Lucky Buzzer Beater Sinks Vols

As I sat with over 20,000 stunned fans and watched Alabama celebrate today’s victory at Thompson Boling arena one thing came to mind, free throws. Tennessee could manage only 6 made free throws in the second half and that proved to be the nail in the coffin. Shooting 6 of 16 at the line in a close game in the second half will get you beat and it did today.  

When Tennessee had possession in the final minute with the scored tied I told my daughter Susan that I hope that the Vols let J.P. Prince drive the lane or kick the ball out to Wayne Chism for a three and hope it goes in. Regardless of what I would have called, Bruce Pearl called Tyler Smith’s number just as Alabama and everyone else in the arena expected him to do. The problem with that strategy was that Tyler was in the midst of one of his worst days as a Vol. Not only were the shots not falling, most of them were not even close.  

Basketball is about matchups and it was clear going in that Tennessee does not match up well with the Crimson Tide. Alabama is one of the tallest, longest teams the Vols have faced this year, and their athleticism exposed all the flaws in this year’s edition of the Tennessee Vols. When Tennessee cannot penetrate and score consistently in the paint, the offense suffers and it certainly did today.  

You have to give Alabama credit, although the winning shot was nothing but luck, the Crimson Tide came in with an awesome game plan and they executed it to perfection. When Wayne Chism had a shot blocked in the first minute of the game, and that ball sailed into row 12, that sent a message to the Vol players who would dare take the ball in the paint. From that moment on you could tell that Tennessee never felt comfortable around the basket and missed multiple attempts within five feet. 

The Good:
The Vols did battle back from an 12 point deficit and almost got the game into overtime although they were outplayed for 35 minutes.  

The Bad:
The crowd was dead, it was so quiet in the arena today it sounded like a funeral instead of a college basketball game. Tennessee fans seem to only get loud for Florida and Kentucky. The crowds were much better when Tennessee was fighting for respect, now that the Vols have won some games the fans seem to just sit on their hands. 

One thing I’ve never understood. If you are going to go to all the trouble to attend the game, why not cheer the Vols on and help them by creating a hostile environment. Today I saw tons of people texting and playing games on their cell phones. Seems to me you can do that at home.   

The Vol offense was terrible today. No one could put the ball in the basket. A combination of long armed Alabama defenders and a lethargic attitude by the Vols led to 38% shooting for the game.  

Tyler Smith shot 3 of 15 from the field. After back to back brilliant performances Tyler was a detriment to the Vols chances today.  

J.P. Prince was a no show; he committed four turnovers and offered no help on the boards or on the scoreboard. Prince finished with 8 points and 1 rebound. 

Free throw shooting cost the Vols today. Tennessee finished the game 10 of 22 from the free throw stripe.