Instant Reaction: Vols Fall in Starkville Despite Plavsic’s 16 Points

Despite a career-high 16 points from transfer big man Uros Plavsic, Tennessee was unable to overcome its rebounding woes once again in a double-digit loss to Mississippi State on Saturday.

Tennessee’s misfortunes followed it down south on Saturday.

Taking on Mississippi State in Starkville, the Vols were looking to rebound from a disappointing loss to Texas A&M at home on Tuesday.

Instead, UT now finds itself on a two-game skid for the third time this season.

Some takeaways from Tennessee’s emphatic loss to the Bulldogs:

Plavsic makes an impact, but not in expected fashion

Transfer big man Uros Plavsic made his debut in the starting lineup on Saturday and didn’t hesitate to make his presence felt early on.

The Serbia native tallied a career-high 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting while playing a season-high in minutes (26) as well.

Despite that, Plavsic hauled in just three rebounds, an area in which the Vols have struggled recently.

Standing at 7-foot, Plavsic was a virtual no-show on the boards and if Tennessee wishes to make a third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, it will need far more than that from its big man.

Vols get out-rebounded by double digits...again

Piggybacking off of the previous takeaway, the Vols once again found themselves at a disadvantage in the rebounding department.

The one silver lining? It was only by 12 boards this time.

While Tennessee certainly doesn’t boast the most daunting roster in terms of height and size, it is beyond capable of putting up a fight on the backboards.

The Vols did it against Kansas, finishing with a 36-32 advantage despite Udoka Azubuike hauling in 11 by himself.

Long-story short, Tennessee needs to correct this.

And soon.

Johnson performs strong once again

Another positive the Vols can take away from their second straight conference defeat is that Johnson’s explosion off the bench against Missouri wasn’t an aberration.

The junior guard performed admirably off the bench once again, logging 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including three 3-pointers.

He also dished out five assists to go along with three rebounds while playing 29 minutes.

Johnson’s scoring has been inconsistent as of late, but if he is able to keep this going, the Vols will be in much better shape as the season winds down.

Consistency is key, and nobody on Tennessee’s roster has that right now.

Has Bowden’s shot returned?

Jordan Bowden is one of the most talented all-around scorers in the SEC.

Standing at 6’5, the senior guard has made a name for himself with his high-flying dunks and ability to knock down shots at a lethal rate from the outside.

That’s why his struggles as of late have been so head-scratching.

He didn’t leave us wondering what was wrong on Saturday, however. The Knoxville native scored 12 points despite shooting just eight times throughout.

His decision-making left plenty to be desired, but Bowden made up for that with his tenacity on the defensive side of the ball.

While the Vols certainly aren’t searching for moral victories at this point, they have some positives to work with as they prepare to take on Alabama following a quick turnaround.