Coppin State Review

Coppin State was looking for only it’s second victory ever against a Top 25 ranked team. Tonight, it was not to happen. The Vols seemed to struggle some coming out of the gate, but picked up the pace toward the end of the first half, and were able to waltz to the 99-65 victory. The Vols, who were led by Chris Lofton’s 19 points, were just too much for Coppin State to overcome. Some thoughts from the game:

1) How about a hand for Dane Bradshaw! The guy might not light up the scoreboard, but he sure does fill up the stat sheet. Dane led the team with 9 assists, 8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal. I’m sure after the game, Dane would tell you he dedicated that game to Donovan McNabb. McNabb, who tore his ACL today, plays for Dane’s beloved Eagles. What a game for Dane though!

2) Wayne Chism was a beast on the boards tonight, pulling down 11 rebounds, 3 offensive. Chism seemed to struggle in the first half getting points, as he missed at least 3 contested layups. But he was able to open it up in the second half, hitting two 3’s in route to 11 points, and his first double double of his short UT career.

3) Chris Lofton continued to light up the scoreboard, scoring 19 on 6 of 11 from the field. Lofton, who is just 1 point shy of 1,000 for his career, will lead this team into Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night against Butler. He can only hope that JaJuan Smith can get out of his current shooting slump that he seems to be in.

4) The Vols were able to create 24 turnovers by Coppin State, but gave up 22 of their own. If the Vols want to be able to succeed on Wednesday, or for the rest of the season for that matter, they need to get better at securing the ball. Jordan Howell did a good job tonight at the point, scoring 6 with 2 assists and only 1 turnover in only 13 minutes. Ramar Smith struggled with the ball, however, turning it over 4 times in 19 minutes.

5) Here we come New York. The Vols will leave Tuesday to prepare for their showdown with Butler on Wednesday night in the Big Apple. The game is set to tip-off at 7 pm. Hopefully, Pearl will keep the guys from getting big eyes while playing on a grand stage in one of the most famous arenas in the world. Here’s to beating the Butler Bulldogs!!

Stat Line of the Night:

                TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
Player Name     FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
Bradshaw,Dane    3-3    1-1    1-3    2  4  6   1   8  9  4  1  1  20