ATHENS, Ga. - Tennessee's players Tweeted and Twittered into the night after their 78-63 upset loss to Georgia late Saturday afternoon.
"We took an 'L' today, but we can't dwell on it,'' was a Twitter post by UT guard Josh Bone. "We have to move on and take care of the next one.''
Sophomore Scotty Hopson, who led the Vols with 19 points Saturday, had a similar sentiment.
"The good news from this is that we couldn't have played any worse,'' Hopson wrote. "Time to rebuild and correct our mistakes. Get back on this win streak.''
UT (15-3, 3-1) had won seven straight entering the game with the Bulldogs (9-8, 1-3) and 10 in a row over Georgia dating back to 2004.
The Vols will most assuredly fall out of the top 10 in the top 25 polls when they are released today.
Tennessee fell from No. 9 to No. 16 after its 22-point loss to Southern Cal on Dec. 19, and had climbed back up to a season-high ranking of eighth after winning seven straight.
Vanderbilt, UT's next opponent at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Thompson-Boling Arena, will likely climb into the top 25 after winning its ninth straight Saturday. The Commodores (15-3, 4-0) were tops among "others receiving votes" in the AP poll last week.
Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl said after the loss to Georgia that he was concerned Hopson was the only Vol to make a 3-point shot for the second consecutive game.
Freshman walk-on Skylar McBee, who hit a clutch 3-pointer to help the Vols upset No. 1-ranked Kansas on Jan. 10, is 2-of-14 shooting beyond the arc over the past four games.
Woolridge, who was 4-of-6 shooting beyond the 3-point arc in the win over the Jayhawks, is 2-of-8 shooting the three over the past four games.
"Losses, to me, hurt more than anything in the world,'' was Woolridge's Tweet. "But the fact that you (Tennessee) fans stay behind us no matter what is what keeps us together.''
Point guard Bobby Maze is 2-of-8 beyond the 3-point arc over the past four games, while fellow point guard Josh Bone is 3 of 11 from 3-point range during that span. Wayne Chism is 3-of-9 shooting the 3 over the past four games.
In the past two games, Hopson is 6 of 11 beyond the 3-point arc while the rest of the team has combined to go 0-for-15.
"I've just been getting my shot up more in practice, and not worrying about it in the games,'' said Hopson, who has proven streaky this season. "I'm going to try to be more aggressive early, but it's a matter of balancing that with allowing the team to get into an offensive flow and rhythm.''
Pearl's Key Stat: Pearl pointed out that within Georgia's 35-24 rebounding edge, the Bulldogs had 11 offensive rebounds to the Vols' 14 defensive rebounds.
"There was almost a 50-50 chance they were gonna get the rebound on a missed shot, and that's too much,'' he said.
Both teams scored 13 second-chance points.
Career Highs: Steven Pearl was brought into Saturday's game for his hard-scrabble defense, and on three occasions he drew fouls from Georgia star Trey Thompkins.
He also played a career-high 18 minutes, scoring a career-high six points and matching his career-high with three rebounds.
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Tennessee defeats Georgia 3-2 in…
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Comments » 52
VolInIndy writes:
Come on Vols. We're behind you.
rabidvol1998 writes:
Let it go... move on.
doctorvol#211700 writes:
hard to win consistently with pearl having to chew up so many minutes
runninbroke writes:
Just shake it off and move on. Its a long season and we are going to have off nights. No big deal, just figure out the mistakes and try to correct 'em. Go Big Orange!!
cobbwebb writes:
we all knew this was coming! we knew this team would hit a slump! but i have witnessed a lot of heart and fire in this team lately! bruce, big wayne, maze, and prince, will rally this team, and we will be fine! "you have to dust yer britches off", put this one behind you, and bring your A game wed. night! vandy is playing good ball right now, but chism always gets the best of ogilvey, and i have a feeling the crowd will be ready!
GO BIG ORANGE!!!!!
cobbwebb writes:
and speaking of "twits", how bout kevin stallings!!!!
theoldbear writes:
The bubble has burst, the dream has ended. This team has been over-rated, and too highly ranked all year. They will win some games, and maybe finish second in the SEC East, although third looks more likely right now. I see them going to the NIT.
But this is the year that will build character and lay the foundation for a better future.
This team, when they play their best, is fun to watch. When they play like they did against Georgia, it is ugly. Here's hoping for some fun this coming week!
GO VOls!
mattj497 writes:
NIT? Are you crazy? Dude its one game!!! Far from being over!! Go Vols!!!
tennrich1 writes:
Oh my goodness man.....Did you say NIT?....
louisianavol writes:
Will be happy with 12-4 conference record and a 4 NCAA seed seems realistic.
UT_fan_from_GA writes:
Need consistent guard play every game to win championships!
GOVOLZGO writes:
Really? NIT???? No way, there's still a long way to go and this was a tough conference opponent on the road. Have a little faith in our Vols. I see 4-5 conference losses and a strong SEC tournament showing netting us a 4-5 seed in the big dance!
Go Vols!
wayoutwill writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Orangeblood13 writes:
He also played a career-high 18 minutes....
If we have to rely on Steven Pearl this much, I say we are in trouble. He's a solid body but, please coach
I think they ran out of gas, we will be okay in the long run, funny after one game how all the "fans" jump ship
Kepp your heads up team!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
One out of three on average in the majors gets you in the Hall of Fame. Hopson and Maze were the only ones producing in the whole game, though Wayne had a pretty good second half after the scare with his knee. There is still most of the SEC season to go, so maybe your percentage will improve.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Yep, LOTS of faint-hearts on the board tonight. Maybe if some of those more-talented guys such as Woolridge would show a little more heart and consistency, Steven wouldn't HAVE to play so much.
richvol writes:
This game just reinforces the fact if you don't come to play and bring it every time you step on the floor in the SEC you will get beat. We got outhustled,outfought,outrebounded and out of luck.
Chism MUST play inside for us to have a chance against physical teams like Georgia and Kentucky. We still have no one to rebound under the basket when we shoot because all our bigs think they are guards and don't seem to want to bang inside...except Kenny Hall,bless his heart.
We were intimidated at Georgia...not beat,intimidated. If our bigs had the rebounding heart of Bobby Maze we would be a lot better. He got in there and fought those big Georgia posts and came up with more than his share.
The game we played was beyond ugly...and, although I have been a critic of Stephen Pearl getting minutes at least he is not playing soft like Chism,Woolridge and Prince under the basket.
Madkels writes:
Whatever. We simply ran out of gas and emotion after the the ups and downs since Jan 1st in basketball and football. I knew this game would be the let down game. Now that it and the other issues are behind them, this team will move forward and perform. Yes, the dawgs played their game of the year, but one game does not mean you are superstars yet. Go Vols!
spcw101#621225 writes:
You knew the Vols were going to lose as ugly as they have been winning. It had to be. The scrappy Vols had to have a let down sooner than later. The presure of trying to do so much being so short handed finally had the lid blown off.
Now is the time for the Vols to look inside themselves and just play. Forget the lofty rankings it is now time to concentrate on getting back to business.
I know it is one game at a time but Kentucky is looming in a few weeks and they need to get ready. That is the next real test for the Vols if they want a good seed at the dance.
That is only one piece of the puzzzle though. You have to win your 21 or 22 games and do well in the conference tournament just to get in these days. Those wins should be the main focus of the team right now. Take your lumps, exhaust the air, relax a minute, get your focus and then get back to work. The pressure of the streak is over. Learn from it so the next time it builds up it will not affect you to the point of embarassment.
It does not matter what happened at Georgia. They were you two weeks ago. It is time for you to get back to what you do best.
licknpromise777#651578 writes:
You are 100% correct..GA. has plenty of talent but a few muffs here and there kept them from putting together a full game effort..I said from the start; if we started the game shooting 20%(like the last 3 games))Ga. would hammer us!!Their are no gimmes in the SEC..This team absolutely cannot continue to start games shooting bricks and missing easy lay ups..The difference between now and 2 weeks ago is; before we had consistent shooting from at least 6 players;now outside of Chism you never know where the points are going to come from..If woolridge doesn't get back to shooting better and 14ppg;this may get worse..It's hard to be critical of a team that's overcome so much; but now that Bruce has a set rotation it is time to EXECUTE and hit the shots that have been shot in practice 100 times.
vol88 writes:
pretty funny
brentrod writes:
can't win them all, but expect to do better than that.
NeylandWest writes:
UGA basketball should know all about being taken behind a woodshed.
licknpromise777#651578 writes:
Pearl was in the game for his size and hustle;He did make an actual layup but is a terrible ball handler..Say what you want but Tyler and Williams were sorely missed in that game but it is what it is
schymtz writes:
I love UT Basketball - I have for a long time - since the early sixties. It's not as difficult for me to admit the obvious as it used to be: Georgia played a great game. Georgia beat Tennessee. Shelby Foote, a Mississippi born and raised Civil War historian once commented on all the conversations he had heard about how General Robert E. Lee woulda - coulda - shoulda won the battle of Gettysburg. If Lee had done this or that - If Lee had Gen. Jackson...If Lee had listened to Longstreet...and on and on...then the South would have won not only the battle of Gettysburg but the civil war! Maybe, but Lee didn't. In hind sight the word 'if' is shorthand for 'didn't happen.' The obvious why not, Shelby Foote points out, is that there was an entire army in blue on the other side of that battlefield that had something to say about the outcome of that battle. They beat Lee. The point is, Georgia beat Tennessee. Of course Tennessee wanted another win. Georgia didn't want a win, Georgia wanted and needed THIS win. Georgia wanted and needed Tennessee. Georgia was 0-3 in the SEC. Georgia was 0-8 against Tennessee. The stars aligned and the perfect storm ensued. Tennessee was not going to win that ballgame. It was, perhaps, Georgia's last chance to turn their season around short of another miracle SEC Tournament win. Great game, Georgia! See what you can do! You beat the team that beat Kansas. You beat the team that thought they owned you. Not any more. Now do it to Florida and Kentucky! UT will see you again - in Knoxville. And UT will have quite a bit to play for.
Volumnus writes:
They are young(except for Chism), they are learning. They got up off the matt on Jan 2 and have done well. They just got smacked down again, but they can learn from it and get up and play hard again. Life is not so much about the individual loses as much as it is how you respond to them. They are learning the next 3 days are crucial. I will pull for this group is they lose the rest of them. I would rather pull for good kids than winning players of poor character. Go Vols!
NeylandWest writes:
Not as much as you guys do. Let us know if you need any help picking the splinters out of your backside. I'm sure we can find willing participants in the Athens area that wouldn't mind
NeylandWest writes:
You're talking about our fans being annoying? Yet, here you are on a TN VOLS site. Man, talk about double standards. Do me a favor...go to your own sites and look for NeylandWest. You won't find my posts out there b/c I respect other schools and don't get a thrill out of bothering the natives.
I'm only passionate about TN sports. I don't really pay much attention to UGA. I do like your state's water parks and I do enjoy your coastal towns. I've even enjoyed a few games at Sanford and I've also sat through a couple losses there, too.
Lewis Grizzard is and was one of my most favorite authors. I skipped over the parts of his stories whenever he talked about UGA athletics, but I still admired the man.
Will UGA ever be a good men's b'ball team again? I have no clue. Do I care? Nope, not one bit.
Biggie writes:
When Steven Pearl goes into the game, the defense definately picks up a notch!
About the time I was shouting at the TV, PUT IN PEARL! I saw him trotting towards the scorers table.
NeylandWest writes:
I guess the Lady Vols try win with more class. When the Lady Vols or the Vols beat UGA it's business as usual. Sure, we're gonna lose a few here and there, but when we win against UGA it's just another day in the neighborhood.
So, from your perspective I guess I can appreciate how excited you were to finally knock off Pat and her Ladies. It rarely happens, but if you guys ever do it again please act like you've been there before.
NeylandWest writes:
Go back and read your posts. You started it with the woodshed comment. I never would've mentioned splinters had you not lobbed that one across the plate.
VolunteerLifer writes:
I don't know about Vandy winning, I don't know that much about them. But I do know this: UT is very thin right now at both post positions, and whenever we face a team with alot of bigs like Georgia, we will be in trouble. We have lost post players Negedu, Smith, and Williams off of our squad. If we get Williams back that will help, but it won't be the automatic answer. Woolridge is not the answer either.
Perhaps CBP should consider throwing a smaller, quicker team at the Georgia's of this world to press them rather than engage them in a half-court game.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Great post! I'm a big fan of alternate history, so I especially appreciate the Shelby Foote reference. It is just this kind of reasoning that shows how superficially many of our fans were and are thinking about how this loss came about and what it means to both teams.
All_Vol writes:
Typical. Speaking in generalities UT fans are not educated basketball fans. This is not football where one loss most likely keeps you out of the national championship. This team has been ranked where it should be all year. Its a top 20 team, end of story. Did they bring a top 20 game saturday? No. But thats it, its one game.
Oldbear please only speak on subjects of which you know! Obviously you know nothing of college basketball,rpi ratings,overall record,quality wins. NIT? you are funny.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
I can help you out a bit here: Vandy has several quality big men to go along with their usual assortment of outside gunners. Chism has usually gotten the better of Ogilvy, Vandy's best big man, in their previous meetings, but Ogilvy has had chronic foot injuries for most of his career. He seems completely healthy now and is playing very well. Also, in past years, Vandy hasn't had any good subs for him, but now they do. I think and hope that a large, enthusiastic crowd at TBA will help, but this will be a stern test if the Vols have a hangover from the UGA beat-down. They have to get back to the "all-for-one" mentality that got them that nice win streak, and, PLEASE!, don't wait until they get behind by double digits to start playing hard and smart.
In that regard, I was interested to see CBP in another article say that he was rethinking the team's pre-game warm-up routine. Other posters have commented that the team often seems to lollygag around in warm-ups, just throwing up lazy shots and not really breaking a sweat. That may seem cool to some of the guys, but it is NOT calculated to get their game-faces on by tip-off time. I'm not sure what strategy the Vols should use against Vandy, but, whatever it is, they had BETTER be ready to execute it from the jump!
NeylandWest writes:
I'm glad you enjoy the site. I said that I appreciate many fine things from the state of Georgia. What more do you want me to say? Thanks? I can say thanks to Georgia for having great athletes that had enough sense to travel north on I-75. But yours isn't the only state where the Volunteer athletic community should send their thank you notes.
Asking me to follow UGA is absurd. You crossed the line right there. If Tennessee ceased to exist, then so would my desire for college athletics. I can't help but be in love with my alma mater.
NeylandWest writes:
I didn't realize the importance or significance of your illustrious state and its impact on all things football.
In a round about way, I suppose we TN Vols should be thanking the state of Alabama for Georgia's legendary coach, Vince Dooley, b/c without Vince there would've been no Jaw-jah in which to settle his roots and raise a family and without that family, we wouldn't have his son as our head coach. Of course, he did go to and play for Virginia, so I'll send something in the mail to them as well.
While we're at it, should we go ahead and thank our lucky stars for the University of Miami, too. Otherwise, Mark Richt might've fallen through the cracks and never wound up in Athens....or do you have that one covered?
VolunteerLifer writes:
Thanks for the report on Vandy. I'm aware of Ogilvy - his talent and his inconsistencies. I think Wayne can handle him again. I just don't know how many other quality bigs they have. I'm worried that if they might have as many as Georgia, then we're in trouble again.
Also, agree that something needs to be done to get a better start. when a team consistently starts slow like ours, that's a sign that something is wrong that the coach can and should correct.
NeylandWest writes:
I'm not the one who said that TN should be grateful for GA. That was you.
You also said something else that was a pretty bold statement. According to you, there are several Vols that would never make the all-time "best" list.
Guys like Reggie White, Tee Martin, Peyton Manning, Andy Kelly, Johnny Majors, Hank Lauricella, Carl Pickens, Travis Henry, Heath Shuler and so on...who were from places other than Georgia.
Did you really say that? Did you just say that Tennessee's best players came from Georgia?
NeylandWest writes:
Yes, you did say that. Look above. You said, "I didnt comment that Georgia was all things football....only that your best players plyed their HS carrers there..."
If you didn't say that, then I'd change my user id and password if I were you b/c someone's hacked into your account.
NeylandWest writes:
Are you bitter that guys like Eric Berry and Jamal Lewis went to TN instead of staying in-state?
By the way, thanks for helping me make my point that TN has many great players that are from states other than Ga. For a second there, I'm sure North Carolina, Louisiana, Florida and Alabama were starting to feel a bit left out in the cold.
NeylandWest writes:
Okay...you've completely dropped off the deep end. It's clear to me that you're shy a few cards of playing with a full deck.
Since that's the case, I'm finished chatting with you simply b/c I refuse to get into a battle of wits with an unarmed man.
usnavyvolfaninva_still_getting_paid writes:
So what do you think you're getting for your 9th birthday?
usnavyvolfaninva_still_getting_paid writes:
I honestly wish you'd go back and read your posts and see what a child you are. If you're going to come to an opposing team's site, at least TRY to act like an adult in the process! Or is that too much to ask?
wildcatbasketball writes:
I agree usnavyvolfaninva!!! As a wildcat fan I do come on here and post "adult" comments! I respect the game and furthermore the SEC!! Don't pay attention to these "morons"..
NeylandWest writes:
Wildcat...I might not always agree with what you have to say (or want to admit that what you have to say is the truth cause sometimes it hurts), I always respect your opinion.
You've commented with class and while I realize that there's a tool in every crowd, even several up on Rocky Top, I certainly look forward to your discussions.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Maybe for a real fight, "genius"! You see, in a "battle of wits", "wits" are the weapons; one engaging in such a battle is at a disadvantage, hence "unarmed", if one doesn't have any. Clear enough for you?
NeylandWest writes:
I really wanted to explain it to the poor guy, but I honestly lost all faith in his ability to comprehend or rationalize anything beyond the basics of human understanding.
Thanks for having my back ;)
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Any time, fellow Vol fan, any time(;-D)!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Thanks for noticing; everything is just fine in Vol land! We're mostly friendly folks here; don't talk smack and you won't get smacked. Your Dawgs bit us good last week. Good for you; enjoy! Now don't come back unless you want to talk ball rather than swap insults. And don't talk about "who started it"; that's a 3d-grader's playground retort.
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