handed rebounds out-of-bounds (G.)
whine to the zebras after obviously charging
into a defender (H.) whine to the zebras after
his Matador defense specialty of watching the
dribbler blow by him and then fouling his
man from behind. Someone please tell me his
dad is not a coach. A basketball coach?
slambob2#228938 writes:
J.P. struggled last night. He's made some great plays for the Vols, but Coach Pearl doesn't seem to know when Prince is about to implode and take the game away from his hard-working teammates with senseless unforced errors.
This isn't on Prince. He's a hard working player who makes some great plays, but Coach Pearl has to recognize his fatally damaging streaks and get him off the court.
He doesn't.
slambob
rabblerowser writes:
The guy's all about himself.
volsoutwest writes:
Who?
richvol writes:
Exactly...a selfish and out of control player. I'll be glad when he's gone.
volsoutwest writes:
The guys played with great effort. They are quite simply outmannned. Depth, especially quality depth, is a major factor. We did hit a few outside shots but in reality we have no one that we can depend on when we actually need a 3 or any perimeter shots for that matter. Who said McBee was a great outside shooter? I haven't seen the evidence, except for the off-balance shot against Kansas. Prince is a great athlete, but his basketball skills are neglible. Woolridge... what can I say? Hopson? Vastly over-rated and disappears much too often. I'm not trying to knock these guys or any of our team because I believe last night they gave their best effort. These are just my observations in trying to keep it real.
TommyJack writes:
Lots of beechin here. I saw a
TN team go toe to toe (for most of the game) with a KY team LOADED with NBA bound players. Good effort. Most KY opponents will be overwhelmed. GBO
jcp201 writes:
I love Bruce Pearl. Great coach who really gets the most out of his players. We played toe to toe with an excellent team for most of the game.
VolInIndy writes:
My "makes you want to vomit" plays of the game were when lil Pearl turned a gift steal into a gift assist for KY under the basket and Williams' imitation of a statue while Cousins spun around him to the goal. Pearl reminded me of the old medicine ball drill we did in the 60s of taking the medicine ball from the guy on one side of you and turn real fast and give it to the guy on the other side of you.
I really cannot stand Dickie V. either. It was especially annoying how he repeatedly praised the assertiveness of Cousins on the play where he knocked Prince into the second row to get the put back.
On the positive side, great affort by Weezie, Goins and Bobby. Could have used more from O and Hopson. Did Tatum even play?
BigHornBuckShot writes:
Thank goodness one of their best players (Cousins) had probably the worse game of his collegian career. Now I am going to say something that most will not agree with. Steven Pearl gives UT some good minutes off the bench. And to prevent senseless errors by Prince, do not let him bring the ball up court anytime, period. We have two good point guards, let them do it. Williams........I think he will never, never be a factor for the vols again. We will really miss Chism and Maze next year, more than anyone will know. Hobson seems lazy, just stands around. Hopefully he will fire up. Go Vols.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
That was a bad play by Steven, but he had several other steals and tough rebounds in the game. Cousins clearly hooked Williams with his arm on that spin move. Williams should have been playing Cousins on his other shoulder, but the actual move was an offensive foul, as was the put-back you mentioned.
Dickie V. was marginally less-obnoxious than he usually is, but I agree he sucked up to UK WAY too much.
Agree with great effort by Chism, Goins, and Maze. I'm afraid we just aren't going to get anything out of Woolridge. He didn't draw iron on any of his shots, and he took two of them in the middle of the shot clock, which Pearl had specifically told them not to do, that became UK run-outs during that stretch with about 8-10 minutes to go where UK took control. He also can't defend or rebound at all. Hopson was weak from "flu-like symptoms" all week but looked good when he was in there. Tatum hadn't practiced all week with a badly-sprained ankle suffered in the Vandy game in Nashville.
All in all, the guys played well enough to win except for that stretch where they went away from the game plan with a few quick bad shots, and of course they got no breaks at all on those charge calls, at least two of which were totally bogus. If they can play as well in TBA and get any kind of reasonable officiating, I think they can take UK.
volaboard writes:
Great effort by an overmatched team. As well as Maze and Goins are playing, I would like to see them on the court at the same time. Maze at the 1 and Goins at the 2. Might suffer some match up problems on D, but it is worth a shot.
murrayvol writes:
The SEC losses have more to do with the competition than the orange blazer.
murrayvol writes:
"Taking the charges were critical" J. Calipari
Getting the charges called is also critical and it happens more often in Rupp than any other basketball venue.
TommyJack writes:
Yep. The charge call is likened to pass interfernce call...rarelly correct.
jhayes0926#638474 writes:
Chism played well overall but was still only 5-15 fg. He also took more 3's than anyone (8) and only made 2 of them. Would rather have him under the goal. Anyone else think Skylar should get Woolridge's scholarship?
eduardo writes:
You always have to be ready for the unexplainable when you travel to corrupt arena. I have seen it for the last 25 yrs. No matter how bad or good they are or how bad or good we are the whistle will tweet at the most inappropriate time.
Pompey writes:
Hard truth: Calipari has stepped in and taken ownership of the SEC. Superior recruiting, and superior coaching will relegate the rest of the conference to what is left. Here is hoping he gets the big pay day he is seeking soon and moves on to the NBA.
murrayvol writes:
Hard truth: I see more vacated wins in Calipari's future. The bad thing about history is that it repeats itself.
RollTideJoe writes:
I absolutely despise Vitale. I turn the volume off so I can enjoy a game without his ego driven, constant babbling, Yankee tirades. And yes, whoever is the favorite in a game and the glamour player, he cannot drool over enough. Let me say it again, I despise his announcing and look forward to the day he retires or ESPN finally fires the bum.
flatrock writes:
Calipari a superior coach? If the guy could coach a lick, he would have 4 NCAA titles. His performance in the UM vs. Kansas contest may have been the biggest choke job ever in a championship of any kind. If the NCAA ever
sobers up and adopts the same rule as college baseball (players can go pro out of high
school or after junior year), his AAU pipeline
will explode and he will go to Europe to coach.
The NBA has seen all of his "coaching" it can
stand!
cdtnladyvols931#663910 writes:
OH, I am sure when KY gets to the big show...it will be a different ball game...The other teams are as good as KY..and I am waiting to see if KY goes to the foul line THIRTY times...that's how they won the game..shame, shame #1. DICK VITAL HAS A BIG MOUTH. HE HAS NO CLASS. I DID NOT SAY RICHARD..I SAID DICK VITAL
cdtnladyvols931#663910 writes:
I Said Dick Vital, not Richard Vital whose Richard
Tnbass7 writes:
Why do we pull players out when the right chemistry is going on the floor ? When 5 players are out there and we are winning or tied ,Stay with it! Is there a curtain time limit that are players have to play. We need to keep good players on the floor as much as possible. Players by this time of year should be in shape to play 30- 35 minutes ,if not in foul trouble that is. If we are not pressing up and down the court we do not need 10 players playing,we are not that deep. Woolridge should play as a walk on,He stinks the game up.
\\\\\
TommyJack writes:
Moral victory lovers?? Who said anything about a moral victory? Wise up, pal.
TommyJack writes:
Hey Naffy, were you and bigorangekoolaid separated at birth?
AndyNorris writes:
Mike...on a lighter note, I saw you in the crowd at the game.
Lookin' good buddy!
utucla writes:
Couldn't have said it better myself....at least they played harder than they did at Vandy....but then again, any effort at all would have been an improvement over the Vandy game.....Someone please tell me what is Woolridge's role on this team....as for Hopson.....I'd like to find the people who voted him as a Mc D's all-america and beat the snot out of them.....
d_ray writes:
Lose the Orange blazer Coach. It is not working for you. Repeat: It is not working for you. Buy your own threads and turn your luck around.
tmartin writes:
scotty hopson is a non factor and a bust. . . just saying
crimsonviper writes:
Nut.
Orangeblood13 writes:
I agree TJ, damn
JP had close to a triple double
Chis did what he could, all beat up
Hopson had the flue
Our young men played neck and neck with a pretty good KY team
It wouldn't matter, there would still be beechin here
Orangeblood13 writes:
the one Wall "took" under the basket changed the whole game, I agree
and Cousins never gets called for over the back in Rupp,
gona be interesting in TBA
RoadTrip writes:
Line-up:
Goins #1 Back up: Bone
Maze #2 Back up: McBee/Tatum
Hopson #3 Back up: JP
Hall #4 Back up: Woolridge/Pearl
Chism #5 Back up: Williams
Starters play 30+ minutes a game. If subs want to play more they should play better when they are in there. Quit subbing so much - let them play to get a feel for each other and the game.
usnavyvolfaninva_still_getting_paid writes:
Wow, you guys admit to getting banned.. maybe you should actually do what the "preview comment" button says to do...
rbromley7#241642 writes:
Terrible perimeter defense vs the 3's in the last ten minutes. Too tired to even go and challenge these shots. Just standing and looking while in the zone. Great defense while in the zone in the early goings.
TNboy1972 writes:
I wish we would go back to the rotation that we played when the "fab four" were suspended. I have no doubt, Pearl see's that these guys are individually more talented or Athletic, but the chemistry was so much better without them. I would rather watch those 9 play than the 12 we have now. More heart and more hustle.
BigHornBuckShot writes:
Not to worry, we have a spot in the NCAA tournament already insured. We should end up regular season at 8-8 in the conference, 20-10 overall. We should go 2-1 in the SEC tournament, thus, 22-11. That should get us a 6 or 7 seed in the big tournament. We should go 1-1 in the NCAAs, thus, 23-12 for the season. Not bad considering the way things have went.
Ironcity writes:
A bust is someone who average 2 points a game if he gets in. Not someone who is second on the tam in scoring. You give away your lack of knowledge as it pertains to basketball when you make such outlandish statements however you are not alone here. The expectations on these players from posters like you and most of us is ridiculous. No matter what we expect 25 wins a trip to the elite 8. Never mind that this has never happened before. Its amazing how spoiled a fan base we have become in both basketball and football.
Ironcity writes:
I like it except Hall is 5 Chism is 4. Unfortunately Hall can only stay on the floor for 20 minutes because he fouls to much. Its part of the learning process. We need Williams to step up and for Woolridge to play with more confidence. I have to believe he looks better in practice then he does in the games.
RoadTrip writes:
I will go with you. Chism is a natural 4. I would play Hall until his tongue hung out or he fouled out to toughen him up.
peerlessvolfan writes:
I was there -- UK fans were fun to rib but I counted about 100 Vol fans which really surprised me. Where were the fans?
halloffamebowler writes:
Just like when Urbie almost lost to Tennessee.Except Urbie said it was the flu.
mytrifecta writes:
What everyone continues to overlook is one of Bruce Pearls best coaching efforts ever. This team has inferior talent nearly everytime they take the court and yet they continue to show up night after night and play solid basketball. We need to reset our expectations. It will be a major accomplishment to make the NCAA tournament...regardless if CBP wears the orange blazer or takes his shirt off and paints his chest orange again.
JACK8254 writes:
better coaching by Pearl kept us in the game for longer than I thought possible. Good effort by our kids. BP please tell Woolman to stop trying those 3s that we all know he cant hit- especially in a big game. When is JP going to learn what a charge is? Overall- not too bad, the Vols were outmanned by a good margin.
volbald writes:
Agreed - and said so on a post last night during the game as Prince kept turning the ball over on offensive fouls as the Vols were falling off the pace. UT was outmanned from the start but stayed in the game a lot longer than most expected. If our players had quick enough, and strong enough, hands they could have come up with a lot more loose balls and would have given UK a real run for its money to the final buzzer. But until we can get the kind of players UK is now recruiting (as in big, strong, and quick), we're going to be playing second fiddle for a long time.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Are you schizoid, or what? You make a good deal of sense when you are talking about what goes on between the lines, but then just completely lose your mind when you talk about the "New Year's 4", team discipline, and the judicial system in general.
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