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This was not your mother’s Gonzaga basketball team.

This Gonzaga basketball team beat Tennessee up tonight.  They were the more physical team, particularly around the rim.  While the Vols outrebounded the Zags, 50-26, and had 27 offensive rebounds in the game,  they could not finish shots. The Zags were tougher inside.  Their strength and conditioning coach should get a raise. 

Gonzaga is a junior and senior-laden team, and Tennessee is a freshman-dominated team.  Good teams will expose your weaknesses, and Gonzaga did just that.

The Vols looked lost against the Zags’ zone defense.  They weren’t aggressive against the zone and couldn’t get their shooters open. Bruce Pearl didn’t adjust.  The Vols were losing a half-court game against Gonzaga, and Pearl really didn’t decide to implement the full-court press to speed the game up until the Vols were down double digits.

You also have to be concerned about Tennessee’s offensive production in the post.  Against two top 15 teams in this tournament, the Vols could not get effective or consistent scoring inside.  Wayne Chism had nine points against Georgetown.  Brian Williams had zero.  Chism also played only 12 minutes in that game before fouling out. Against Gonzaga, Chism had five points and Williams had six.  That’s not going to get it done against top-ranked teams.

On the bright side, the Vols are 5-1 on the season, and I don’t think many of us thought that would be the case at this stage with such a young team, myself certainly included.  Tonight’s game was a wakeup call against top competition. 

The Vols have five weeks to work on their game before they get another shot at the Zags on Jan. 7 in Knoxville.  We will see how far they’ve come then.

Perhaps overlooked in Tennessee’s run to the finals of the Old Spice Classic is the fact that the Vol point

Bruce Pearl and Bobby Maze

guard Bobby Maze has committed a total of two turnovers in the first two games.  That’s two turnovers in up-tempo games against extremely aggressive defenses.  While commiting only two turnovers, Mazed has passed for 12 assists in the two games.

For the season, Maze has committed a total of five turnovers in five games, while dishing out 32 assists.  That’s a 6.4-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

If you are looking for a compelling reason as to why this young Vol basketball team is 5-0, look no further than Maze.

His matchup Sunday night against Gonzaga point guard Jeremy Pargo will be one to watch.

This just in.  Cameron Tatum needs more minutes.

Cameron Tatum Celebrates One Of Four Second Half Threes

This also just in.  So do three or four other guys.

In what was one of the most impressive individual performances in modern UT basketball history, certainly in the Bruce Pearl era, redshirt freshman Cameron Tatum went on a shooting rampage in the second half to lead Tennessee to an unforgettable come-from-behind victory against Georgetown in the semifinals of the Old Spice Classic in Orlando.

Friday afternoon was most assuredly a coming out party for Tatum. With four threes and a key steal and dunk in the final six minutes of the game, Tatum virtually lifted Tennessee to a win against the storied Georgetown Hoyas, 90-78.

I must admit I feel somewhat vindicated by Tatum’s performance yesterday afternoon.  I’ve been saying all season long that Tatum was a real key to the success of this Vol team, and yesterday he proved me right.  Yesterday, it wasn’t so much that he got more minutes, it was what he did with the minutes that he got that mattered most.

Immediately following the conclusion of yesterday’s game, I was all prepared to center the subject of my next post around the fact that Tatum needs more minutes.  Truth is, he does, but so do several other Vols, most notably the three guys Tatum is competing most with for minutes, Scotty Hopson, Renaldo Woolridge and J.P. Prince.

The fact of the matter is that Pearl has 80 minutes per game to divide between Tatum, Hopson, Woolridge and Prince. Through yesterday’s game against Georgetown, Tatum is averaging 19.2 minutes per game, Hopson 19.6 mpg, Woolridge 16.8 mpg and Prince 23.2 mpg.

For Pearl, it’s a great problem to have.  To this point in the season, Pearl has been fairly equitable in the minutes he’s given to each player, and all have delivered in the minutes they’ve received.

Coming into this season, Tatum, Hopson, Woolridge and Prince had responsibility for making up 30 points per game that were lost from a year ago with the departures of Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith.  So far this season, the four are averaging 37.4 ppg.  I don’t think even the most optimistic of Vol fans could have predicted that Lofton and Smith’s point production from last season would be matched, or better yet exceeded, by this young group, especially this early in the season.

Beyond the point production, I have been especially pleased with the defensive play of Tatum, Hopson, Woolridge and Prince.  Hopson, in particular, who had the most impressive offensive reputation of the four heading into the season, has been particularly impressive with his defense on the perimeter.

Woolridge continues to impress me.  It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a Tennessee player get double figures in points and seem to do it so easily.  I maintain that Woolridge has the most upside of the four.

In the next few weeks prior to the beginning of SEC play, I expect Tatum’s and Prince’s minutes to flip-flop.

I still would like to see a lineup with Tatum and Hopson on the floor at the same time.  Currently, they sub for each other, and we’ve yet to see it.  I understand that Pearl wants one of the two on the floor most of the game, while still giving Woolridge and Prince their share of minutes.  I just think the combination of Tatum and Hopson gives the Vols the most potential offensive firepower.

It will be interesting to see if Tatum breaks into the starting lineup soon.  In the meantime, let’s enjoy what promises to be a heckuva championship game Sunday night at the Milk House.

(Note:  I apologize for my late posts following the first two games from the Old Spice Classic .  While traveling for Thanksgiving, I incorrectly assumed that I would be able to post from a remote computer, which was not the case.  In any event, I am back, and ready for what should be a great game tomorrow night against the Zags.)

The 3-0 Tennessee Volunteers will face the 2-0 Siena Saints in the opening round of the prestigious Old Spice Classic in Orlando on Thanksgiving Day at noon EST on ESPN 2.

For Vols’ head coach Bruce Pearl, the Old Spice Classic will give him the opportunity to assess his team against seven of the elite teams and coaches in college basketball.

Tennessee will waste no time getting things started as it opens the tournament against highly regarded Siena from Loudonville, NY.

In assessing the Saints, Vol fans can look to two games of interest from a year ago involving two common opponents.  This past January, Siena lost to Memphis at Memphis 102-58.  In the first round of last season’s NCAA tournament, Siena dismantled Vanderbilt 83-62.

The Vols will once again be facing a veteran team in Siena.  Siena returns all five starters from last year and has added two impressive freshmen to the mix who are both averaging 19+ minutes per game so far this season.

The defending MAAC champions from a year ago, Siena is a unanimous selection to repeat as conference champions this season.  Key players to watch for the Saints are Kenny Hasbrouck, a 6-3 senior guard and the preseason MAAC player of the year, Edwin Ubiles, a 6-7 slasher who led the team in scoring last year averaging 17 points per game, and Clarence Jackson, a 6-5 forward.  All three players were selected first team All MAAC in the preseason.

The Saints also have a veteran and crafty head coach in Fran McCaffery who enters his fourth season.  McCaffery has the distinction of having taken three different teams to the NCAA tournament as a head coach, first at Lehigh, then UNC-Greensboro, and Siena.  In between, he was an assistant coach at Notre Dame for 11 years, where he earned the reputation as one of the nation’s best recruiters.

McCaffery is a coach from the school that says let your players play.  If that’s the case, look for an up-tempo game on Thursday with the Vols.  But these guys know how to play.  This isn’t UT-Chattanooga, Martin or Middle Tennessee.  Siena is tough, smart, and athletic.  They will test Tennessee, especially its toughness, and this young group of Vols will have to be up to the challenge.

Contrary to the previous three games, the Vols won’t have much of an advantage in depth in this game.  Siena has eight players all playing at least 17 minutes per game.  Tennessee will have some advantage in size, but not like in the first three games.

The keys for the Vols in this game will be both tangible and intangible.  On the tangible side of the ledger, the Vols will need to continue to get point production from the freshmen, most notably Scotty Hopson and redshirt freshman Cameron Tatum.  Pearl has not put Hopson and Tatum on the floor at the same time yet. This game might be a good time to do it.

Tennessee’s ability to dominate the boards will also be important to watch.  Through the first three games, the Vols have outrebounded their opponents by an average of 14.7 per game.  If the press is not effective in this game, Tennessee will have to generate extra possessions by rebounding.

As for intangibles, the toughness factor will be paramount in this game. This veteran Siena team will not hesitate to test the Vols early with its physical play.  How this young Vol team responds, or better yet, takes the game to Siena will be critical to the outcome of this game.

In the end, I think this game could come down to the play of Bobby Maze at the point.  Can he keep these young Vols cool and collected, get them into their offense on a consistent basis, and get the shooters the basketball?  He will have to lead the way.

There’s not an NCAA tournament sub regional bracket anywhere that would have anything on the field comprising this week’s Old Spice Classic in Orlando.

Featuring teams from five of the nation’s power conferences as well as two additional NCAA tournament teams from a year ago, this tournament might well be called The Disney Dandy.

In addition to the teams, the Old Spice Classic will feature some of the game’s most accomplished coaches including Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Gonzaga’s Mark Few and Maryland’s Gary Williams, as well as rising coaching stars such as Georgetown’s John Thompson, Oklahoma State’s Travis Ford, Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall and Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl.

There will be diverse playing styles as well, ranging from Gonzaga’s up-and-down style to Michigan’s State’s beat-you-up halfcourt game.

The Vols will open in the Old Spice Classic against Siena, the preseason pick to win the MAAC, and an NCAA tournament team a year ago that dismantled Vanderbilt 83-62 in the tournament’s first round.

The Vols and Saints are the tournament’s first game on Thursday at noon EST on ESPN 2.  Three other first round games follow:  Wichita State vs. Georgetown, Maryland vs. Michigan State, and Oklahoma State vs. Gonzaga.

Every team in the field will play three games.  Tennessee will play either Wichita State or Georgetown in its second game on Friday.  As long as the Vols win, their games will be able to be seen by most of the country on ESPN or ESPN2.  If the Vols lose in the first round, then their remaining games will be shown on ESPNU.

The tournament concludes on Sunday rather than Saturday with the finals scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN2.

For a team featuring six players that had never suited up in the Big Orange prior to this season, it was Tennessee’s poise and free throw shooting down the stretch that enabled the Vols to defeat Middle Tennessee Friday night, 76-66.

There was no 100-point game tonight, nor any 20-plus point halftime leads.  Tennessee attempted only eight three-point shots in the entire game, and the Vols had a negative assist-to-turnover ratio.

Instead, the Vols won it with second-half poise, commiting only three turnovers and shooting 20-26 from the free throw line line for the game.

“We ground it out,” head coach Bruce Pearl said.  “The opponent had a lot to do with it. Middle scored on us so easily early, and I think that took us out of our game a little bit.”

The Vols had four players in double figures led by Tyler Smith with 18 points, followed by Bobby Maze with 12, and J.P. Prince and Scotty Hopson with 10 points apiece.

Consistent with the first two games this season, the Vols won the battle on the glass against the Blue Raiders, 38-23.  For the season, the Vols are outrebounding their opponents by an average margin of 14.7 per game.

The play of Maze at the point continues to be a brilliant spot for Tennessee.  The junior college transfer was clutch from the free throw line down the stretch and did not commit a turnover in the game while playing 26 minutes.

The play of Josh Tabb was also very encouraging.  Tabb looked comfortable at the point in a reserve role, and he had seven key points, including a big three, in the second half.  If the Vols can get that kind of play from Tabb throughout the season, the Vols will be in good shape at the point.

The inexperience of this team is still quite apparent, though.  The Vols continue to give up too many easy layups in their halfcourt defense, and their underneath out-of-bounds plays need a lot of work.  Yet the Vols demonstrated the poise they needed where it counted the most in the second half, making clutch free throws and taking care of the basketball.

“This team has so much to learn offensively and defensively,” Pearl said after the game. “But let’s keep winning while they do.”

Next up for Tennessee is the Old Spice Classic in Orlando featuring heavyweights Michigan State, Georgetown, and Gonzaga, as well as Oklahoma State, Maryland and Wichita State.

The Vols open the tournament Thanksgiving Day at noon Eastern against Siena, who blew out Vanderbilt in the first round of the NCAA tournament a year ago.  The Saints return all five starters from last year’s squad and are the unanimous preseason selection to win the MAAC conference this season.

When you consider the fact that in the last two meetings between Tennessee and Middle Tennessee the Vols

Bruce Pearl and Bobby Maze

have won by an average of 50 points, the fact that Tennessee brings six newcomers into Friday night’s game against the Blue Raiders may actually be a good thing.

Because the Vols do in fact feature so many new faces this season, the chances of them being overconfident heading into this game may be less than if they returned a more experienced team.

When these two teams tip it off at 8:30 p.m. Eastern at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro Friday, the Vols are expected to go with the same starting lineup from the previous two games with Bobby Maze at the point, Renaldo Woolridge and Scotty Hopson at the wings, and Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism down low.

Once again, the Vols will find themselves with a distinct height advantage in this game.  Middle is expected to be without its starting center, 6-10 Theryn Hudson, who has been sidelined so far this year with a leg injury.  Without Hudson’s presence inside, the Blue Raiders’ tallest starter is expected to be 6-7 forward Desmond Yates.

The good news for Middle Tennessee is that they return all five starters from last season, but that might also be the bad news.  The Vols steamrolled the Blue Raiders in Knoxville last season 109-40.

One of the noteworthy storylines for the Vols this season has been the performance of the bench.  Redshirt freshman Cameron Tatum is the Vols’ second leading scorer so far averaging 14.5 points per game. Center Brian Williams and wing J.P. Prince are also averaging double figures coming off the bench.  The Vols got 44 points from the bench in the win against UT-Chattanooga and 47 against UT-Martin. 

Look for bench production to be a key factor in this game as well.  Middle will play a lot of players in this game, but their production falls way off once you get past the five starters.

This will be the first true road game of the season for the Vols, but in this matchup, I expect Tennessee’s size and depth to be too much for Middle.

For Bruce Pearl, he will want to see a more consistent effort for 40 minutes in this game, whether the Vols are up or down. 

This game is a sellout as of yesterday in Murfreesboro.  Expect enough Vol fans to be present, though, to take the edge off Middle’s home court advantage.  The game will be televised on CSS.

This is the last game for the Vols before they head to Disney in Orlando next week for the Top 20-laden Old Spice Classic. The Vols will play Siena in the first round on Thanksgiving Day at noon Eastern on ESPN 2.

Despite blowing out UT-Martin 91-64 Tuesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena, Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl was less than enthusiastic about the win.

“I thought we played pretty well to start but could not maintain that level of excellence,” Pearl said. “I thought our intensity was mixed.  We did not value the basketball with too many alley-oops.  We took the opportunity last game to get better, but not tonight.”

Pearl also admitted he was pretty hard on his team in the locker room after the game, admitting that the team’s intensity waned in the second half.

In all honesty, this is what you would expect from a team with five true freshmen, a redshirt freshman and a junior college transfer on the roster, and Pearls knows it.  It would be different if these guys were on the team, but were not being relied upon heavily to produce, but that is not the case.  If this team is to be successful in the long run, these newcomers will have to mature and improve.

Tuesday night against UT-Martin, UT played to the score, not the final horn.

Pearl will likely find himself pushing the buttons on this team for the majority of the season.  They will be streaky at times, but the talent is unquestionable.  When this team comes together, it will be a beauty to watch.

The good news for Pearl is that, at least through two games, much of what he expected prior to the start of the season is coming to fruition.  Pearl said he believed this team, with its increased size, particularly on the perimeter, would be a better half-court defensive team and a better rebounding team.  So far, he’s right.

UT-Martin shot only 28.0% from the field Tuesday night.  I don’t believe a Pearl team at Tennessee has ever held an opposing team to a shooting percentage that low.  As for rebounding, the Vols outrebounded the Skyhawks 58-41.  Through two games now, the Vols have outrebounded the opposition by an average margin of 14.5.  Last season, the Vols outrebounded their opponents by less than one rebound per game.

The Vols also continue to get very balanced scoring through the first two games.  Against UT-C, the Vols had six players in double figures.  Against UT-Martin, the Vols had five players in double figures led by Brian Williams with 21 points.

Through two games, the Vols are also averaging 103 points per game with an average margin of victory of 33 points.  That’s impressive, especially when you consider that both teams Tennessee has faced are potential champions of their respective leagues.

Aside from the sporadic and inconsistent play that troubles Pearl, the only area of concern you can point to is the team’s three-point shooting.  Against UT-Martin, Tennessee was 2-17 from three.  For the season, the Vols are 13-46 or 28.3%.

I expect the Vols’ field goal percentage from three to improve as the freshmen get more experience, and as Pearl begins to limit his bench.  Plus, the fact that the Vols have had five or six players in double figures in both games this season indicates to me that they have a number of players they can count on on a given night to produce. Even if the Vols shoot no better from three for the season than they have so far, if they continue to rebound and defend the way the have, they will be fine.

Publicly, Pearl continues to be concerned about this team, and he should be.  Privately, I think he would tell you these Vols have exceeded his expectations.

Meet Lester Hudson

Tennessee will face the best college basketball player you have never heard of Tuesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena when UT-Martin’s Lester Hudson takes the floor to tangle with the Vols.  For those looking to save a few bucks on a game program, he wears No. 5.

If you’re a fan of the Ohio Valley Conference, then you know all about Mr. Hudson.  If you’re not, chances are you haven’t heard of him.

Hudson was the fifth leading scorer in all of Division I last season, averaging 25.7 points per game for the Skyhawks.   Against NCAA runnerup Memphis last year, Hudson scored 35. Against Vanderbilt in Nashville, Hudson had 36.  He can beat you from inside or out, and he’s a prolific three-point shooter, averaging 3.8 three-point field goals per game last year, which ranked 10th in the NCAA.

Hudson was last season’s OVC Player of the Year, and he is the consensus selection to earn that honor again this season.

“I told our team before the game he would be an NBA player,” said Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings after last year’s game which Vanderbilt won, 92-85.  “He’s that good.  He’s not the third leading scorer in the country for nothing.  He’s certainly capable of making a lot of baskets,” Stallings said.

The presence of Hudson presents an interesting matchup dilemma for UT head coach Bruce Pearl.

In the previous two seasons, you would have expected the Vols’ JaJuan Smith to draw the primary defensive assignment against Hudson.  But with Smith’s departure having left Pearl without an established defensive stopper so early into this season, it will be interesting to see how he matches up with Hudson.

Complicating matters is that UT-Martin also returns last year’s OVC Freshman of the Year, Marquis Weddle, at the point.

Vol point guard Bobby Maze has the size and quickness to matchup with Hudson, but don’t you want his ball pressure on Weddle? Especially after Maze was credited by UT-Chattanooga head coach John Shulman  for being so disruptive of the Mocs’ offense Saturday night.

One thing about Tennessee’s starting lineup of Maze, Scotty Hopson, Renaldo Woolridge, Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism is that there really isn’t much of a height difference between the #2 through #5 spots.  Given that reality, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Smith open up against Hudson.  While ideally you probably don’t want your guy playing the 4 position to guard the other team’s #2, Smith does have the most experience on the team guarding quality players.

In any event, I expect Pearl to utilize his depth and run a lot of bodies at Hudson during the course of the game in an attempt to wear him down.  In all likelihood, Hudson will get his share of points, but it’s how well the Vols defend the other four players that will make the difference.

Keys to the Game

• Battle of the Backcourts – The Vols will face an experiened and proven backcourt in Hudson and Weddle.  They are the strength of the team for UT-Martin.  Whether or not Hudson and Weddle can overcome Tennessee’s press will be a key factor in this game.
• Saturday Night Hangover – By all accounts, the Vols exceeded most expectations with their record-breaking performance Saturday night against a good UT-Chattanooga team.  The Vols simply overwhelmed the Mocs and made it look easy.  It will be interesting to see how the Vols come out against the Skyhawks after such a dominant performance in the previous game, especially with so many new players.
• Inside Out – This is a game in which the Vols should be able to score effectively in the post.  Look for Tennessee to try and exploit UT-Martin early inside.  If the Vols are effective early scoring in the paint, that should take the pressure off the Vols’ perimeter game.
• The Maze Matchup – Maze was brilliant in his first game as a Vol against UT-Chattanooga with a double-double of 12 points and 10 assists in leading Tennessee to a school record for assists in a game.  How effective Maze is against the backcourt of Hudson and Weddle will be important in this game.

One game does not a season make, but you couldn’t help but be extremely impressed with

Cameron Tatum Scored 19 Points Off The Bench

Tennessee’s 114-75 blowout of UT-Chattanooga tonight.

With 30 points per game gone from last season with the departures of Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith, the Vols get six players in double figures tonight against the Mocs.

Against a team that outrebounded the Vols by 15 in last season’s matchup, Tennessee outrebounds UT-C this season by 12, a turnaround of 27 rebounds from a year ago.

A team in Tennessee which features six new faces this year, three of those new faces – Bobby Maze, Scotty Hopson and Cameron Tatum – combined for 48 points.

Often, with that many new faces on a roster, a team is prone to sloppy play, particularly early in the season, but Tennessee set a school record for assists against UT-C with 32, and the Vols had a 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as a team.

And as I pointed out in my lead story, UT-C is not the little sisters of the poor.  This team is picked to win its division in the Southern Conference this season.  They had five senior starters and two returning all conference players, and they were no match for Tennessee.

There was much reason for optimism about this Tennessee team leading up to this season, but I don’t think anyone could have envisioned the performance by the Vols against the Mocs.

As a team, you have to be encouraged and impressed by the defensive effort and the rebounding improvement.  And you have to be encouraged by the way the Vols shared the ball.

One of the hallmarks of Bruce Pearl’s teams is that they can play so fast and yet typically commit so few turnovers.  Last season was somewhat of an aberration with the erratic point guard play, but it was great to see the Vols play so much under control with so many new faces.

Maze was exceptional at the point. He had a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists.  As has been previously stated, without a backup point guard, Maze must stay healty.  You got a glimpse tonight of what he means to this team.

And Wayne Chism had a huge game as well.  This was the kind of game that Chism might not have shown up for in his first two seasons, but he was huge tonight.  If Chism’s performance is a precursor of things to come from him this season, this could be a great year for Tennessee.

Coming out of this game, Pearl’s biggest challenge may be just keeping his team’s collective head out of the clouds.  They will encounter many teams this season with better personnel than they faced tonight, as well as coaches who will game plan to take Tennessee out of the up-and-down game that it prefers.

But if this season is about building confidence and momentum as it goes along, the Vols are off to a great start for 2008-09.