Tennessee Volunteers - Can they Figure it out in Time
by Ian
Tennessee Volunteers
Bruce Pearl’s squad didn't materialize exactly the way he thought this season, and the Vols' early struggles really drove the point home. They finished a respectable 21-12 but it was the disappointing play of the guards that really hamstringed his team over the season.
The Vols were a consensus preseason Top 25 march madness free pick as most people believed they had a fast-paced, three-point shooting team that hustled all over on defense. They turned out to be an inconsistent, streaky team that couldn’t shoot the three and relied on their frontcourt when they needed an important basket.
Not being able to shoot was a big problem but the lack of defense all year is what is so puzzling, especially a Bruce Pearl team who is known for having a lock down press. Opponents figured out that Tennessee couldn’t shoot after the first couple of weeks and started packing the lane, daring the Vols to shoot. They couldn’t knock anything down from outside, which led to repeated transition baskets for the opposition, especially with Tennessee lacking any kind of defensive prowess. The low point for the D was the 54 points Kentucky's Jodie Meeks laid down on the Vols in January.
Pearl had to face reality and changed up the game plan in order to save the season. He had his guards shooting fewer 3-pointers, opting to get the ball down into the paint for higher percentage shots. He shut down the full-court defensive press which acted to slow the game down and rely more on the team’s size than speed.
The advantages of having such an athletic team were that the Vols completely changed up their preseason game plan and still end up reasonably successful. This is an athletic, deep team with a talented frontcourt. Muscular 6'9" Wayne Chism can play the low post and shoot from the outside, but he’s more effective when he establishes down low and takes just the occasional jumper. The 6'10" Brian Williams is another post option on the bench and will be very important if they want to make any kind of run. The star of the show is versatile 6'7" forward Tyler Smith, one of the top players in the SEC. He had the first triple-double in school history -- 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists -- against UNC-Asheville.
They Key for Tennessee is going to have to be the improved play of their guards, Bobby Maze and J.P. Prince. If they can’t get those guys scoring from the outside, the Vols will be done early.
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