ETSU Review

Tennessee came out fast against the Buccaneers and then seemed to settle down as the Vols struggled to pull out the win 93-88 on Saturday night. The Vols were led by Chris Lofton’s 28 points, and not far behind was JaJuan Smith matching his career high of 23 he set on Thursday night. Lofton struggled on the night shooting the ball, but was able to go 13-13 from the free throw line. JaJuan was able to pick up Chris’ slack, however, going 5-9 from behind the arc. Smith got UT off to a quick start scoring the first 11 points of the game. Other than Smith and Lofton, UT seemed to struggle against the Buccaneers. ETSU threw multiple defenses at the Vols at tried to trap the young team whenever presented the chance. This strategy threw the young Vols astray and led to 16 first half turnovers, and a total of 23 for the game. On to my thoughts for the game….

1) Where would this team be without Chris Lofton? Even though he had an off night shooting the ball, he still managed to find ways to score. There is no doubt in my mind that he is an All-American. Lofton seemed to take over the game at times tonight, and scored some unbelievable baskets tonight.

2) The Vols have really improved their free throw shooting since the beginning of the season. The Vols were 30-35 tonight for 85%. Almost half of those came from Chris Lofton, but Chism was 6-6 from the line as well as 3-3 for Duke.

3) I don’t like to gripe about the officials, but they were AWFUL tonight. I understand that being an official is a tough job, and nobody is perfect. But the guys tonight were nowhere near consistent. When you let the guys bang away on one end, and then call tick tack touch fouls on the other, its really ridiculous.

4) It was sad to hear the news of Marques Johnson’s decision to transfer. His statement for is release was very classy and I wish him nothing but the best in wherever he may go.

5) Lastly, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year. The Vols resume play next Sunday against Mississippi State. The Vols enter SEC play in good position for a run at another NCAA tournament bid.

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
Lofton,Chris     7-14   1-5   13-13   1  2  3   0  28  3  4  0  4  36

ETSU Preview

ETSU enters their game against Tennessee at 8-5, having won 6 of their last 7. Their only loss in their last 7 games came at Vanderbilt, with a score of 104-62. The Buccaneers are led by sophomore Courtney Pigram’s 16 points a game. Pigram is averaging 2.6 steals per game, while turning the ball over 3.8 times per game. He is shooting 36% from behind the arc, while firing up twice as many 3’s as anybody else on the team. The Bucs are led down low by Center Brad Nuckles who is averaging 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds. Both Nuckles and Pigram are the only two players for the Bucs who average over 31 minutes per game. The Bucs have played 7 players for every game this season, with 9 players averaging over 10 minutes a game.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

This game will be a nice showdown between two players that love to shoot the three. Both Courtney Pigram and Chris Lofton have shot over 100 3’s on the season which puts them with an average right around 8 three point attempts per game. One of the things that could come back to haunt the Buccaneers is their rebounding. The Bucs are getting out rebounded by an average of 2 rebounds per game, and are giving up 15 offensive rebounds per game. The Vols are averaging picking up 15 offensive rebounds per game. Those that have watched the Vols know that that is one of the strengths of the team this year. That could be bad news for the Bucs. If the Vols are able to get their missed shots and get put backs, this game could get ugly like their game against Vandy did.

Projected Starting Lineups:

ETSU

PG – 6’2” # 23 Tayloe Taylor
SG – 6’0” #3 Courtney Pigram
SF – 6’6” #20 Eryk Thomas
PF – 6’8” #35 Andrew Reed
C – 6’9” #51 Brad Nuckles

Tennessee

PG – 6’2” #12 Ramar Smith
SG – 6’2” #5 Chris Lofton
SF – 6’2” #2 JaJuan Smith
PF – 6’4” #23 Dane Bradshaw
C – 6’7” #32 Duke Crews

Tennessee Tech Review

Thursday night was just another night at the gym for the Vols. After starting out low against the Golden Eagles, the Vols were able to put together a 19-0 run to put Tech out of the game. Tech never really had a chance after that and the game slowly reached deficits over 30 in the second half. The Vols were led by JaJuan Smith who scored a career high 23 points for the Vols. They Vols were also helped out by two double doubles from Duke Crews and Ryan Childress. Here where some thoughts on the game:

1) The freshman continued to impress tonight. While Crews and Chism seemed to have off nights, Tabb and R. Smith played extremely well. Tabb is battling a groin injury, but he was able to put in 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists with no turnovers, not to mention his defense. Ramar had 13 points, 4 assists, and 1 turnover in 28 minutes.

2) Ryan Childress had his best game as a Vol tonight, recording 13 points and 11 rebounds in just 18 minutes. Ryan seemed to be all over the place on the offensive end, pulling in 4 offensive rebounds and tipping many more around.

3) The Vols were able to force 16 turnovers against Tech, while recording 25 assists with only 8 turnovers. They took great care of the basketball. If you erase Chism’s 3 turnovers, you had 5 different players with only 1 turnover.

4) Bradshaw had another great night. He was able to record 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists with 1 turnovers. That’s a remarkable game for a guy that has tendonitis in his shoulder.

When an unusual suspect has a great game, you have to give them some props. Thus, the line of the night goes to….

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
Childress,Ryan   5-6    0-1    3-6    4  7 11   4  13  1  1  1  2  18

Tennessee Tech Preview

Tennessee Tech, 5-6, enters their contest against the Vols coming off a fourth place finish in the San Juan Shootout. The Golden Eagles last took the court last Thursday against the University of Central Florida, losing by a score of 73-66. Tech is led by guards Belton Rivers and Anthony Fisher, averaging 18.6 and 17.9 points per game respectively. They are accounting for 83% of the Golden Eagles three pointers, and take 47% of the team’s shots. Tech likes to play 8-9 guys a game at 10 plus minutes. The Golden Eagles are led by Amadi McKenzie down low. McKenzie is scoring 12 points per game and pulling in 8.6 rebounds per game. Tech has averaged 16 turnovers a game thus far this season. The Golden Eagles have a RPI of 183, having played the 135^th hardest strength of schedule. They are 1-1 against the Top 50 in the RPI, beating Bradley 86-84 in Cookeville and losing at Kansas State early in the season 101-79. Compare that to the Vols who have a RPI of 14, having played the 27^th hardest schedule in the country. The are 3-2 against the Top 50 RPI, with wins against Oklahoma State (11), Memphis (23), and Western Kentucky (46), and losses to Butler (4) and North Carolina (6).

KEYS TO THE GAME:

The Vols are coming off a tough stretch of games in which they were able to come away unscathed. Tennessee Tech, on the other hand, comes into this game having lost two of three in the San Juan Shootout. The Vols will look to build off the momentum they sustained before the Christmas break. This is a scary game for the Vols given that they are coming off the break and have played so well lately. The Vols are still trying to replace starting point guard Jordan Howell. They had a huge step in the right direction against Texas, with Ramar Smith playing 38 minutes with 9 assists and 0 turnovers. Bruce Pearl will be looking for the same kind of production from Smith as he continues to learn on the job. Pearl will probably be looking to rest Dane Bradshaw some in the next two games, hoping to get him some rest going into the SEC season. This will mean that Pearl will be relying on Wayne Chism and Duke Crews to continue to improve their games. Chism played his best game by far as a Vol against Texas and will try to build of that. If the Vols come back from Christmas Break enthused and focused, then this game really shouldn’t be close. But never underestimate a mid major school. Bruce Pearl will be the first person to tell you that.

Projected Starting Lineups:

Tennessee Tech

PG – 6’2” #2 Anthony Fisher
SG – 6’4” #1 Belton Rivers
SF – 6’4” #24 Rashaud Nixon
PF – 6’7” #10 Amadi McKenzie
C – 6’7” #42 Jonathan Jones

Tennessee

PG – 6’2” #12 Ramar Smith
SG – 6’2” #5 Chris Lofton
SF – 6’2” #2 JaJuan Smith
PF – 6’4” #23 Dane Bradshaw
C – 6’7” #32 Duke Crews

Texas Review

There’s not much to say about this game. It was just unbelievable. I’m not sure if I have ever witnessed a game like that. This game showed me a lot about this team tonight. They were able to fight back from 15 down at the half, and played great despite losing Jordan Howell to injury, and Dane Bradshaw being no where near 100% with his shoulder injury and sick with the flu. Thoughts on the game:

1) Chris Lofton might be one of the best players in the country. Period. What he showed in this game today was undeniably the best performance I have ever seen from a Vol. Lofton struggled in the first half, having only 8 points in the first half. Then he just got sick in the second half. He had two HUGE threes in the final minute of regulation, including the go ahead three from 27 feet over Kevin Durant. Where would this team be without Chris Lofton?

2) How about Duke Crews and Wayne Chism! Both played great tonight. They seemed to grow up tonight a lot, especially Chism. Wayne really showed me a lot today. He guarded Durant down the stretch and did a great job at it. He had a huge three point shot in overtime, and a great coast to coast drive in the second half. Crews seemed to be a catalyst for the Vols today. He fired up the Vols in the second half, and started them on their run to victory.

3) Ramar Smith had by far his best game as a Vols today. Smith knew he would have to step it up with Jordan Howell being out injured, and he wasn’t helped any by the fact that Dane was hampered by the flu. Ramar played 38 minutes today, scoring 16 points, 9 assists, and 0 turnovers. Wow!

4) Overall, it was a great experience at the arena today. The crowd was really into the game, especially once the Vols fought back to get the game within reach. Lofton’s performance was just ridiculous, but I have become spoiled in expecting stuff like that from him. For those that weren’t there, when Lofton hit that three to put the Vols up at the end of the game, that was one of the loudest moments I have heard in Thompson-Boling Arena.

As if there was any doubt about the Stat Line of the Night…..

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
Lofton,Chris     8-24   7-16  12-13   5  6 11   2  35  1  1  0  1  38

Big Loss for the Vols

The Vol faithful found out today that the basketball team lost Jordan Howell for 6-8 weeks with a broken right hand. Many are already aware that Howell suffered a broken right hand in the preseason, and thus missed much of the practice and the first few games while trying to get himself back into playing shape and working his way back into the rotation. It wasn't until the Louisiana-Lafayette game that Howell was able to work himself back into the starting lineup, allowing Ramar Smith to come off the bench. This move by Pearl seemed to be a great move. Howell started the game and was able to give quality minutes and allow Ramar to get himself into the game while on the bench. Ramar was then able to come into the game, and after watching how the other team was playing, provide quality minutes. Smith seemed to settle down into his role and started playing within the system. This move has helped lead the Vols to five straight wins, three of which were against NCAA tournament teams, and two of those ranked in the Top 20 in the country. Well, with Howell out til probably March, we will now see what Pearl has in mind now?

Will Pearl pull Marques Johnson back of the bench and position him as the back up point guard? Has Johnson been able to improve since being placed on the bench, or will he still struggle on defense as he did at the beginning of the season?

Or will Pearl move Tabb to point guard, where many have suggested he might be good at, and move either Johnson or Passley to back up the 3?

Personally, I think Johnson will move to the backup PG role. But don't be surprised if when Johnson is out on the floor, that Dane Bradshaw is as well. Dane might take on more of a point guard role with the loss of Howell. Many suggested this early in the season when Ramar was struggling. This might be a good opportunity for that to work. Also, if Johnson is playing PG, don't be surprised if he is put on the SF on defense, and allow Tabb or JaJuan Smith to play defense on the PG. Lastly, Pearl has an ability to get the best out of his players when they are pushed into a corner. I thought that Pearl would personally push Crews and Chism after the Western Kentucky game, since they played so poorly, and they played superbly in the Oklahoma State game. I wouldn't be surprised to see the same here.

Texas Preview

Texas enters it’s game against the Volunteers coming off an 80-76 win against Arkansas on Wednesday night. Texas is led by their #3 ranked recruiting class from 2006. The Longhorns start four freshman, led by the 2006 #2 ranked player in the country Kevin Durant. Durant is averaging 21.2 points per game along with 9.4 rebounds per game. He is joined by fellow freshmen DJ Augustin, who averages 5.9 assists per game along with 13.0 points, and Damion James, who averages 7.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Texas likes to crash the boards hard, gathering in 43.8 rebounds per game, 16.8 of which are offensive rebounds. The Longhorns play 8 guys in a normal rotation, 6 of which are freshman. I would classify this game as a revenge game because of the game last year, but only one player for the Longhorns played significant minutes in that game. AJ Abrams played 31 minutes last year in relief for a hurt Daniel Gibson, scoring 19 points with 5 turnovers. Abrams is the second leading scorer for Texas this year, averaging 16.6 points per game this year.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

This game will be the first true road test for this young Texas team. The Longhorns have played 4 neutral site games, but none thus far on an opponents home floor. They have struggled against the better teams on their schedule, most coming at neutral sites. Durant will definitely present a problem on defense, but I look for Bradshaw to guard Durant when both are in the game together. Durant has the height of a post player at 6’9” but likes to play some on the perimeter. He has taken the second most three’s by anybody on the Texas team, and is shooting an impressive 40.0% from behind the arc. Tennessee will enjoy a height advantage for most of the night, with Texas starting backcourt going 5’10”, 5’11”, and 6’2”, except for when they move Durant out to the 3, and put 6’9” Connor Atchley and 6’10” Dexter Pittman together in the post. When the Longhorns go to this lineup, they like to put the athletic Durant in the middle on top of the 3-2 zone they run. His athleticism can provide problems here, but I would be surprised if Texas plays much zone against Tennessee, especially a 3-2 zone. The big areas of weakness in a 3-2 are the corners, and Tennessee has some deadly shooters from the corners in Lofton and Smith. Texas is well aware of their shooting prowess, however, as they combined for 9 threes on 60% shooting from behind the arc last year against the Longhorns. Look for Tennessee to focus on limiting Durant and Abrams on the offensive end, and trying to take it too the young team with the press. Tennessee will try to press the young team and see how it will react to its first view of Tennessee’s controlled chaos style of play. If the Vols can create turnovers off a team that handles the ball really well (12.5 TO’s per game), then the crowd may be able to become a factor and rattle the young Texas team. The key to the game will be getting off to a quick start and getting the Longhorns to start forcing things in their first trip into hostile territory. Lastly, with the Longhorns coming off a win against Texas, they will have limited time to prepare for the Vols unique playing style. The early game time on Saturday means that the Longhorns will probably travel early to Knoxville on Friday, so that they will be able to practice at Thompson-Boling. Given this, they will have to practice on Thursday, and thus not allowing their legs to get much rest, while the Vols were able to take Tuesday off and begin preparing on Wednesday for the Longhorns. This could be big considering their limited bench and the fact that Abrams and Augustin played 38 and 37 minutes respectively, with Durant logging 32 minutes. It will be interesting to see if this will have any effect on the Longhorns.

Projected Starting Lineups:

VISITORS

PG – 5’11” #14 DJ Augustin
SG – 5’10” #3 AJ Abrams
SF – 6’2” #24 Justin Mason
PF – 6’9” #35 Kevin Durant
C – 6’7” #5 Damion James

Tennessee

PG – 6’2” #12 Ramar Smith
SG – 6’2” #5 Chris Lofton
SF – 6’2” #2 JaJuan Smith
PF – 6’4” #23 Dane Bradshaw
C – 6’7” #32 Duke Crews

Oklahoma State Review

What a game tonight! Tonight was just an unbelievable effort by the Vols. There were a number of Vols tonight that just played great. The Vols overcame a great effort by Oklahoma State and were able to come back from a deficit of 7 in the second half. The Cowboys struggled out of the gate, but were able to erase a 10 point lead by the Vols and take a 6 point lead into the half. The Vols came out a little slow in the second half, but kept it close. It wasn’t until the last 10 minutes of the game that the Vols were finally able to tire out the Cowboys and close the lead, and ultimately win the game. Some thoughts from the game:

1) Unbelievable night. The Vols had relentless pressure all night long tonight and caused 23 turnovers in the game, 12 of which were steals. The Vols were also able to limit their turnovers to 12 on a night where they were ice cold from behind the arc.

2) Huge night for two freshman. Both Crews and Chism had great games tonight. Crews played excellent in his time in the game, recording a career highs with 17 points and 9 rebounds. He had lots of big plays on the offensive end. Chism, on the other hand, played a great game on the defensive end. Chism came up with some great plays on defense including a huge steal on Boggan in the final minutes.

3) Dane Bradshaw. Can anything else be done by this guy? He can barely lift his arm above his shoulder and is struggling shooting the ball. But he continues to play and makes great plays. He played 17 minutes in the second half and finished with 5 assists and only one turnover. And, how can you forget his tip in to win the game!

4) This was a big win for the Vols, as it gives them lots of confidence going into their next game against Texas on Saturday. Both Crews and Chism stepped up their play from Saturday, when both seemed to struggle, and played great against a very good post player in Mario Boggan. They will have another tough matchup Saturday against Texas’ Kevin Durant.

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..  3-9    0-2    1-2    2  2  4   2   7  5  1  0  3  22

Oklahoma State Preview

Oklahoma State enters their contest against Tennessee at 11-0, and coming off a nine day layoff from games due to exams. Sean Sutton has taken over for his dad Eddie Sutton this season, and has been successful thus far. The Cowboys average 8 players in double digit minutes this season, but rely heavily on just 7 of them. Leading the way for the Cowboys is Florida transfer Mario Boggans. Boggans leads the team with 20.5 points per game along with a team leading 7.1 rebounds per game. Helping out Boggans is junior guard JamesOn Curry. Curry is averaging 17.7 points per game while leading the team with 5.5 assists per game. The Cowboys suffered a key loss however with Obi Muonelo not making the trip with what is rumored to be a leg injury. Muonelo is leading the Cowboys off the bench with 11.1 points in 23 minutes per game. His loss depletes an already short bench.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

Monday night’s game is the first game this year that I classify as a revenge game. These teams faced off last year on December 22^nd in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma State was able to pull off the victory 89-73. Not much has changed for the Cowboys since last year except for new Head Coach Sean Sutton. But much has changed for the Vols. The young and inexperienced Vols will be going against a very good post oriented team. The Cowboys were able to dismantle the Vols last year in the post with excellent high-low passing by their post players. If the Vols are able to pull off the victory in Nashville, then both Crews and Chism will have to play better than they did on Saturday against Western Kentucky. Both players tended to struggle in the game, but that might be a good thing. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Pearl challenge both freshman in this game given the team they are going up against. One other thing to remember in this game is the ugliness of the game last year. Tempers flared last year after the Cowboys Marcus Dove was under cut on a play at the end of the first half by Andre Patterson. Dove ended up missing the rest of the season and returns for his junior season this year. It was said that both teams weren’t too pleasant with each other in the hallways to the locker room and that much was said about the trip to Nashville this year. Matchup to watch for: Which team will be able to limit the other team’s star? While neither stars will matchup against each other, will the defenses be able to limit them? Can the Vols keep Mario Boggans off the boards and limit his shot attempts? Can the Cowboys cool down quite possibly the hottest player in college basketball right now in Chris Lofton?

Projected Starting Lineups:

Oklahoma State

PG – 5’11” #00 Byron Eaton
SG – 6’3” #24 JamesOn Curry
SF – 6’5” #1 Terrel Harris
PF – 6’7” #4 Mario Boggan
C – 6’8” #32 David Monds

Tennessee

PG – 6’3” #15 Jordan Howell
SG – 6’2” #5 Chris Lofton
SF – 6’2” #2 JaJuan Smith
PF – 6’4” #23 Dane Bradshaw
C – 6’7” #32 Duke Crews

Western Kentucky Review

Tennessee came into this game looking into a trap. The Vols were going up against a very good Mid-Major team after pulling off an upset of #19 Memphis over a week and a half ago. Factor in the fact that the Vols play #15 Oklahoma State in Nashville on Monday night and this was a very scary game. I’ll have to admit, I was a little worried in going into this game. I knew that Pearl wouldn’t overlook the Hilltoppers, but I was afraid his team might. While the Hilltoppers were able to keep the game close, the Vols were able to come away with a double digit victory of 93-79 on a night that was definitely perimeter oriented. Here are some thoughts from the game:

1) Over the last two weeks, it would be hard pressed to say that there has been a better player in the whole country than Chris Lofton. Lofton is averaging 29.3 points per game going back to the Louisiana-Lafayette game on 58% shooting from beyond the arc. What has really improved over the last two games is his ability to drive to the basket. Pearl talked in the preseason about how Chris worked on that part of his game over the summer, and it looked like in the first few games that he was pushing too much. It looks now like that summer work has paid off and he is putting the whole game together.

2) Ramar Smith had by far his best game in a Tennessee uniform today. He seems like he has finally grasped the offense that Pearl wants to run, and isn’t having to think as much with the ball now. It looks like the move to start Jordan Howell has allowed Ramar to get into the game on the bench, and when he enters the game, he already is in the flow. That’s great news for the Vols who need Ramar to play at the best of his ability to be able to go far this year.

3) How about the performance by Ryan Childress today! He looked like a man possessed on the boards today, doubling his career high and hitting double digit rebounds with 10. Childress was big today given that Bradshaw was hurting and Crews and Chism seemed to struggle some what. If Ryan can continue to give the type of effort he gave today, that will be huge for the Vols.

4) Tennessee has really improved its defense since a year ago. Maybe it’s the fact that they are playing more players and thus they are fresher, but the half court defense is really improved. The Vols had back to back shot clock violations on defense in the second half, and held the Hilltoppers to 29% shooting from 3, which is 18% below their average of 47.7% on the season.

In probably what is beginning to seem redundant…..

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
Lofton,Chris    11-15   5-9    5-7    0  5  5   1  32  4  1  0  1  32

Western Kentucky Preview

If you ever wanted to see an uptempo game, then this will be the game to watch. Western Kentucky comes into the Tennessee game playing 10 guys at double digit minutes this season. The Hilltoppers (8-2) love to play the uptempo game, just like the Vols. WKU is averaging just under 74 offensive possessions per game, while the Vols averages 77. The Hilltoppers were an overwhelming pick to win the Eastern division of the Sun Belt conference. They are led by 6’5” junior Courtney Lee. Lee leads the team in points (19.1), rebounds (5.1), and steals (1.6) per game. Lee averages almost 9 minutes more per game than any other Hilltopper and is shooting a staggering 53.9% from the field, which is extremely high for a perimeter player. The Hilltoppers haven’t really played an eye opening schedule thus far, with their two biggest games coming against Florida and Georgia. Compare that to Tennessee, who has played the number 3, 18, and 19^th ranked teams in the country thus far.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

This game will definitely end up being fast paced and up and down, as that is how both teams like to play. The key might be how each team is able to respond to the other’s style of play. Will the Vols be able to shut down the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year in Courtney Lee? How will the Hilltoppers be able to contend with Chris Lofton? Pearl will more than likely put JaJuan Smith and Josh Tabb on Lee in an attempt to shut down the Hilltoppers best player. If Tabb and Smith are able to do the job, than the Vols might have a chance at a pull away victory. But it’s hard to shut down star players, as Memphis found out, and look for this to be a close one. The Vols will need to try to lock down the boards and gain a significant advantage their as well as trying to limit their turnovers. With such a high tempo game, their will be tons of opportunities for turnovers, and if the Vols are able to limit their’s and create scoring opportunities off of turnovers, than it couls be a long night for the Hilltoppers.

Projected Starting Lineups:

Western Kentucky

PG – 5’11” #3 Tyrone Brazelton
SG – 6’3” #5 Ty Rogers
SF – 6’5” #32 Courtney Lee
PF – 6’8” #33 Daniel Emerson
C – 6’9” #40 Jeremy Evans

Tennessee

PG – 6’3” #15 Jordan Howell
SG – 6’2” #5 Chris Lofton
SF – 6’2” #2 JaJuan Smith
PF – 6’4” #23 Dane Bradshaw
C – 6’7” #32 Duke Crews

Memphis Review

Wow. What a game by the Vols! They really played well last night, and of course Chris Lofton stepped up huge last night. I really don’t know if there was anyone in the country that could have guarded Chris last night. He was just that good. So, onto my thoughts on the game:

1) First shout out goes to …… the students. They really came out in force last night, with over 4,000 showing up. They had completely filled the lower level student seats by 7:45, and actually overtook section 322 last night, which aren’t student seats.

2) Chris Lofton. This kid sometimes is just unconscious from 3 sometimes. He showed his whole game off last night though, driving successfully to the basket as well as pulling up for mid range jumpers to go along with his already well known prowess of three oint shooting. Bravo Chris Bravo!

3) Dane Bradshaw. I had a chance to talk to him for a second for the game, and he is by far in the top 2 of my favorite UT players ever. I think both him and Ron Slay are tied for me at 1, since I was lucky enough to get to know both. He had an outstanding game last night, and really is the glue to this team.

4) The refs were consistently bad on both ends last night. Now, I’m not saying they favored Memphis at all. I’m just saying they were plain atrocious calling fouls on both ends. I really thought they let the game get out of hand some towards the end, and I blame all of that on the fact that they were horrific.

5) Joey Dorsey. He is now on my official hate list. I’m lucky enough to sit very close to the visitors bench for every game and hear some of what goes on. I just can’t stand the kid. And that’s saying a lot. There are lots of guys who play hard and like to fire up the crowd, but Dorsey just came across as a thug last night. He took any chance he got to take a small little cheap shot after a play last night, many which weren’t seen by the refs or cameras.

6) Ramar Smith. Ramar really showed me something last night. In my opinion, last night was his best game of the year. He played under control and seemed to let the game come to himself. Yes, he had a couple of times where he drove to the basket and threw up a bad shot, but those will come to him. He played good defense and handled the team very well when he was in the game.

7) Tony Passley handled being put on the bench very well. He had to come into the game in the first half and was able to contribute 4 good minutes. He played excellent defense, crashed the boards hard, collecting 3 rebounds, without turning the ball over. He played within himself, and might have worked out some more time for himself depending on the injury situation for JaJuan.

Overall, it was a really great game to watch. But it is no surprise that the Stat Line of the Night goes to…..

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
Lofton,Chris... 12-18   6-11   4-4    1  4  5   1  34  1  4  0  1  34

How about averaging 1 point per minute for the game! WOW!

Memphis Preview

Memphis enters Thompson Boling Arena with a record of 6-1 after a 78-59 win against Marshall at home on Monday night. The game against the Volunteers will be the Tigers 3^rd game in five days, after an 18 point win at home against Manhattan started the 3 game series. The Tigers play 9 guys over 10 minutes a game, led by Chris Douglas-Roberts’ 14.7 a game. The Tigers are led on the boards by forwards Joey Dorsey and Robert Dozier, who average 9.0 and 6.7 rebounds per game respectively. Coming off the bench for Memphis is 6’5” senior guard Jeremy Hunt, averaging 12.6 points per game as their best long range threat.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

This game will be a reunion of sorts, with both teams having players reunited against each other. Ramar Smith and Chris Douglas-Roberts will be reunited after both played their high school ball in Detroit and joined each other on the AAU team The Family. Wayne Chism and Willie Kemp will be reunited after spending the last two seasons together at Bolivar High School. Tennessee will definitely be trying to push the tempo in this game, especially with Memphis having played 3 games in 5 days. The Tigers play 9 guys over 10 minutes a game, but only 3 of those are post players. The Vols will have to focus on shutting down Douglas-Roberts and Hunt in the back court, along with Dorsey and Dozier in the front court. If the Vols can close down the boards for Dorsey and Dozier, then they should be able to stay in the game and be there in the end. Matchup to watch for: Memphis’ defense vs. the Vols’ 3 point shooting. The Tigers have held their opponents to under 30% shooting from behind the arc this season. If Memphis is able to do that against quite possibly one of the best 3 point shooting teams in America, then it could be bad news for the Vols.

Projected Starting Lineups:

Memphis

PG – 6’2” #1 Willie Kemp
SG – 6’6” #12 Antonio Anderson
SF – 6’6” #14 Chris Douglas-Roberts
PF – 6’9” #2 Robert Dozier
C – 6’9” #32 Joey Dorsey

Tennessee

PG – 6’3” #15 Jordan Howell
SG – 6’2” #5 Chris Lofton
SF – 6’2” #2 JaJuan Smith
PF – 6’4” #23 Dane Bradshaw
C – 6’7” #32 Duke Crews

Murray State Review

The Vols were able to pull out the win last night against Murray State by a score of 89-64. Murray State really never had a chance in the game, trailing for all of the 40 minutes. The Vols seemed to improve on their last outing at Louisiana-Lafayette, dominating the Racers, and never allowing them to be in the game. Some thoughts from the game:

1) The Vols were able to force the tempo early in the game, creating 23 turnovers from the Racers and pushing the Vols out to a 42 – 28 lead at halftime. The Racers closed the gap down to 9 at the beginning of the second half, but the Vols were able to pull away and never let the Racers back into the game.

2) The Vols dominated the boards for the game, outrebounding the Racers 43 to 30. The Vols pulled down 18 offensive rebounds on the night, limiting the Racers to just 9 offensive rebounds.

3) Chism and Crews. Both played well last night. Crews showed some nice post moves last night, and rebounded the ball well. He played well on the defensive end, except for some struggles in the first half in team defense. Chism played better as well. Wayne showed some better post moves last night when he was able to post up. He is still struggling some with finishing around the basket, but he did seem to improve some last night.

4) Ramar Smith played much better last night. I predicted it last night, and he proved me correct. Ramar played within himself and didn’t try to force anything last night. He only made one bad pass in my opinion, and that was the laser pass in the second half to the drummer in the band. If Ramar can continue to play well like he did tonight, then that could drastically improve our team this season.

5) Lofton continued his performance from Monday night, pouring in a quiet 20 points to lead five players in double digits for the Vols. Lofton delivered 5 rebounds and 1 steal to go with his 4-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Lofton is going to have to continue to lead this team for the Vols to be successful this season.

And in what seems to have become a trend so far this year….

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
23 Bradshaw,Dane 4-6    2-3    2-4    1  3  4   4  12  5  0  0  2  19