NASHVILLE - The next 3-pointer Tennessee sophomore Scotty Hopson hits in Bridgestone Arena will be his first.
Hopson is a cumulative 1-of-18 shooting in his three games at this venue, including 0 of 10 beyond the 3-point arc.
"I haven't shot well in this gym,'' said Hopson, who scored two points on a pair of free throws in the Vols' 59-49 win over LSU on Thursday. "I'll come out with a different mind-set; who knows, I might get 30.''
Tennessee likely will need someone to step up their perimeter shooting to advance in the SEC tournament after making just 4 of 23 from beyond the 3-point arc against LSU in the first round.
The 15th-ranked Vols (24-7) play Ole Miss on Friday (TV: WVLT, 3:15 p.m.) with the winner advancing to play the victor of today's 1 p.m. game between No. 2 Kentucky (29-2) and Alabama (17-14).
Rebels coach Andy Kennedy was lurking in one of the many hallways of the arena following UT's lackluster win over LSU.
He was about as at-ease as any coach on the NCAA tournament's proverbial bubble could be.
"They (Tennessee) didn't shoot the ball very well, but can we be fortunate enough for that to happen two days in a row?'' said Kennedy, whose Rebels have won four in a row. "We feel like our backs are against the wall, but we still control our own destiny.''
The Rebels have been projected as one of the "first four out" of the NCAA tournament in ESPN's bracketology.
"They are supposedly a team that's one quality win away from getting in,'' UT coach Bruce Pearl said. "Given our ranking and RPI - not the way we played tonight - we would be a quality win.''
The Vols beat Ole Miss 71-69 in overtime in Knoxville on Jan. 16.
"I would say our win against Ole Miss is absolutely right there with any of our wins,'' Pearl said. "Right there with our wins over Kentucky and Kansas. They came in ranked No. 21 in the country.''
And now, Pearl said, "they are fighting for their NCAA tournament lives.''
The Rebels are expected to defend the Vols like LSU did - with a zone defense that clogs the lane while conceding open looks outside.
Hopson leads the Vols with 46 made 3-pointers this season and entered the SEC tournament with four consecutive games of at least 14 points.
Pearl believes part of the reason the talented sophomore hasn't shot well in Bridgestone Arena is its relatively close proximity (two hours away) to his hometown of Hopkinsville, Ky.
"This is as close to home as he gets, and I think Scotty really wanted to play well,'' Pearl said. "He's been playing great the last six ballgames. He's good against zone, and really good in space, so I was surprised today.
"He had four assists (against LSU), so he did well there.''
Many of the Vols complained about the rims in Bridgestone Arena and the new basketballs being used in the tourney.
"I'd rather try to shoot at an amusement park, or on one of the steel rims in the projects,'' UT center Brian Williams said. "And that ball, it was sticking against the backboard.''
Williams' humor sent the Vols' post-game locker room into laughter. Even Hopson smiled.
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Comments » 24
lomas98 writes:
Everybody shoots on those same rims and uses the same balls Brian. Hopefully the vols can pull it together tomorrow. I think they will show up better than today's game with the level of competition being better. That shouldn't have to happen but it always has with this team. People were actually complaining after win against Arkansas last week and TN came out very well on the road against Miss. St the very next game.
CoverOrange writes:
Shoot nothin'-but-net and you don't have to worry about sticky backboards or amusement park rims.
What were the shooting percentages of the other games today?
wayoutwill writes:
You are a real genius!Thanks a lot for passing that info on to Brian,I'm sure he can tell you where to stick it!
VolWoman writes:
Was the shooting this bad in the other games? Barry Booker said at halftime of our game that there were similar 3 point shooting issues in the 1st game and he expects to see that continue throughout the tournament. So maybe Brian is right about the rims.
TennVolAlum writes:
oh how wonderful the SEC conference tournament is. Kentucky will most likely win...and not improve their seeding. Tennessee will most likely lose...and not improve/diminish their seeding. So, why oh why do the SEC teams play the regular season? Oh wait.....I forgot there was revenue to be generated.
VOLinATL writes:
Scotty is a great talent, but he has got to get mentally tougher.
Down_The_Field writes:
this is the means to the end.
means: play ole p-iss
end: rematch with peeee-body
i have a feeling that tatum is going take it over with bobby and the inside guys having a solid game.
witch doctor needs to put the mo-jo together.
vols - 78
ole p-iss - 65
Gumby#1381110 writes:
GBO! Make a statement against the Rebels!
rbhobbs73#226545 writes:
I think Brian has a point...I was there for all 4 games and I saw an extraordinary number of shots go part of the way into the basket and then come out. All of the teams had issues with it....none of the teams shot particularly well from 3 point land...although I do not remember as much from the last game as a days worth of free beer had started to set in....GBO and be mentally tough..play through it.
licknpromise777#651578 writes:
Bruce is right beating Ole Miss is pretty big..Their guards Warren;White and Graham are as good as anybody in the sec; Iam not sure why the NCAA is so quick to put them on the bubble and gone..They are riding a 4 game win streak!! The Vols need to go ahead and rip their heart out and send them packing to the NIT
volcycle writes:
Scotty has just got to man up in the big games...that simple. Grow some and play ball.
richvol writes:
Talent means nothing unless you display it. My mother could make 1 of 18. Grow up Hopson.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
True, but NO team was noticeably shooting the ball well yesterday. It never ceases to amaze me how all these tournament gyms all put down their shiny, slick new logos on the court and bring out their newest, shiniest balls to look good on TV. Who cares if the players slip and slide on the court or the grip on the balls is strange as long as the venue looks good, right? Believe me, there is a BIG difference between how a brand-new ball feels and the way a slightly-used one does.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
I was not so much concerned with the percentage of 3-pointers we missed as the overall number of them we took and how many were with 15-20 seconds left on the shot clock. Of course, the way we were booting the ball all over the place--another result of using brand-new, slick balls, IMHO; they are harder to pass, harder to catch, harder to dribble cleanly--we couldn't penetrate or pass with confidence so as to play inside-out, which is when our offense works best. This problem was by no means unique to the Vols yesterday!
Volumnus writes:
Good post. The fact that no team was shooting well and the rims did seem clanky or spring loaded and everyone had a problem with spatial placing(a whole lot of air balls in every game) may just help out the "field" in the SEC. If we have a game or two under out belt and can mitigate the adjustment issues before the teams who drew the bye can, our chances might improve.
Especially if the cats are sitting in the stands and watching and it gets in their heads. "The floor looks slick, the rim kicks balls back, the ball is slick, the basket looks to high and too close, and boy I don't like our chances...."
We needed yesterday's game to show us what we need to do. We need to do it against the Rebs and get some confidence. This could be interesting.
VolunteerLifer writes:
Other posters are saying the same thing, and I concur. The best way to defend us is to deny the ball to the inside and force us to shoot from the outside. We don't have consistently good outside shooters, and if you put just a little perimeter pressure on Scotty, he can come up empty. He needs to toughen up and rise to the occasion.
fundamentals83 writes:
I sure hope this doesn't happen, but I would put all 5 defenders in the paint against UT and dare us to win with the mid/long range jumper. I think you would see another 40-50 point performance.
schymtz writes:
Seems like announcers at a much earlier game here (MTSU?) made a big deal of the layout of this gym giving shooters a false or difficult perspective and an especially false sense of distance. But it's still true that both teams shoot at the same rims.
schymtz writes:
I’ve probably said this before: It seems to me Scotty doesn’t like physical contact. He might benefit from more karate or boxing experience.
KevDVol writes:
Does anyone remember the NBA changing to a different type ball at the start of a season a couple of years ago, only to change back after a few weeks? Almost all the leagues' players complained about the texture and slickness of the balls. Jim Rome called the ball "greasy."
Anyway, are they using those NBA reject greasy balls? Also, even though everyone has to play on those crappy rims, the benefit goes to the underdog. I would much prefer fighting Mike Tyson if we're both blindfolded on a ice rink.
Major_Magilicutty writes:
GET SCOTTY OUT OF THE GAME!!!! I'm all for supporting our Vols, but he's suckin' it up!!!
OwensboroVol writes:
I don't watch Basketball very much at all. But could someone please advise me why Wayne Chism gets all of this positive press. I have been watching the Ole Miss game and he obviously believes that he does not have to play defense or try to get loose balls. He just stands there and watches. Its the most pitiful thing I've ever seen. Does he really believe he can play in the NBA with a half way effort?
Major_Magilicutty writes:
Scotty, Scotty, Scotty. Terrible.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
I'm...speechless! Wayne plays EXCELLENT defense! He blocks shots, he takes charges, he probably has more steals than any big man in the league, and he has had double-figure rebounds in both tourney games. His only fault as a defender is that he reaches out a little too much and gets too many piddlin' little touch fouls too far from the basket. Otherwise, I just WISH the rest of the team played defense as hard as Wayne. Sheesh!
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