Efficient Vols Top Vandy 66-45; Break Three Point Streak in the Process

The Vols were efficient on both ends of the floor in their 21-point win over rival Vanderbilt. The Vols also broke a 34-year long Commodore streak.

Tennessee came into Memorial Gym to face the Vanderbilt Commodores coming off of one of the worst outings in the Rick Barnes era earlier in the week against Georgia. The Vols needed a win in the worst way, to get back on track, to build their conference record, and to find desperately needed answers on offense. Then there was the matter of beating the in-state rival Commodores. The Vols always get Vanderbilt's best shot, particularly playing in Nashville. The last contest in Memorial Gym saw the Vols come back to win an overtime thriller. This game saw the Commodores without their leading scorer in the injured Aaron Nesmith. The Commodores also carried in a 21-game SEC losing streak that they and new head coach Jerry Stackhouse desperately wanted to break. As it turned out, the streak that Vanderbilt wound up breaking wasn't what they had in mind, as the Vols ultimately cruised to a 66-45 SEC victory on the road.

The Volunteers needed this game. They needed a win, they needed it in conference play, and they needed it to get back in the right direction. Tennessee is also a team that looks like their best-case scenario will be fighting for an NCAA Tournament berth as a bubble team. Right now, Tennessee doesn’t have any terrible losses on their resume, aside from being thrashed in Athens on Wednesday by the Bulldogs. For teams on the bubble, bad losses often matter as much as quality wins. While the Vols can boast victories against a pair of Top 20 teams on a neutral floor, wins over some squads that look destined to make the tournament, and narrow losses to quality teams, a loss to a team that has been as bad as Vanderbilt could be crippling to Tennessee's Tournament hopes. Tennessee has been carried all season by their defense, and their losses have come, for the most part, on highly inefficient offense and terrible shooting performances. Even when the Vols have won, the offense was seldom pretty, the defense keeping them in the game most nights, aside from a few games where the Vols struggled mightily to defend the three-point line. After a first half that looked much like what the Vols have been offensively this season, in the second half, Tennessee changed their offense to what so many have been calling for all year. The Vols drove the lane, got the ball into the post, played more aggressive, took less threes and jump shots, attacked the rim, and got to the line. It was the more efficient offense that offsets many of the deficiencies the Vols have on offense, allowed their defense to carry them, and created easy buckets. No player benefitted more from that change than a struggling Tennessee star.

Jordan Bowden has been in a miserable shooting slump for around a month. It has been a stretch marked by Bowden taking almost exclusively contested jump shots and three pointers. He has rarely attempted to drive the lane during this slump, often settling for a contested jump shot at long range. Bowden has had good looks simply not fall, but too often he has taken bad shots too early in the shot clock or pulled the trigger on an okay-at-best shot without ever working the ball inside or around. Against Vanderbilt, the Vols only attempted 8 three pointers, with Santiago Vescovi hitting the only made three of the contest with 12:28 remaining in the game. Bowden went 0-2 from deep, but he was 7-11 from the field. This represented his best shooting performance of the season, by far. Despite missing his threes, Bowden showed a dramatically improved shot selection. He also drove the lane consistently for the Vols, finishing at the rim and getting himself to the free throw line, where he went 7-8. This led to a 21-point night for Bowden where he played within the offense, played efficiently, and helped his team to a victory with exactly the type of performance they need from him each night going forward.

The Vols have spent this season needing more from Bowden on less shots. They have also struggled at times to get the ball enough to the players that have been playing efficiently on the offensive end: their big men. Against the Commodores, the Vols got 12 points each from John Fulkerson and Yves Pons on a combined 10-17 from the floor. Fulkerson chipped in 8 rebounds and Pons had another 4 blocks, furthering his reputation as one of the best shot blockers in America. Both starting big men managed to get to the line and hit free throws in this contest as well. The commitment to get the ball in the post, especially to Fulkerson, was refreshing to see. Fulkerson showed the ability to post his man up and finish either way to the rim, as well as cleaning up a rebound with a dunk. Pons hit some mid-range shots, had a nice put back, and had two thunderous dunks. One of Pons's spectacular dunks came with the Vols running the break. Pons caught the outlet pass before launching to the rim, highlighting another facet of the Tennessee offense that has been strangely absent for much of the season. The starting bigs for the Vols had a superb effort with efficient scoring, rebounding, defense, blocking and altering shots, and getting to the line. It was interesting to note that the Vols did use Uros Plavsic against Vandy. Plavsic scored 4 points in 10 minutes, but he became a part of a lineup where Plavsic played center, Fulkerson played power forward, and Yves Pons slid out to the wing. This lineup gave the Vols tremendous height, length, and defensive presence. Plavsic also created more offensive opportunities for Fulkerson, and opportunities for Pons to cut to the hoop from the backside, where he is lethal as a finisher. This is a lineup that could be worth watching for the Vols going forward, especially if all the bigs continue to play so well.

Tennessee's freshman guards Josiah James and Santiago Vescovi only combined for 11 points, but they played the game the Vols needed them to against Vanderbilt. Both played well on defense, both drove the lane to finish at the rim, both had assists for their teammates, and both rebounded well, especially James, who finished with 9 boards for the contest. It wasn't a flashy night for the Vol guards, but they did exactly what was needed of them. James continues to grow in his offensive role, his finishes at the rim a major asset for the Vols going forward. Obviously, Barnes likes what he saw from James and Vescovi, he would just like seeing a little more of it a little more consistently. Still, the freshman had solid efforts on the road and helped their team to a win. The three-point shot Vescovi hit wound up being the only made three of the game, and for a Tennessee team that has taken far too many threes this season, the commitment to shooting them less, driving the lane, and running the break showed growth for the Volunteer guards.

Ultimately, the Vols beat their rival, and broke a 34-year old streak as well. The Commodores had made a three-pointer in 1080 consecutive games, going all the way back to the first season the three-point line was introduced in college basketball. That streak came to an end as the Commodores went 0-25 from deep against Tennessee. The Volunteer length and defense certainly bothered Vandy shooters on the edge, but the Commodores had some good looks that simply wouldn't fall, much like the Vols have had for much of the season. As much as being the team to end the rival Commodores' incredible streak meant for the Vols, it is far from the most important thing to take from this game. Tennessee finally played a game that can be a winning formula for them going forward. Good defense, efficient offense, working the ball through the post, and aggressively driving to the hoop in the half-court and on the break. Tennessee used that formula to stretch a one-point halftime lead into a 21-point victory on the road. The Vols have now seen the blueprint and seen it work. Now, returning home to face Ole Miss on Tuesday, they have the chance to apply that strategy for a full game and go for another valuable SEC win before heading to Lawrence to face the Kansas Jayhawks.

Image courtesy of the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Link to original image: https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/sports/columns/story/2020/jan/18/wiedmer-vanderbilt-basketball-hnow-lost-one-t/513366/