NASHVILLE - Tennessee brought its LSU offense, and Kentucky showed up Saturday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena. You can figure it out from there.
The entire SEC tournament was an offensive grind for UT. In its finest moments, it was competent; at its worst, painful to watch.
But for two days - against the likes of LSU and Ole Miss - the Vols had enough defense, determination and Wayne Chism to right all the offensive wrongs.
They needed more against Kentucky. A lot more.
The second-ranked Wildcats were so dominant in a rousing 74-45 victory, you easily could have forgotten the Vols beat them just two weeks ago in Thompson-Boling Arena.
UT's performance in the SEC tournament semifinals was more reminiscent of their ill-fated run-in with the Wildcats in the 1993 tournament. UT fans might remember the 101-40 debacle as the signature game of the Wade Houston era.
Compared to that, this was a veritable thriller. But it was convincing enough to highlight UT's offensive shortcomings.
What went wrong? Just about everything, not all of which could be attributed to Kentucky's obvious size and talent.
You couldn't win this game through sheer force of will. You needed a touch of finesse, a modicum of patience.
Patience, a noticeable virtue in the Vols' victory over Kentucky, was absent from the outset. That was exemplified on UT's last possession of the first half when coach Bruce Pearl implored point guard Melvin Goins to play for the last shot.
Goins apparently interpreted the command as "take the last shot," which he did gladly, though not particularly well - eight seconds into the shot clock.
Another play, minutes earlier, similarly reflected the mismatch of UT's offense against the SEC's best defense. Scotty Hopson had the misfortune of finding himself on the baseline within arm's reach of Kentucky center DeMarcus Cousins, who simply took the ball away. Child's play.
A more favorable Hopson venture also is worth noting. He beat Daniel Orton off the dribble on the perimeter, then drove to the basket, closing with an arching shot that bounced softly off the glass through the basket.
Wouldn't you have liked to have seen more of that?
Hopson ratcheted up his offensive game from the previous two days of the tournament, but that's faint praise. He entered the game shooting 2-for-19.
He made four of 10 field-goal tries - though only one of five from 3-point range - and scored a team-high 11 points against Kentucky. But he didn't give the offense what it needed.
It needed someone to create more plays when the system was breaking down in the face of Kentucky's imposing defense. Hopson sometimes flashes the skills for that, but he too seldom demonstrates the mindset.
UT might not advance far enough in the NCAA tournament to face a team with Kentucky's defensive wherewithal. Yet it likely will face a similar offensive dilemma along the way.
"While J.P. (Prince) can really create, he's very dominant with his left hand, and he's not a good outsider shooter," Pearl said. "So there's a way to guard him.
"And then, Scotty is a good penetrator. But you can knock him off the ball a little bit - strip and rip him - and he's not going to make a lot of plays for anybody else."
Hopson might have been "stripped and ripped" by Cousins, but he often drifted out of the SEC tournament on his own. The bigger NCAA tournament to come is his chance for redemption.
And after the overall breakdown against Kentucky, "redemption" could be the rallying cry for the entire offense.
John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.
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Comments » 31
blewissmith writes:
Need a short memory for this one!!
rockytopatl writes:
This one is history and might even be good for this team. It might make them want it a little more in the big dance.
RoadTrip writes:
They tend to come back well from smack downs and put a few W's together.
BubbaJ writes:
Folks it's not the end of the world! Did anyone ever think this team was headed to the National Championship game? Nope. It will not be easy, but this team can pull it together by next weekend. In the first week of the NCAA, match-ups are everything.
Seeing some projections at this point, some at 4, some at 5. Have seen potential opponents of,
Houston, Rhode Island, Murray State, and Cornell.
Of course, I can't figure out how these guys come up with this stuff, but sometimes they get it right.
I for one just hope Pearl can somehow get this bunch together offensively by then. Chism has to be the leader, Guard play must be better, this team is much better when they take the ball to the hole. They are not a good enough 3 point team to win there, and shot selection has to be better. Defensively, UT can cause some problems.
Scottie, your team needs you! B. Maze, you're better than what you showed today, remember Kansas. B. Williams, you're getting there, keep it up. JP, play SMART, and bring your "A" game.
Man I sound like a coach don't I? What do you think WD?
Fryinpansvols writes:
This was a very, very sickening loss. I hope this loss leaves a bad taste in our guys mouths because I know it sure did leave one in mine. I was in Downtown Nashville trying to get a ticket to today's game among the Blue Mist and that was impossible unless you wanted to pay $300 a piece for nose bleed seats. And never in my life have I seen a game in where the tickets were the same price at the half as they were at tip off. I'm glad I didn't waste my money going into todays game. I will say that I am disappointed that we didn't have more fan support at the SEC Tournament in Nashville. I know Kentucky travels well for basketball, but no way should they out number us 6 to 1. Lets hope our guys find some offense quick for the NCAA's. GBO!
james#216392 writes:
No way to win this game when we get fouls called and they don't. We had our bigs in foul trouble, their's weren't. Cousins =0= fouls at half time. Wall & Bledsoe had -0- fouls all day. Whether it was one sided refereeing or tired legs or lazy slapping defense or better talent on the other team, the end result was a beat down. Most likely a combo of all of the above.
Lostvolinhighweeds writes:
Which one?
golfballs03 writes:
Throughout the season, Tennessee has been the SEC's best defense. UK is #2
tovolny writes:
Tennessee...a team with no confidence. I am sure this is what Mark Twain would write about this year's Volunteers. He would describe a 3 on 2 fast break with Steven Pearl in the lead but not even looking for the ball as it bounces off his chest with a look: why did you throw it to me? Then he would talk about Hopsom, wide open from 15 feet looking for any team mate expecting a pass and not knowing what to do after everyone had turned for the rebound. He would make a whole chapter about Steven Pearl staying in the game too long and not even being guarded by an opponent whether it was against a zone or man to man. He would use the wrong dialect, as he often did, describing Williams falling asleep under the bucket (sometimes in the paint) as players shot over him or as both teams go after a rebound and he never leaving his feet. He would make all readers laugh as Pearl chews out Mcbee (who had not been off the bench all night) and then having McBee turning to a full-time bench warmer with a funny grin asking..."what did I do?" Prince would be his favorite character going up and down the court not having a clue what is going on. He would have fun with Prince playing man to man while the rest of his team were in zone.
Wow! Mark Twain - where are you?
COME ON MANNNNN!!!!
RJ_Vol writes:
GBO!
TommyJack writes:
Regroup
tennrich1 writes:
Lets rememeber...we're playing a large part of this game with a WALKON...playing his heart out against one of the best big men to come along in let's say 10 years or more....or least being knocked around inside with him....Keep a realistic eye on what happened...We will be better...I'm STILL surprised we ended up where we are....AND QUITE FRANKLY, COACH CAL SHOULD BE ASHAMED HE LOST A LEAGUE GAME WITH THIS BUNCH...I mean really, my blind, deaf grandfather could coach this team to a 30+ win season....Now how he got ALL of them to Kentucky...well that may be the story of the future...
usnavyvolfaninva_still_getting_paid writes:
I would like to know how many people would honestly believed that when TS was kicked off the team and the other 3 suspended, that we would've beat the top 2 teams in the land and probably gotten a 4 or 5 seed in the big dance.
randyarnold writes:
Here's hoping the Vols aren't in the same bracket with Kansas. They might beat a number one seed Syracuse and/or Duke, if UT is a four seed (providing they win their first two games). If it's Kansas, it will be more of what the Vols suffered against Kentucky in a payback game.
usnavyvolfaninva_still_getting_paid writes:
hard to be critical of the big orange nation for not populating the arena at $300+ a pop... geez, tix are ridiculous!
usnavyvolfaninva_still_getting_paid writes:
I can only surmise that since FT Knox is in KY, that they must've raided the place for the SEC Tourney...lol.
agohn writes:
What pisses me off, besides a beatdown by a bunch of freshman, is the way these 1 year NBA kids don't respect the schools or conferences they play for. Kentucky fans: You think John Wall would be at your school or even the SEC if they didn't have to spend a year in school to be able to go to the NBA? Wake-up! You won't see Wall or Cousins next year and you won't win a championship this year. Have fun with no leadership and 1 year in and out players for as long as Calipari is there.
Now...To our players and Coaches: you should be embarrassed to be beatdown by a bunch of freshman. Absolutely Pathetic!
vut56#231073 writes:
My two cents worth:
1) It's just a game; we lost and were beaten by a better team.
2) Perhaps technicians can give us a blow by blow of what went wrong; this article falls a little short.
3) When we were within five, and they hit five within a few seconds, it was over. I do not fault the Vol's effort, but after two hard games, KY had the upper hand going in. Their shots fell and ours did not. That was helped by their being bigger, more talented and performing better.
Remember: our guys wanted to win just as badly as all the typers here, sipping a beverage of our choice.
Maybe next time.
jlf121584 writes:
There is something fundamentally wrong with UT. Explain how a team can beat the #1 and #2 ranked team in the country, then gets blown out by USC, Vandy, and Kentucky something is not right. I love Coach Pearl however, every since the players were reinstated the chemistry on this team has been much different. Then the players that helped keep the team together don't play or don't play nearly as much. Character matters and so does loyalty. I hope I am wrong but Tennessee will be lucky to win one game in the NCAA tournament. To much inconsistency and no consistent leader.
JACK8254 writes:
It is very difficult to play 3 games in 72 hours- no wonder it was a clunker. eyes on the prize- The ELITE EIGHT. They can still do that.
BubbaJ writes:
Best post all night! Some folks need to give Pearl some credit for not folding up the tent in early January.
brokebackvol writes:
This has a real rollercoaster of a ride this season, and I hope we have some ups coming before the end of the ride comes. How far Pearl has brought this program in a short 5 years!
Those who complain, guess you weren't around during the Houston era.
pammyvol1000 writes:
Your dead on with that one!!
chl1958 writes:
Guys,stop and smell the roses;we are darn lucky to be where we are. How many of you could have coached or played through this jungle of a game where sportmanship took a back seat to thuggery. The officials were missing and Slime was everywhere!The Bookies are in control!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Some good points here. It isn't necessary to go into a lot of "inside basketball" discussion about what went wrong. We can't beat teams the likes of UK and KU unless we out-hustle them and out-execute them. Playing our third game in three days, we didn't have the energy and concentration necessary to do that. The world didn't end yesterday, and neither did our season. As you say, "maybe next time". GBO!!! TCB!!!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
The simple answer to your question is that this team is too dependent on focused energy from everybody and an extraordinary performance from one or two key players. When those things aren't present, we can lose to anybody and look bad doing it. When they are present, we can beat anybody. The apparent difference in overall performance on either side of Jan. 1 reflects the decreased margin for error after losing Tyler Smith and an overall increase in the quality of the opposition. SEC road games are no joke for anybody, regardless of the talent and record of the teams. Players like McBee, Woolridge, Hall, and Steven Pearl are not true SEC-caliber performers at this point in their careers, but they did play somewhat over their heads for awhile there. How we do in the NCAAs will depend on who we play and how we match up with them as much as any other internal factors, IMHO, but we will have be on an up-tick to beat almost anybody.
John_10065 writes:
Seems to me I remember a post by a "UT fan" on this site wondering how easy it was to scalp tickets.
Kind of makes you wonder how may blue shirts in the stands had an "orange" ticket.
Not that I could blame a student for scalping a ticket. It takes cash to get through school and if the UK faithful are willing to pay $300 a pop for a ticket, so be it. At least some UT folks will be able to eat a bit better and afford a couple textbooks at $100+ a pop.
VolunteerLifer writes:
Let's not go all wobbly here. This game was an abberation. It was our third game in three days. We were playing a super team just coming into its own, and they had a lot more rest.
I see some positive things coming out of this. we got two tough wins in the tourney. Our seniors were stepping up and so was Williams and Tatum. Hopson was unproductive offensively, but he played harder and looked for his openings. At least he kept shooting the ball. In the past he would stop shooting altogether when he missed a few.
I think the team is about as well prepared for the national tourney as they can be. If they get their gamefaces on and have the mindset of men on a mission, they can do some damage.
Ironcity writes:
Anyone who has ever played basketball has asked the question why on one day you can't miss and the next you can't throw it in the ocean. Unlike football you can't always bully your way to a win in basketball. Its the reason all the top seeds have lost multiple games. Its not coaching its not the players effort, its just is what it is.
Come the next game UT might shoot 60% and we will all be singing their praises again and wondering why we can't do that every game.
mcdevitt#229126 writes:
I certainly hope Bruce puts the right five on the floor in the NCAA's. I am tired of seeing us have five guys on the floor out of sync with no way to score. If you need to rest the guys, rest one at time and not all three of your leading scores. Please quit taking out the guys with the hot hand in the games. As poor as we are on offensive, we sure cannot afford for the guys scoring the points to be sitting on the pine while a bunch of the mid major talent runs the floor. This is the SEC and we are a major program SO PLAY LIKE ONE!!!!!!
Fryinpansvols writes:
Good post and points. GBO!
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