Vol Report Card

Half way through the season I am beginning to wonder what is wrong with this Tennessee basketball team. I personally can only think of three scenarios that can explain this season’s failures on the court for the Vols. 

One theory suggests that this team simply is not as good as many originally thought. The individual parts that make up the whole are not as good as advertised. Hopson, Tatum, Woolridge, Negadu, and Maze have all had flashes where they have demonstrated their basketball skills and athleticism, but those moments have been too few and far between. For the most part each of these players have been inconsistent and sometimes borderline maladroit. Add a desultory lack of effort and focus and what you get is inconsistent play with losses to teams they should have defeated.  

Another theory suggests that the Vols really don’t care all that much about winning. Last year the Vols won most of the close games and they did it because of their superior effort and a will to succeed. This year’s team doesn’t seem to have either of those qualities.  

Some might say that basketball is a game of effort, skill, but also of timing and experience and this year is just one of those years in which the ball has not bounced their way. I can at least agree somewhat to that train of thought. I watched the 1986 Vol football team play all season as if they were snakebit. Every bounce, every penalty, everything that could go wrong seemingly did that year with no elucidation.  However, I don’t believe that you can lay this season’s losses at the feet of fate.

In my opinion, a focused effort by the majority of the Vol players would have yielded wins over Gonzaga, Memphis, LSU, and certainly Auburn. Most Vol fans would have to agree with me that the Vols of 2009 have shown that they have a tendency to take possessions, half’s, and sometimes games off mentally.

Auburn came up with almost all 50/50 balls that were there for the taking. The much bigger Vols were out rebounded by the Tigers and that simply is a matter of effort and a will to win. I do not believe that any Vol fan would argue that the Vols took the night off defensively against Arkansas and Auburn. Inane turnovers have plagued the Vols all too often. Scotty Hopson, Tyler Smith, and J. P. Prince have all had moments of brilliance, but these three have really dismayed us all with turnovers that you simply wouldn’t expect from a player coached by Bruce Pearl.  

Lastly, theory number three suggests that this is a young team that is struggling against superior competition. ESPN analysts have repeatedly reminded us of how the SEC is down this season, but yet the Vols strength of schedule as of right now is ranked #1 in the country. It is also good to take note that although the Vols have lost eight games (14-8); Tennessee’s RPI is ranked currently at no. 21 in the nation, good enough for tops in the SEC. My overall opinion is that this team is experiencing some growing pains in the midst of a rugged schedule.

I believe that the younger players have not yet realized what kind of effort it takes to win consistently in the SEC. It is my belief that they will learn eventually under Bruce Pearl what it takes to win. For now, we will just have to live with capricious play and inconsistent effort until each player realizes that it must play each game with focus and intensity. I do not believe that day will come this year, next year perhaps, but not this year.  

Grading the Vols: 

Offense: B

The Vols have been inconsistent but I don’t believe you can blame the offense for the seven losses. Tennessee is averaging 80.2 points per game. The Vols as a team shoot 45.9% from the field and average 16 assist per game. Free throw percentage this year has improved to 69.1%.  

Defense: D

The Vols are surrendering 74.1 points per game and have allowed seven individual opponents to post career highs against them. One statistic that needs to improve is the lack of steals produced by the Vols half court defense, Tennessee is only averaging 6.8 steals per game.  

Coaching: B

I am no expert, and as I’ve said it is really easy to sit in the stands and criticize the way a team plays or the way a coach leads his team. With that being said, I would give coach Pearl a B for this years coaching effort so far. He is trying to find a lineup that works best, and finding out who deserves the most minutes. He has many new players to work with this year, and that can be a difficult assignment for any coach.