Tennessee Men's Basketball
Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings described himself as a “boring, stick in the mud” in the preseason.
The No. 21 Commodores, however, are proving to be a different story this season.
Vanderbilt (16-3, 5-0 SEC) took sole possession of first place in the SEC East Division with an 85-76 victory over Tennessee (15-4, 3-2) at Thompson-Boling Arena Wednesday night.
It’s the 14th-ranked Vols’ second consecutive conference loss, and it snapped their 10-game home-court win streak.
Jermaine Beal scored 10 of his game-high 25 points during a pivotal 23-5 run by the Commodores that stretched from the 10:41 mark until there were just under five minutes to play.
Beal capped the decisive burst with a basket inside and back-to-back 3-pointers that gave Vanderbilt a 74-60 lead and sent many in the crowd of 19,103 to the exits.
“Coach said it 100 times in practice that Beal was going to come off the screen,’’ UT point guard Bobby Maze said. “We have to do a better job paying attention to the scout; any guy can play defense, that’s just your heart.’’
J.P. Prince led the Vols offensively (22 points) and defensively (three steals), turning in what UT coach Bruce Pearl said was a “special” effort.
But it was Prince’s second technical foul of the night — called for hanging on the rim after a dunk — that Pearl said changed the momentum.
Prince and Vanderbilt’s Andre Walker had been issued double technical fouls a minute earlier after exchanging harsh words.
But Pearl didn’t sound as though he felt Prince’s technical at the 15:33 mark was as apparent.
“The technical foul on J.P.’s dunk, at that point, was a momentum shifter,’’ Pearl said. “It’s a call that can be made because he was on the rim. I’ve seen that call made, I’ve seen that call not made.’’
Beal made the ensuing free throws, pulling the Commodores to within 44-41.
Still, UT maintained the lead and appeared to be on its way to an 11th-straight home victory when Wayne Chism scored his first field goal of the game to give the Vols a 55-51 lead with 10:54 remaining.
Chism, who missed Monday’s practice with a sprained knee, collected a career-high 16 rebounds but was just 2-of-9 shooting for eight points.
When Vanderbilt center A.J. Ogilvy split a pair of free throws the next trip down the floor, it seemed innocent enough.
There was no clue UT would go 2-of-9 shooting from the floor and 1-of-4 from the free-throw line over the next six minutes while the Commodores hit 8 of 12 from the floor during their 23-5 run.
“We’ve got to play great defense; it’s the only chance we have to win,’’ Pearl said, pointing out that opponents shot less than 40-percent during UT’s recent seven-game win streak. “We’re going to struggle some offensively; there’s not enough offensive firepower.’’
The Vols answered the Vandy run with a 9-2 burst of their own capped by Scotty Hopson’s 3-pointer at the 2:39 mark that made it 76-68.
Hopson scored 14 points, going 3-of-5 beyond the arc while the rest of the team was a combined 3-of-15 shooting from 3-point range.
But as Pearl noted, Hopson wasn’t as assertive down the stretch having sat out 10 minutes after picking up his fourth foul at the 17:55 mark.
“Scotty never got back into any kind of rhythm,’’ Pearl said. “He sat there for a long period of time...it’s hard to get yourself going.’’
But that’s what the Vols need to do before Florida (15-5, 4-2) comes to Thompson-Boling Arena for a 1 p.m. game Sunday.
“It’s frustrating, it’s tough, it’s hard on us,’’ said Maze, who had 12 points and seven assists. “Guys in the locker room are like, ‘Whoa, here we go.’ Every night in the SEC is gonna be a fight.’’
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Comments » 133
AtLeastMyTeamHasPerfectSeasons writes:
Now that Tatum and Goins were re-instated.....not the same results.
Orangeblood13 writes:
yeah, all their fault....makes alot of sense...
not
zigvol writes:
Might be a long year.....
lomas98 writes:
What has Goins return done to cause this team problems? He has only played in mop up duty against GA. You are crazy if you think McBee should get more minutes than Tatum at backup 2 guard. Tatum needs to work his way back in this lineup and help contribute.
VictorKruger writes:
The only thing more frustrating than the game itself was the broadcast. Nothing against the UT student trying his best as an “ESPNU Embedded Reporter,” but that was a bad idea wrapped in a bad idea. I was wondering if they were going to pull the plug on it in the 2nd half, but ESPNU kept at it after all the technical difficulties.
Valiant effort by JP and Wayne, but we’re not going to win many tough games without every single player contributing.
johng – I noticed that Prince and Chism executed the post feed, kick-out, followed by another entry pass to Chism, and it led to an easy bucket. Good coaching ;>).
MikeInTN writes:
Hope we can make the NIT!!!
Mule_Days_King writes:
Why didn't they keep feeding Wayne the ball?
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
You GOT that RIGHT! They haven't been the same since they returned and one doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to see that!
VOLS.....TCB.....KOKO.....GBO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lomas98 writes:
Foul trouble killed us tonight. With the lack of talent we cannot afford to have Hall and Hopson both in foul trouble. It is no coincidence Vandy started its run while Hopson was on the bench for an extended amount of time. By the way, TBA crowd SUCKS!! The loudest they got all night was at the end of the half on the Pearl bucket. How about making it loud for the opposing team?
CT_VOL writes:
Oh no, we suck!
zigvol writes:
Come on man we are not bad enough to miss the tourney...
lomas98 writes:
If they were playing this way without them being reinstated, people would be wondering when they would be coming back. I have already heard people wonder when/if Williams will return to help post defense and rebounding. You also don't have to be a rocket scientist to see Goins return has nothing to do with this. He has barely played.
great_2B_Vol writes:
How can JP Prince help you and hurt you so much in one game? Man that guy frustrates me!
zigvol writes:
From watching on t.v. it sure looks like there is no home court advantage. Why when we make somewhat of a run does everyone just sit there and clap instead of standing and yelling?
chrisw2967 writes:
bash away if you want but i get tired of watching mcbee stand out there and miss one 3 right after another ,he doesnt need to be on the court and if anybody else doesnt see this your in denial.this kid needs to find him a place on the bench and keep it warm.I know he is a freshmen and all that but he isnt cutting it.
lomas98 writes:
The ceiling for this team with lack of firepower may be 3rd in the east. Vandy really is a good team and probably their best team in a while. If we can win the next 3 (FL, at LSU, SC) we can be right back in the race. The road games will be key. I wish our fans were loud for no reason. They only seem to be loud to complain about the officials.
lomas98 writes:
Speaking of fouls, I thought we didn't even try to get Ogilvy to pick up his 3rd foul early. I realize they were playing a lot of zone, but you can still try to go right at him a couple of times early.
sorkb writes:
GO DORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GREAT WIN AT UTK
yabadabadoo1026 writes:
agreed--the in-stands reporter thing was just hokey, corny and just playing to the cameras--had to walk away during that nonsense
except for the boneheaded T JP did have a nice game
BUT bad foul shooting, airballs, blown dunks and bricks from the foul line = losses to good teams
McBee isnt helping any----give Bone more PT and lets see what he can do
nice reverse layup finish by Pearl, his second in the the last 3 games----hes playing hard and getting the most out of his ability
huntined#565710 writes:
Hey guys losing Smith is just now showing up..just look what he did against this team last year. We don't have a 3 point guy on the team..We don't have a guy that can drive to the basket more than one time a game. Our guys can't defend against someone that drives to the basket.
How did this same team beat KANSAS??? and lose to GA that got killed by FLA. Like I have said in the past YOU GOT TO HAVE A STRONG HEART TO BE A VOL!!
chrisw2967 writes:
mickey mouse would work, seriously you have tatum heck goins would work.mcbee is a mistake waiting to happen on either end of the court,either with tos ,fouling or missed 3s
great_2B_Vol writes:
Lady, I really enjoy your posts, but I really think we have to have Tatum. The SEC schedule is brutal on these guys and they have to have someone to go to off the bench. We need to get more production out of Josh Bone, and Goins has got to get better.
Let's have faith in CBP, I think so far the punishment has fit the crime.
All_Vol writes:
Tough one. They can regroup.
Mr. Hopson please stand up and be the player you CAN be.
Wayne stay in the trainer's room. You dont look right.
Pearl, sit McBee he is a liability on defense and he shooting 29% from beyond the arc (supposedly his upside).
Regroup and move on. Thats a decent team you lost to.
Mule_Days_King writes:
go away Peabody.
lomas98 writes:
McBee and Pearl do not get as many minutes tonight without the foul trouble. If Goins is reinstated he also needs to play. His penetrating will help some.
great_2B_Vol writes:
Zig, the crowd feeds off the players. We didn't make any real good runs because Vandy didn't let us. The referees killed the crowd with all the stoppages of play and going to look at monitor at the scorers table. It was ugly.
great_2B_Vol writes:
Good post. Tyler's toughness and grind-it-out style could have really helped tonight. I don't think he would of helped offensively, but it was a physical game and that is Tyler's forte'.
lomas98 writes:
What killed the crowd in the first half? There were 2 stoppages and they were both in the 2nd half. Our crowd shouldn't have to wait and feed off the players.
chrisw2967 writes:
True we miss williams like it or not and I think Chism is playing hurt more than we know.
tapeworm writes:
Will someone tell me how in the world we can beat the No. 1 team in the country at home and then lose to the No. 21 team at home? I realize that rankings at this time in the season are extremely suspect, but Kansas at No. 1 is not a stretch. Pearl is still doing an incredible job compared to what we've come to expect with UT basketball, but based on the last four years, don't expect any more than what we've seen. The Sweet Sixteen is our glass ceiling, and the Elite Eight is our ultimate goal - not a Final Four.
yabadabadoo1026 writes:
agreed, as inefficient he is offensively we are missing a big body williams who takes up space in the paint and does get his share of rebounds where we have been on the shortend as of lately
usnavyvolfaninva_still_getting_paid writes:
Got so excited about State of the Union I completely forgot about watching the game. Good thing, I guess.
Guys, I don't care if Tyler Smith's being gone would have made us lose by 30 points. No one will ever convince me this is not a better team with him gone. We'll get out of this rough patch. I just know we will.
chrisw2967 writes:
Hall is going to be a stud before he leaves
usnavyvolfaninva_still_getting_paid writes:
They knew slive was watching.
usnavyvolfaninva_still_getting_paid writes:
ONe thing that no one can argue with, this is ONE tough conference (and division) to play in now!
usnavyvolfaninva_still_getting_paid writes:
Want an honest answer? I don't know....
My theory is that everyone was so energized for the Kansas game that maybe they knew they had to play beyond themselves.
When you've beaten the best team in the land, everyone else seems inferior some way. It could be that they let their guard down a little, or they were just emotionally exhausted.
Truth is, I'm just guessing. sort of like shooting a handful of arrows at the same time hoping just one hits the target.
Fryinpansvols writes:
This is probably the most frustrated I've been about a loss in a long time. I said more curse words tonight then I have in all of 2010. We game this game away! We dominated this game the first 28 minutes then stop doing what worked for us. Our half court offense was working when we would drive and dish giving plenty of opportunities for dunks and layups. Then with about 11:45 left in the game up 5 points we started settling for 3's and jumpshots early in the shot clock. McBee took back to back 3's that he missed and then the next possession Woolridge jacked a 3 and missed. Vanderbilt then capitalized as someone mentioned with Hopson out of the game and scored about every time down. And how do you not keep feeding the ball to J.P. when he had 22 points on 8-9 shooting including 2 3's. I just don't get this team! You have to win your home games and keep attacking and tonight we just strayed from what was working. Lastly, I live in the Nashville area and I hate Vanderbilt and love beating these snobs and I'll hear about this one tomorrow at work. Got to win at home against Florida on Sunday or we're in trouble! Beat Florida and GBO!
usnavyvolfaninva_still_getting_paid writes:
Again, I didn't watch the game, but I find it hard to believe CBP cost the Vols the game.
usnavyvolfaninva_still_getting_paid writes:
I do agree the FL game Sunday is a must-win.
papabearmaples writes:
I love Coach Pearl, but I have noticed that his teams have always been poor at certain fundamentals of the game. They play hard, but free throws are free. Why can't we get that. If someone gives you something for free, TAKE IT. We have not been consistently strong in half court offense since Lofton was here. I love you guys, but if you can't learn to shoot better, gonna be a long season. SwiperBoy, quit spending so much time on Twitter and start backing up your big talk.
great_2B_Vol writes:
Let's be realistic. The fans aren't going to stand up and go nuts when the basketball on the court is ugly. Do you think that the 19,000 in attendance were wrong and you're right? Did you go to the game? Our crowd is great. They know basketball. The team disappointed tonight, not the crowd.
Fryinpansvols writes:
I agree that it was a bad home loss considering we outplayed these guys the first 28 minutes of the game. However, I don't think our coaching was bad. Coach Pearl had us doing right we just stop executing and settled for 3's and jumpshots. GBO!
UKblue02 writes:
Vandy is playing really good right now, if we don't beat them in Rupp Sat, i have a feeling the race will be for second place in our division.
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
Here we go again....somebody putting words on the screen that I did not say. I did not say anything about Tatum or Goins should not be back on the team, nor on how they are playing or their playing time. I did not say that we did not need them on the team. You need to read what I wrote and quit trying to put words in my mouth that I did not say! The meaning of what I wrote was the teams chemistry has not been the same since they returned, and it started with the first game played that they sat on the bench the entire game. Thats what I meant. If you don't believe me go back and watch the games after they left and when they got back until tonight and you will see, if you can see, that I am 100% right. Thank you for your time. GBO!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fryinpansvols writes:
I agree mostly, but I think our half court offense has actually improved when we drive to the rack. We're not the fun and gun team we once were so now we have to rely on a half court set. GBO!
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
I
I do have faith in CBP! Please read my post that was addressed to lomas98 it was meant for you too, but I did not know how to send it to both of you without typing the whole thing twice!
VOLS......TCB.....KOKO.....GBO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wildcatbasketball writes:
UKblue02---I agree 100%. I actually went to the game with a Vol buddy and Vanderbilt has great movement in their half court offense.
This SEC east race will still come down to UK, Vandy, or UT. I would have to agree with some of the posters on here tonight. The crowd did seem flat for this big of a game.
Hang in there vol fans, hopefully we can beat Vandy Saturday and tighten the race back up.
allenf1#223463 writes:
Prepare for what has become the usual mid season nose dive by a talented group of players. Don't know what causes it, but as a UT fan I'm used to it. We will lose games we should win, and pull off maybe one more upset. Pearl doesn't seem to be able to keep a team motivated and hungry all season long. Just my opinion.
TSNVol writes:
Do we have a general on the floor? "THE" guy who brings the ball down the court, sets up the offense and gets it rolling? I thought it was Bobby Maze. Not JP, or anyone else.
When is CBP going to get this worked out? One great game, two bad and very confusing!???
You've got to get up for every game. PLAY LIKE A TEAM. This team is NOT doing this.
bigdisbig writes:
Coach Pearl needs to stress the idea of working the ball inside more. We could have fouled out 3 of Vandy's guys but kept jacking up the 3s.
The Vols just played another bad game. Hopefully against Fla. we can get it together.
Coach Pearl is battling a tough situation with the loss of Tyler and Brian Williams. Lets hope we can salvage this season with a trip to the Big Dance. I say we will be one and done if we make it but that will be ok considering the obstacles we have had. NO ONE could do better with this team than coach Pearl has done. Please don't be too critical on him. He is doing better than any of us could do.
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