SB Nation - Josh Tabb

USA Today releases preseason Coaches Poll

SFBE.NF — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:01:34 -0000

No Bill Self didn't announce that he will be wearing a manzier this season. I am just watching this outstanding Seinfeld episode as I type, waiting for Pedro to take the hill at Yankee Stadium.

On to a more relevant subject to tackle, USA Today has released their preseason Coaches Poll. What follows is a brief synopsis, knee-jerk reactions if you will, to the season's first Top 25.

Kansas - Feels just like it should
Michigan State - Feels just like it did last April
Texas - Feels different way up here so early
North Carolina - Received one first place vote, and Roy Williams isn't on the Board of Coaches
Kentucky - Dick Vitale says UK should be ranked higher
Villanova - We're still not sure if this team got better this season, despite its bevy of guards
Purdue - Will be a disappointing year if they finish this low
Duke - A generous 8 at that
West Virginia - Maybe too high to call them a Final Four sleeper?
Butler - Tops in the non-BCS world
Tennessee - Comes on the heels of Josh Tabb leaving school yesterday
California - Looking down at the only Pac 10 team that can challenge them
Washington - Looking up at the only Pac 10 team that can challenge them
Connecticut - Much more dangerous than people think
Michigan - Suck on that Rich Rod!
Oklahoma - Highest ranked team from the Sooner state...for now
Ohio State - We love Evan Turner this season
Minnesota - Doesn't mitigate the loss of Gopher Wide Receiver Eric Decker
Mississippi State - An enigmatic enigma
Georgia Tech - This team is "long," I presume Jay Bilas loves them
Georgetown - Not a lot of chatter about the Hoyas to date
Dayton - Flyer fans are likely elated about this
Louisville - Wait, everyone knows about that game against (D2) Georgetown right?
Clemson - Licensed to fail
Syracuse - In other news, I just bought the rights to WheretheHellisDevo.com

"I lived with him for 40 years, I never saw him trying on my underwear. As soon as he leaves the house...he's J. Edgar Hoover!"

Josh Tabb withdraws from University of Tennessee

Will — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:28:17 -0000

An indefinite suspension has turned into what appears to be the end of Josh Tabb's basketball career at Tennessee. The would-be senior guard has withdrawn from the university and returned home to Carbondale, Illinois to be close to his mother, who is suffering from an undisclosed illness. The story from the Knoxville News-Sentinel includes comments from head coach Bruce Pearl offering sympathy to Tabb's situation.

Tabb was a member of Pearl's initial recruiting class, which has now lost its third member: Duke Crews and Ramar Smith left the program following the 2007-08 season, and now Tabb's career comes to an early close as well. He is the second Tennessee player to exit the program in the past month under unfortunate circumstances, following the frightening cardiac scare suffered by Emmanuel Negedu one month ago today.

These incidents leave a Tennessee team picked by most to contend for the SEC Championship short on depth, but the greater concern goes out to Negedu and Tabb's mother.

Josh Tabb suspended indefinitely for undisclosed violation

Will — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 23:05:51 -0000

The Knoxville News-Sentinel is reporting that senior guard Josh Tabb has been placed on indefinite suspension by Bruce Pearl, and that suspension will prohibit Tabb from participating in both official and voluntary team activities:

"Josh has been in the program long enough that he knows he needs to meet all of our expectations,’’ Pearl said following Friday’s practice

Tabb has been a contributor for the Vols throughout his career, most notably as a defensive stopper, and his role in Tennessee's 09-10 gameplan is uncertain with the addition of Melvin Goins and the continued maturation of Scotty Hopson.

Throughout his tenure in Knoxville that prepares to enter its fifth year, Pearl has never been afraid to drop the hammer on players who weren't doing something the way he believed it should be done - the names Major Wingate, Duke Crews and Ramar Smith instantly come to mind. And especially in the case of Wingate, Pearl hasn't been afraid to discipline or dismiss his players even when they were expected to make significant contributions.

Hopefully Tabb can work his way back into Pearl's good graces, but the head coach has again made it clear that he has no tolerance for violations of his or the university's policies.

Tennessee Volunteers vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs: stat comparison

Joel — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:52:06 -0000

Use whatever metaphor you want, Tennessee (16-10, 7-5) really needs to win its game tonight against the Mississippi State Bulldogs (17-10, 7-5). The Vols are reeling after back to back losses, including an embarrassment at the hands of rival Kentucky this past weekend. Facing four guards and the nation's best shot blocker in a must-win game is a downright frightening scenario for Tennessee fans.

Observations from the stats

Tennessee's field goal percentage defense is atrocious. What causes that? Who knows? Well, perhaps we can rebound against them, although with all of those guards hitting eight three-pointers per game, you know they're taking and missing a bunch more of them and that those rebounds tend to go conveniently right over the heads of our defenders packed down low. Scotty Hopson, Bobby Maze, Josh Tabb, stay between the shooter and the basket, por favor.

Bulldog players to watch

Jarvis Varnado is currently averaging five blocks per game. Our guys down low will need to mix up interior passing, pump fakes, slams, and quick moves to keep him off balance.

Other Stuff

KenPom's prediction: Tennessee wins 79-70, with an 80% chance of winning. We keep surprising Pomeroy, though, so you know.

The line ups

Tennessee		Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	APG
C	4 Wayne Chism	6-9	242	Jr.	13.1	8.4	1.3
F	1 Tyler Smith	6-7	215	Jr.	17.2	5.7	3.4
G	30 J.P. Prince	6-7	205	Jr.	9.7	4.0	3.1
G	32 Scotty Hopson	6-7	185	Fr.	9.1	2.3	1.1
G	3 Bobby Maze	6-2	185	Jr.	8.4	2.4	3.3
Mississippi State		Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	APG
C	32 Jarvis Varnado	6-9	210	Jr.	13.3	9.3	0.9
G	25 Phil Turner	6-3	170	So.	8.6	5.0	1.6
G	3 Dee Bost	6-2	170	Fr.	11.3	3.3	3.4
G	22 Barry Stewart	6-3	170	Jr.	11.6	3.9	1.8
G	2 Ravern Johnson	6-7	175	So.	12.4	3.5	1.3

The stats

KEY STATS COMPARISON
Category	Rank	Actual	Rank	Actual
Scoring Offense	27	78.3	57	75.2
Scoring Defense	284	72.5	196	68.7
Scoring Margin	79	5.8	69	6.6
Field-Goal Percentage	98	45.2	183	43.5
Field-Goal Percentage Defense	230	44.3	20	39.0
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game	140	6.5	20	8.4
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage	268	30.6	75	36.7
Three Pt FG Defense	122	33.3	203	34.7
Free-Throw Percentage	197	67.9	103	70.8
Rebound Margin	68	3.3	224	-1.0
Assists Per Game	22	16.1	188	12.8
Assist Turnover Ratio	32	1.18	209	0.88
Blocked Shots Per Game	120	3.6	1	8.2
Steals Per Game	139	7.0	80	7.6
Turnovers Per Game	143	13.6	210	14.4
Turnover Margin	74	1.8	166	0.0
Personal Fouls Per Game	241	19.4	59	16.8

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Category	Player	Rank	Actual	Player	Rank	Actual
Points PG	Tyler Smith	100	17.2
FG%				Jarvis Varnado	41	55.8
3-Point FG PG
3-Point FG%
FT %
Rebounds PG	Wayne Chism	53	8.4	Jarvis Varnado	28	9.3
Assists PG
Blocks PG				Jarvis Varnado	1	5.0
Steals PG
Assist-TO Ratio	Bobby Maze	66	2.0

Kentucky Wildcats vs. Tennessee: Gameday Breakdown

Ken Howlett — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 11:09:56 -0000

UK v. UT Overview

Well sports-fans, the biggest game of the year is upon us, and it looks as if (on cue) Kentucky's Patrick Patterson will return to action against Tennessee (16-9, 7-4) in this afternoon's Titanic Struggle (1:00 EST). The big man's injury-induced two-game hiatus resulted in UK (18-8, 7-4) being dominated on the boards versus Vanderbilt Tuesday night. And with the long, athletic, and revenge-minded Volunteers invading Rupp today, his presence in the paint is mandatory if UK holds any hopes of bringing out the brooms, and potentially saving the season.

In this 'Cat fans opinion, Tennessee's 81-65 pasting at the hands of the Ole Miss Rebels Wednesday night may have been the result of UT looking past their opponent (no offense to the Rebs). Because something tells me Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl will have his Vols "geeked-up," and prepared to silence Rupp. And after Jodie Meeks' 54 point "NCAA Performance of the Year" in Knoxville back in January, Pearl will surely be keen on the idea of putting the kibosh on UK's most potent offensive weapon. A strategy that has seen UK's opponents experience some success with, over the last nine games.

We all know what's at stake, so let's get to the juice ...

Volunteer Personnel

Tyler Smith: 6'7" 215 lb junior forward -- Smith averages 17.6 points, 5.7 rebounds (1.8 off. rebs), and 3.5 assists per game ( versus 2.3 turnovers). The talented transfer makes 47.3% of his shots, 30.4% of his threes (21-69), and 75.6% of his free throws.

In conference play only, Smith is averaging 18.5 (6th in the SEC), 5.0 rebounds (1.4 off. rebs), and 3.1 assists per game (9th in the SEC) He also averages 2.5 turnovers per game in league play. He's shooting 49.3% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc (15-45), and 81.7% from the free throw line (6th in the SEC). Smith is also 4th in the league in total free throws made. Versus UK in January, Smith led the Vols with 19 points on 5-14 shooting (2-5 treys), and he had two rebounds.

Wayne Chism: 6'9" 242 lb junior forward -- Chism is UT second leading scorer at 13.2 points per game. He averages 8.4 rebounds. He also grabs a healthy 2.8 offensive rebounds, 1.4 assists, and .9 blocks per game. From the field, Chism shoots 48.1%, 29.9% from the three-point line (23-77), and 71.4% from the charity stripe.

In league play only, Chism averages 14.0 points, and 7.6 rebounds per game (8th in SEC). He snags 2.9 offensive rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.1 steal per game. He's shooting 46.6% from the floor, 35.1% from the three-point line (13-37), and 63.3% from the free throw line. He is also 5th in the conference in offensive rebound percentage at 12.7% (he's 4th in defensive rebound percentage - 20.8%). Against UK in January, Chism recorded 18 points on 7-13 shooting (0-3 on three-pointers), nine rebounds (seven offensive) and three steals. Wednesday versus Ole Miss Chism became the 41st member of the Tennessee's 1,000 point club.

J. P. Prince: 6'7" 205 lb junior swing -- Prince averages 9.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He's the Vols best shooter at 54.8%, but he's made only one of 17 threes. He makes 64.5% of his free throws.

In SEC play, Prince averages 8.9 points, 4.3 assists (6th in SEC), 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game (9th in SEC). He shoots a robust 61.7% (1st in SEC) from the field (0-3 threes), and 63.3% from the free throw line. He also leads the league in assist/turnover ratio at 3.1. He also leads the SEC in fouls committed with 40. Prince has made only three of his last nine free throws. He hasn't made a three-pointer since November 28th against Georgetown. Prince has recorded 37 assists in UT's last six games. Prince leads the SEC in shooting percentage on the road at 66.7% (20-30).

Josh Tabb: 6'4" 196 lb junior guard -- He averages 3.3 points, 1.8 assists,and 1.7 rebounds per game. Tabb makes 51.7% of his shots, 38.1% of his threes, and 45.0% of his free throws.

In SEC play, Tabb is averaging 2.9 points, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 rebounds per game. He's shooting 48.1% from the field, 50.0% from behind the arc ((4-8), and 50.0% from the free throw line. Tabb has made seven of his last 14 shots (3-5 from the three-point line). Versus UK in January, Tabb played 13 minutes, scored zero points, grabbed two rebounds, and recorded one steal. Tabb has been tabbed by Bruce Pearl to take over the starting point guard spot from Bobby Maze.

Scotty Hopson: 6'7" 185 lb freshman guard -- On the year, Hopson is averaging 8.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. He's shooting 44.3% from the field, 37.6% from the three-point line (32-85), and 64.3% from the free throw line.

In conference play, Hopson is averaging 9.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.2 turnovers per game. From the field he shoots 44.3%, 36.4% from beyond the arc (16-44), and 56.5% from the free throw line. Hopson has made only four of his last 16 shots (2-11 threes in that time). Back in January Hopson led UT to victory over Florida by scoring 20 points, on 8-12 shooting (4-6 threes). Against UK earlier in the year, Hopson played 24 minutes, scored five points on 1-6 shooting (1-3 three-pointers), and dished out two assists. Hopson will be another new face in the UT starting lineup.

Bobby Maze: 6'2" 185 lb junior guard -- The former UK target is averaging 8.5 points, 3.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. He's shooting 43.1% from the field, 31.1% from behind the arc (19-61), and 72.4% from the charity stripe.

In SEC play, Maze is averaging 7.8 points, 2.8 assists, 1.7 rebounds, and .8 steals per game. He's shooting 45.8% from the field, 32.3% from the three-point line (10-31), and 66.7% from the free throw line. Maze hasn't scored in double figures since scoring 13 versus Arkansas four games ago. Maze is 9th in the SEC with a 1.8 assist/turnover ratio (conference games only). Versus UK in January, Maze scored 11 points, on 5-12 shooting (1-6 threes), dished out 2 assists, and committed three turnovers.

Brian Williams: 6'10" 267 lb sophomore center -- The Vols big man averages 5.0 points, and 5.6 rebound per game (2.0 off. rebs), in only 15.5 minutes per contest. He shoots 52.1% from the field (3-9 three-pointers), but only 50.0% from the free throw line.

In league play, Williams is averaging 15.3 minutes, 4.1 points, and 4.4 rebounds per game (1.6 off. rebs). He's shooting 58.1% from th field (1-4 threes), and 25.0% from the free throw line (1-4). In his last three games Williams has made 7-10 field goal attempts. Versus UK earlier, Williams played 15 minutes, scored nine points (3-5 from the field, 1-1 on his threes), and grabbed six rebounds, of which five were of the offensive variety.

Cameron Tatum: 6'6" 196 lb redshirt freshman -- Tatum, in 19.3 minutes per game, is averaging 8.0 points, and 2.2 rebounds. He's shooting 40.1% from the floor, 32.7% from behind the arc (36-110), and 58.7% from the free throw line.

In SEC play, Tatum is averaging 17.8 minutes, 6.2 points, and 1.5 rebounds per game. He's shooting only 38.8% from the field, 27.3% from beyond the arc (12-44), and 40.0% from the free throw line (4-10). Over UT's last four games, Tatum has made only two of 10 three-point attempts. He played 26 minutes versus UK in January, and scored six points. He was 2-8 from the field, and 1-4 from the three-point line. He also recorded two assists.

Tennessee Statistics -- Overall

Tennessee Opponent

Points Per Game -- 79.1 72.4

Field Goal% -- 45.8 43.8

3-point FG% -- 31.3 33.1

Free Throw% -- 67.9 66.9

Rebounding Margin -- +3

Offensive Rebound% -- 36.4 31.5

Assists Per Game -- 16.6 13.7

Steals Per Game -- 7.0 6.0

Turnovers Per Game -- 13.6 15.4

Blocks Per Game -- 3.7 3.3

On the year, UT averages 72.5 possessions per game.

Tennessee Statistics -- SEC Only

Tennessee Opponent

Points Per Game -- 75.6 70.9

Field Goal% -- 47.3 44.5

3-point FG% -- 32.0 30.8

Free Throw% -- 65.2 67.7

Rebounding Margin -- +2.5

Offensive Rebound% -- 32.7 36.1

Assists Per Game -- 15.9 12.1

Steals Per Game -- 7.0 6.0

Turnovers Per Game -- 12.5 15.5

Blocks Per Game -- 3.3 3.3

In conference play, Tennessee averages 69.9 possessions per game.

Tennessee Quick Takes

Tennessee has not lost back-to-back SEC road since since January of '07 when they lost to Mississippi and Kentucky ... UT is 0-6 when their opponents score more than 80 points ... UT is 16-3 when they hold their opponents under 80 points ... Under Bruce Pearl, UT is 86-8 when leading or tied with 5:00 minutes left in the game ... Tennessee is 16-82 versus UK in games played in Lexington ... In their last three games, UT has forced 61 turnovers and recorded 26 steals ... UT is 9-1 when Wayne Chism records a double-double ... In SEC play, UT leads the league in field goal percentage at 47.3% ... Since January 17th (10 games), Tennessee has improved their scoring defense from 76.3 points per game allowed, to only 65.3 points.

CliffsNotes Analysis

UK needs this game. It's that simple.

In order for Kentucky to pull out the victory, they need: Patrick Patterson to be at least 75% of his normal, reliable self: Jodie Meeks to find the range: And for heaven's sake, crash the boards, and push the ball.

Of course UK must defend better, no, make that much better than they did Tuesday night in Nashville. But with Patterson back, the giant, black-hole the interior defense fell into in his absence, will be plugged. Even with Patterson, UT presents some very real matchup problems for the 'Cats: T. Smith, Chism, Hopson, Prince, and Williams are all at least 6'7", and two freshman who see limited playing time, Renaldo Woolridge and Emmanuel Negedu, are 6'8" and 6'7" respectively.

Which is why it is so vitally important that UK get some stops on D; so they can get out and run the break, and not give UT a chance to match-up. The Vols are long, and in a half-court offensive set Kentucky is at a disadvantage. Did I mention that the Vols are long?

Also defensively, I'd rather have Smith, Maze and Hopson beat Kentucky from the perimeter, instead of seeing UK destroyed on the boards and in the paint, as they were against Vanderbilt.

Rebound, push, and let these guys finish -- Find Meeks on the perimeter for the trey, or Perry Stevenson and Patterson in the paint for the slam.

Rupp needs to Rock!

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats, beat the Vols!

Tennessee 69, Vanderbilt 50: Vols rediscover the joy of stealing

Joel — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 23:38:28 -0000

Photo by lovelypetal

I've just rediscovered the biggest factor in what makes basketball fun.

Steals.

Steals. That's the primary reason why Tennessee fans love Bruce Pearl. That's why this year's version of BruceBall has seemed somehow deficient. More frustrating. Not as exciting. That's why we've been measuring wins against the other teams in the conference more often than unleashing woos during games.

Steals. Check this out:

Season	National Ranking in Steals Per Game
2005-2006	5
2006-2007	9
2007-2008	11
2008-2009	159

Those are Bruce Pearl's four years at Tennessee and his teams' respective national rankings in Fun. I'm telling you, steals are Where the Fun's At.

Today's 69-50 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores wasn't only a solid win in a tight SEC race, and it wasn't just the second blowout in as many games for the Vols. As important as those things are, this game, at least the second half, was replete with woos. It was fun. And it was full of steals.

Sure, Tyler Smith had a fantastic game, even for him, putting up a Tennessee career-high 30 points on 10-13 shooting from the field, 3-4 shooting from behind the arc, and 7-8 shooting from the stripe, and adding five boards and three assists.

And J.P. Prince is quickly becoming the Dane Bradshaw of this team, the "Blender" who just makes things happen. Pajamas has a knack for changing the geometry of the Vols' half court offense, finding areas and angles in the offense that appear to be invisible or inaccessible to the rest of the team. Prince had only eight points this afternoon, but he made this team go, and he dominated the rest of the stat sheet: Ten rebounds, including four on the offensive glass, seven assists, and three blocks.

But the reason for the woos was the steals. Tennessee deprived the 'Dores of possession of the ball 15 times, and a bunch of different players got into the action. Smith had four, Prince had three, Wayne Chism, Josh Tabb, and Cam Tatum each had two, and Bobby Maze and Brian Williams had one each.

Simply taking the ball away from the opponent is satisfying enough, but the real magic happens after that. It's like an Eric Berry interception return. Every player thinks one thing is happening and then -- BOOM -- everything changes in an instant. Players are scrambling for position, the thief and his teammates are spreading and heading for the basket in attack mode, and the odds are suddenly and substantially increased that the play will end exceptionally, whether by a thunderdunk, a bucket-plus-one, a kick-out for an open three, or a foul. The crowd roars, and the players begin to bounce and crouch and clap their hands and pound the floor, eager to do it all over again, and the opponent takes another slippery step toward discombobulation.

Steals don't just deprive the enemy of the opportunity to score, and they don't just lead to buckets on the other end. Steals lead to wins, and they make wins fun. If this game is any indication, this young Tennessee team is discovering the joy of Bruce Pearl's system, how to steal the ball and otherwise create turnovers. If they continue to do that, more wins and woos are on the horizon.

A Breath of Fresh Air in Knoxville

Will — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:33:33 -0000

There have been bigger wins for Bruce Pearl against Florida. Wins that have ended undefeated seasons, wrapped up division and conference championships, and beaten eventual National Champions.

But perhaps none of Pearl's staggering six wins in seven tries against the Gators meant more to the balance of one season in that one moment than what the Vols did in Thompson-Boling Arena last night, in securing a 79-63 win.

It had been eleven months since something definitively good happened in Knoxville. With a football season devoid of any meaningful wins and a basketball season where the Vols' two marquee wins have come in Orlando and Nashville, the faces leaving Thompson-Boling over the last month have had a similar look. Frustration, anxiety, and a tangible sense that we're close...but are we getting any closer?

After Gonzaga, we really didn't know how to walk out of the arena as losers, and we credited it to their experience. After Kentucky, it was all about Jodie Meeks. After Memphis, we knew we were so close...

But when LSU handed us another L on the home floor, you had to wonder if we were ever going to break out of this funk.

As Coach Pearl had said before, the wins over Georgetown and Marquette could be attributed, in part, to the fact that people were expectating perhaps a different Tennessee team to line up against them, one that shot threes and pressed, and the Vols disguised their weaknesses with the element of surprise. But once the book got out on us, our weaknesses became readily evident to players, coaches, fans and media...and we just didn't have anything tangible to prove that it was ever going to get better. How does a team shooting around 30% from three magically just get better? How many games do you have to play before your young kids can't be considered inexperienced anymore?

And these were all questions you would've heard again, only louder, had the Vols done what most expected and lost to Florida, in what would've been their fifth TBA loss in the month of January.

But instead...

In the postgame, Bruce Pearl said this: "Can we not shoot the three ball, or do we have pretty good shooters that aren't shooting very well?"

One game won't give you the definitive answer...but on this night, you at least got a glimpse of what's possible.

Tyler Smith finally knocks down the threes on a consistent basis that we've all been wondering why he was taking. Cameron Tatum provides a quick burst off the bench. Josh Tabb and Bobby Maze hit the threes the situation demanded they hit.

And if tales are told one day of Scotty Hopson, they will most certainly include this night.

I have never seen a player look so excited to be playing well. Even the "CJ Watson/Joakim Noah Honorary Elbow in the Tennessee/Florida Game" and another airballed free throw didn't take it away from him. The only person happier than everyone wearing orange...er, white...for Scotty to finally hit those shots was Scotty himself. If Hopson is to realize his potential, it could very well have started on this night.

The game was never close, and while the Vols still made a handful of small mistakes and still have some growing up to do...this was the reminder that this team can still do some very good things.

Had the Vols lost to Florida, by 1 or 100, they'd have been two back of the Gators in the loss column in the East division, .500 in SEC play and definitively on the bubble. And with no other chances to secure a marquee win at home left on the schedule, February and March would've played out as "Can we make the tournament?" with only the truly blind and optimistic thinking about scoring the necessary upsets in Lexington and Gainesville to get back in the conference race. It would've made us accept a fate as a second-rate SEC team in 2009.

Instead, a win - and a 16 point win at that - creates a four team logjam in the SEC East, with Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina (in a win that looks better every night for the Vols) and Tennessee each with two losses. It means that whether you think this team can still win the SEC or not, six games into conference play their record means you have to include them at the front of the conversation still.

The schedule was always going to get easier. I've been saying for two weeks that I thought we'd all feel better about things in about thirty days...but now, instead of using the next five games as the cushion we need to make the tournament, the Vols can think about using it to stay atop the pace for the conference/division crown. After the most difficult month in Tennessee basketball history, the Vols' next five games are at Arkansas, at Auburn, vs Georgia, vs Vanderbilt, at Ole Miss. Combined SEC win/loss of those five teams: 6-21.

Nothing is guaranteed with this team, but these are all games that the Vols should win. Every single one of them. And that performance against Florida may be just the confidence boost this team needs to go on a run like that, so that when the schedule cranks up again for the last five games (at Kentucky, vs Mississippi State, at Florida, at South Carolina, vs Alabama), the Vols will still be in the thick - or at the front - of the SEC title race.

Everything felt better last night. It bled through to the football recruits and the coaching staff, where Lane Kiffin continues to be shown an uncanny amount of love from a fan base for which he's won zero games. But that's another day.

It showed when Eric Berry - who's getting more love from the same fans than any current player has been shown since Peyton Manning - walked out to his own highlight reel, including takedowns of Knowshon Moreno and Tim Tebow, and was himself a little giddy over the reaction he earned.

We needed something to cheer about. Something more than assistant coaching hires and names on a recruiting board. And even something more than an Eric Berry sighting.

We needed a big win. And last night, this team finally got one at home.

So we inhale all the good that we saw last night...and now, we see how far this team can take it forward.

Disturbing Trends in Guard Play

Will — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 05:20:02 -0000

Saturday's loss at Kansas was another piece in the growing mystery of the 2008-09 Vols, but it's not entirely unclear as to why they've been struggling of late.

In their last four games against probable tournament opponents (all apologies to Louisiana-Lafayette), the Vols have given up 26 or more points to a guard on the opposing team. And going inside the numbers, it's all becoming very familiar.

It started with Temple's Dionte Christmas, who lit up the Vols for 35 points...but that was on the strength of seven threes. But check this out:

Wesley Matthews, Marquette: 30 points, 15 of 18 free throws
Alex Renfroe, Belmont: 30 points, 12 of 17 free throws
Sherron Collins, Kansas: 26 points, 10 of 14 free throws

Something's not right here.

These problems are compounded by the fact that the Vols can't get anything approaching those numbers from their own guards. Over the course of the same four games, the Vols have gotten double figures from Bobby Maze each night, but the rest of the scoring is carried almost entirely by Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism.

The free throws attempted stat from all four games were almost identical for each team until Saturday, where surprisingly, the Vols went to the line nine more times than Kansas. But the difference is, the opposition is getting guards to the line on an alarmingly consistent basis. Meanwhile, the Vols are consistently led in free throws attempted by, once again, Chism and Tyler Smith.

Bobby Maze has been effective in a limited capacity at getting penetration and getting to the line, but as the team's only true point guard I don't expect that capacity to change. The other guards on the floor - who are all young outside of Josh Tabb - seem to be having a hard time excelling at any one thing.

The rotation of Tabb, Tatum, Hopson and Woolridge is shooting a combined 35% from behind the arc (and that's being generous to not include JP Prince's 1 for 12 start). They're not getting to the line - the only one who averages more than two free throws attempted per contest is Tatum. And they're allowing the guards across the floor to have career nights, a lot of it coming via the charity stripe.

There could be a lot to be concerned about here.

It's even harder to figure out when you go back and look at this team's defensive performance against Georgetown and Siena, which at least gives some hope of improvement. The Vols have frustrated some good guards at times this season, but their performance over the last three or four weeks could almost be called regression.

Chism and Tyler will continue to be capable of putting up huge nights, and that's a group that a healthy JP Prince can also join. Bobby Maze is at least consistent.

But one - or hopefully, all - of these other guards have to step up their play on at least some level for the Vols to continue to grow as a team and to have any real hopes of chasing another SEC title. If the three point shooting doesn't magically increase, the Vols have to start taking fewer of them; Pearl in the Kansas postgame talked about turning some down for the first time this season, as far as I know.

These guys have to do a better job of getting to the line either way. And perhaps most importantly, there has to be a much better effort and much better execution on the defensive end to prevent more opposing guards from scoring 30 and getting to the free throw line at will. Opposing guards have to be salivating over our defensive scouting report.

This team continues to feel itself out. But if these issues don't improve, they'll find themselves with more and more "learning experiences" and fewer and fewer wins.

The Curious Case of the 08-09 Vols

Will — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 06:46:13 -0000

It's not that the honeymoon is over with Bruce Pearl. We just tend to get confused when the marriage looks a little different in its fourth year.

Tonight's 89-62 win over Louisiana-Lafayette improves Pearl's Vols to 9-2 on the season as the calendar turns to 2009. Those eleven games include wins over Marquette and Georgetown by a dozen points each on neutral floors, the latter looking especially impressive as it's the Hoyas' only loss this season, and because they just disposed of #2 and previously unbeaten UConn in Storrs in a game they never trailed in.

The eleven games also include a tough tourney loss to Gonzaga that could be avenged next week, and an upset thumping in Philadelphia against Temple.

And it comes on the heels of an SEC Championship and two straight trips to the Sweet 16, which came on the heels of a decade and a half of mediocrity and general apathy...which is why we love Pearl so much.

And the Vols might accomplish those championship dreams again this season.

It's just going to look a lot different in getting there.

Make no mistake: this team will still jack threes with the best of them. Through eleven games, the Vols are putting up an average of 21 per contest.

But as demonstrated in tonight's 7-for-26 performance, the economy is bad for Bert Bertelkamp too. The Vols are hitting only 31.8% for the season, and there's just not that sense of confidence when the ball goes up no matter who's taking the shot.

As Pearl pointed out in the postgame tonight, it's not just that you lost Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith. It's that you replaced three seniors as your best shooters (those two plus the pre-cold-streak-of-death Jordan Howell) with three freshmen (Cameron Tatum, Scotty Hopson and Renaldo Woolridge).

Maybe the percentages will improve with maturity (though you do have to wonder about the grind of a 30+ game season in Pearl's system on young legs). And either way, you haven't heard much from Bruce about poor shot selection because apparently he wants them to keep going up. Perhaps the return of Ryan Childress will help.

Either way, the Vols are very balanced inside and out - tonight eight players scored seven points or more (and none of it in garbage time since the Vols scored only six points in the last seven minutes) and the Vols' leader in minutes played was...surprise, Josh Tabb at 27. When healthy - and that includes the present state of both JP Prince and Wayne Chism - this is a team that can still hurt you in a number of ways, even if it's not dictating tempo and hitting a ton of threes.

The real question is, exactly how good is this Tennessee team?

And with that...exactly when are we going to figure that out?

Eleven games down, now the fun begins: it's at Kansas Saturday (31 game winning streak at home), Gonzaga in Knoxville for the rubber match next Wednesday, and our old friends from Tiger High School later in January to fill out the non-conference slate.

It looks good on paper and sounds good to the national eye: the two participants in last year's national championship game, and a team that's already beaten the Vols once this season.

But Kansas and Memphis are unranked, the Jayhawks having lost two of three (including an 84-67 thumping from Arizona), and the Tigers are also 8-3. Still very good, but not quite what we saw from these guys last year. Gonzaga has also come back to earth, losers of three of their last four after ascending to a #4 ranking.

Maybe it's just North Carolina's college basketball world this season and everybody else is merely passing through; UConn falling to a team the Vols beat leaves no solid arguments for anyone else in their class right now.

We shake our head sometimes at new faces and a slightly different style of play. We don't quite know what to make of the same team that beat Georgetown, struggled with Belmont and got attacked by Temple.

If we haven't figured it out by now, and can't be sure that the answers will come against Kansas, Gonzaga and Memphis because they too are in that same questionable class...what could the SEC tell us?

The Vols, at #14, are currently the only team in the conference ranked in the AP Poll, which is much the way it's been all season. In fact, only the Gators are also receiving votes.

Including Tennessee, every team in the conference looks vulnerable, and in some cases that's being generous in a backhanded way. Seven SEC teams have already lost at least three games, and two others haven't played anybody (South Carolina and Arkansas, though that changes Tuesday when the Pigs get the Sooners).

The Vols might struggle early. Aside from the non-conference, the SEC slate provides a January to survive and a February to thrive:

January: at Kansas, vs Gonzaga, at Georgia, vs Kentucky, vs South Carolina, at Vanderbilt, vs Memphis, vs LSU, vs Florida

February: at Arkansas, at Auburn, vs Georgia, vs Vanderbilt, at Ole Miss, at Kentucky, vs Mississippi State

But whether the Vols start slow and finish strong, or if they tear through the whole slate and prove that they're once again the best team in the conference...if the field stays this weak, how much will we really learn?

The Vols could make the tournament at 26-4 or 20-10, and I'm still not really sure how much we'll really know about this team for sure.

But then of course, it's all about March in this game...which in turn is all about the draw and the matchups.

Bruce Pearl's first two teams were less talented and less experienced, but got tremendous draws in March - the first group would've played George Mason in the Sweet 16 had they not been upset by Wichita State, and the second was twenty minutes away from an Elite Eight rematch with a Memphis team they'd obliterated in Knoxville earlier that year before they blew the Ohio State game.

Last year, Pearl's best team reached #1 and won the SEC Championship...but faced a nightmare draw that saw them survive Butler in the second game, face by far the most talented #3 seed in Louisville next...and even if they'd won there, it would've been UNC two days later. Some years it works out well, some years it just doesn't...and you never know until you get there.

Which is really how I feel about this team.

The first two years of Pearl spoiled me to the point where, when we weren't always blowing teams out last year and the cancer no one knew Lofton had was messing up his shooting touch, I told some of my friends I felt like we'd make the Final Four and I wouldn't enjoy it along the way.

This time, I'm trying to enjoy the moments more...I just have no idea what to make of them.

We're young, but is that everything to blame when we don't look good? If Wayne Chism gets back on his feet, how good is he going to play and at what level of consistency from here on out? Can Tyler Smith win games by himself the way Chris Lofton did when we needed it? Is the three point shooting going to get better or worse?

Pearl has put the Vols in the center of the relevant basketball conversation, and for that we must remain thankful. Tonight was the first game I've been to this season, and they were one butt short of having the biggest crowd of the season against a 4-7 Sun Belt foe the week after Christmas with no students to be found. And that one butt short still left them with 21,863. I remember being a student in the early part of this decade, and even in Jerry Green's best years, against an opponent like the Rajun Cajuns the place was so cavernously empty that the referees heard every syllable of every word we said. Now no one can hear anything because most of the crowd has stuck around just to see if they can win a free chicken sandwich.

The conference may be thin and the group of teams who might be second fiddle to the Tar Heels may be deep, and the Vols find themselves in the midst of both groups. And like all sports, the season will continue to tell its own story, and the journey will give us a chance to picture the destination more clearly.

Right now, that destination could be the Final Four or an early flame out. And right now neither would surprise me. This team is likely to continue to answer some questions and raise others, and the field being the way it is we may not fully know how good we are until it's over.

But along the way, Pearl and the Vols will continue to make it worth our while.

...even when we can't quite bring home the chicken.

Scary injury to Wayne Chism dampens an otherwise excellent game against Ragin' Cajuns: UT 89, UL-Laf. 62

Joel — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 03:17:10 -0000

Wayne Chism had another monster performance, putting in 18 points, pulling down 15 rebounds, dishing out three assists, knocking away two shots, and taking away one steal against the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns in an 89-62 victory for the Vols. I was late to the party, so I didn't actually see any of this. All I saw was Chism falling to the ground head first and laying there while Bob Kesling and Bert Bertlekamp speculated on why the trainers were strapping Wheezy to the stretcher and whisking him away to the hospital.

The most preliminary of reports is that that Chism suffered a "neck and back injury" on the play and that the whole stretcher/ambulance/hospital thing was merely precautionary. Let's hope, and not only because we have Kansas, Gonzaga, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Memphis on the horizon. Let's hope he's all right just because.

Chism wasn't the only Vol to have an eventful game against the Cajuns. Tyler Smith was also in double figures and had four rebounds and one each of a block, steal, and assist. There were seven other players to score, including Josh Tabb, Scotty Hopson, and Cam Tatum, who each contributed nine points.

As a team, Tennessee hit 48.4% from the field, 26.9% from three-point range, and 69% from the free throw line. The stat line shows that the Vols had 35 bench points to UL-Laf's 29 and that Tennessee had a whopping 31 points off turnovers.

All of that is secondary to Chism's status, though. We'll presume for now that the immobility routine was in fact just precautionary. We'll have updates as we learn more.

[Note by Joel, 12/29/08 10:26 PM EST ] Mike Griffith was there and says that Chism was moving his fingers and talking to folks, but that he didn't open his eyes for several minutes after falling. Still no report from the hospital at this time.

[Note by Joel, 12/29/08 10:39 PM EST ] WBIR has this quote from Pearl: "[Chism had] movement everywhere but his right hand." Chism will have an MRI to determine the extent of his injuries. The articles also says that Chism was conscious the entire time but that "it took him a while to realize where he was and what happened."

[Note by Joel, 12/30/08 9:12 AM EST ] Just a stinger, according to Pearl via ESPN. Thanks to Will for the find and the link below.