It Was Ugly, but the Vols Outlast the Gamecocks for a Win

In a defensive slug fest, the Vols outlast the Gamecocks for a 56-55 victory.

It was an offensive performance ugly enough to crack mirrors, scrappy, and maybe a bit more exciting than Rick Barnes would have liked at the end, but the Vols will celebrate an SEC victory 56-55 over the South Carolina Gamecocks. Frank Martin's Gamecocks came into Thompson Boling Arena and played a tough brand of basketball against the Vols. They played aggressive, attacking, hard-nosed defense, much like the Volunteers have played this season. Both teams struggled to hit the open looks they got, and both defenses limited easy shots for their opponents. It was ultimately the kind of gritty, grinding game that typifies SEC conference play, and it is a win the Vols should feel proud of grinding out.

For Tennessee against South Carolina, the breakdown is much the same as it has been all season long. The Vols struggled mightily from the field. In the first half, Tennessee shot 30% from the field and 21% from three-point range. For Tennessee in the first half, they had opportunities to take good shots against a tough South Carolina defense, but the three pointers simply wouldn't fall. The Vols struggled to find any offense in the paint after an early flurry, where they went without a made field goal for over eleven minutes of the game. Everyone is search for the answer for Tennessee's team wide shooting woes, but there is no clear answer. The Gamecocks have one of the toughest defenses in the SEC, and they deserve credit for playing physical defense, having active hands, attacking the passing lanes, and forcing turnovers. The Vols did themselves no favors against a tough defense with missing wide-open looks and terrible shot selection again, a trend that continued into the second half. The Big Orange finished the game shooting 25.9% from the field and 19.4% from the three-point line.

For a look on the bright side for the Vols, as bad as the offense has been, the defense was again excellent, keeping them in the game. Tennessee shows excellent communication on defense, and despite their lack of a true big man to protect the rim, they find ways to get blocks on shots. That effort and determination to get blocks allowed the Vols to limit the damage on what should have been easy points for South Carolina. That said, the Vols were victimized by Carolina senior Mike Kotsar in the post. The Carolina big man poured in 17 points against the Vols, and he was the focal point of the Gamecock offense. The Vols defended the wings and the three-point line well, limiting the damage Carolina could inflict there. Even with a stellar effort by Kotsar, the Vols defended well enough to win the game and defend home court. Late in the game it was Tennessee's ability to get blocks and deny the Gamecocks points when they drove to the hoop that preserved the lead. To no one's surprise, Yves Pons lead the block party for the Vols, with 5 of Tennessee's 10 denials. Worryingly for the Vols, the threat of a crushing three from the opponent nearly reared its head again late. The Gamecocks had a few good looks at open threes, most off long rebounds, late in the game. Fortunately for the Vols, the open looks didn't fall, and Tennessee rode their defense to a second conference win in a row.

The offensive bright spot for Tennessee was, as it has been most of the season, John Fulkerson. The Junior forward managed a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Vols, by far their most efficient scorer, getting those points on 5-7 shooting for the day. Fulkerson also drew the charge with less than two seconds to play that sealed the game for the Vols. Fulkerson securing a Volunteer victory on a high basketball I.Q. hustle play is poetic for the game the Kingsport native turned in. Fulkerson led the Vols in more than the stats, showing a growing leadership and perhaps stepping into the role of team leader. Regardless of pre-season predictions, star ratings, or what everyone expected, John Fulkerson has developed into the most efficient offensive option for the Vols, by far. Rick Barnes has a system that simply works better when there a low-post scoring presence. The Vols have missed having an ability to simply throw the ball into the paint and get points, but Fulkerson has been effective as a scorer when he has gotten his hands on the ball. It is time for Tennessee to begin designing their offense to go through Fulkerson. The Tennessee defense is one of the best in the SEC and in the nation. The Vols don't need an enormous amount of points to win games. Instead, the need efficient possessions that result in steady offense. The Vols cannot continue to have 10-minute stretches without a field goal or sub 30% shooting nights. Running the offense through Fulkerson and to create opportunities for him may not be the most exciting brand of basketball, but it should be enough for the Vols to win with their outstanding defense.

Other players that will have to feature more prominently for the Vols going forward are their freshman guards. Santiago Vescovi played in only his third game for the Vols, but he is already endearing himself to the Tennessee fans and to his teammates. Vescovi has made his share of freshman mistakes, particularly in regard to turnovers, but he is clearly the best option Tennessee has as a point guard. When Vescovi is on the floor, the offense seems to move more smoothly. Some of that comes from Vescovi being a threat to hit from three, some comes from his willingness to probe the defense and drive the lane, and some comes from his on-point passing. While the current Tennessee offense is far from a revelation, it is clearly sparked when Vescovi is at the point, as evidenced by his 13 points and 3 assists. His counterpart in Tennessee's freshman backcourt, Josiah James, tossed in 10 points as well, but all were very timely. None were bigger than a three that the freshman buried in transition to extend the Tennessee lead late in the second half. That is a shot that James likely passes out of earlier this season, but today he took the shot and made it. On a day that the Vols went 6-31 from three-point range as a team, James was 2-2, both huge shots for Tennessee. James continuing to assert himself more as an offensive scorer is a key for the Vols going forward. Against the Gamecocks, he took more good shots and made them, while still playing tough defense, facilitating for others, and grabbing 6 rebounds that made a difference for the Vols.

As much as Fulkerson has been a consistent bright spot for Tennessee, senior guard Jordan Bowden suffered another bad outing. Bowden finished the game shooting 1-17 and 1-11 from deep, in a game where he again refused to drive the ball, took bad shots, and also just couldn't get multiple wide-open looks to fall. Late in the game, as South Carolina was chipping away at the Tennessee lead, Bowden had fantastic looks on back-to-back possessions for dagger threes that likely would have put the Gamecocks away. Bowden banged both shots off the iron as Thompson Boling Arena waited to explode with a make. Whatever the issue is with Bowden, Rick Barnes has to figure it out. Tennessee's offense doesn't have to be great with the caliber of defense they play. What the offense cannot be is incredibly inefficient, throwing away possessions and missing good opportunities. The Vols can afford 1-17 shooting performances from anyone, but especially someone who has stepped back into a role of being, almost exclusively, a catch-and-shoot guard, despite his ability to be more. In contrast, Yves Pons also had a tough night shooting, going 0-7 and 0-5 from three. As much as this is Pons taking too many threes, 4 of his shots from deep were entirely uncontested, and shots he would have made a mistake in passing up. Pons didn't get enough touches or shots in the paint, but he did get to the free throw line. Pons went 4-6 from the line to end with 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, the same as Bowden, and 5 blocks. Bowden has stepped back from his ability to be more than a spot-up shooter, while Pons was invaluable for Tennessee even with a poor shooting night, his defense a huge reason the Vols emerged victorious. If Bowden can't become more efficient offensively, the Vols will have to look at getting more minutes for freshmen like Olivier Nkamhoua and Drew Pember, both of whom contributed off the bench. Pember in particular sunk a massive three when the Vols were desperate for one.

All-in-all for Tennessee, it was another ugly offensive game. A significant portion of that came from awful shooting and bad shot selection again, but a tough Carolina defense also had a role. The Vols rode a stout defense to their second SEC win in a row, a win they have to feel good about getting at home on a day their offense struggled so much. Tennessee will not pull out many wins with shooting performances like the one they turned in against South Carolina, but Rick Barnes is beginning to see the trends that can show him how this team has to evolve. The look going forward should be for larger roles for Fulkerson, Vescovi, James, and post touches for Yves Pons. As those roles increase, the role for Jordan Bowden must decrease unless he can make shots and play within the offense. Whatever offensive adjustments they make, Tennessee will be leaning on their defense as they continue SEC play Wednesday night, as they head to Athens, Georgia to face the Bulldogs.

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