Tennessee Volunteers
Head Coach: Rick Barnes [25-28 in 2nd season at UT (.472), 629-342 (.648) as head coach]
Current Record: 10-9 overall (6-3 at home, 3-4 in SEC)
Schedule
11/11/16 CHATTANOOGA L 69-82 14483
11/15/16 APPALACHIAN STATE W 103-94 11758
x 11/21/16 vs Wisconsin L 62-74 2400
x 11/22/16 vs Oregon L o t 65-69 2400
x 11/23/16 vs Chaminade W 95-81 2400
12/03/16 GEORGIA TECH W 81-58 12634
12/06/16 PRESBYTERIAN W 90-50 11547
12/11/16 at North Carolina L 71-73 18745
12/13/16 TENNESSEE TECH W 74-68 11524
12/15/16 LIPSCOMB W 92-77 11893
% 12/18/16 vs Gonzaga L 76-86 13784
12/22/16 at ETSU W 72-68 6149
* 12/29/16 at Texas A&M W 73-63 9199
* 01/03/17 ARKANSAS L 78-82 13002
* 01/07/17 at Florida L 70-83 10843
* 01/11/17 SOUTH CAROLINA L 60-70 13794
* 01/14/17 at Vanderbilt W 87-75 12235
* 01/17/17 at Ole Miss L 69-80 6085
* 01/21/17 MISSISSIPPI STATE W 91-74 13917
* = Conference game
x = Maui Invitational
% = Battle on Broadway (Nashville, Tenn.)
Game Information
01/24/17 Kentucky at Tennessee, 9:00 EST, TV: ESPN
Probable Starters
F #11 Kyle Alexander 6-10 218 So, 3.6pts, 3.7reb, .250 3fg
F #2 Grant Williams 6-5 234 Fr, 10.8pts, 5.5reb*, 2.0 blks*, .200 3fg
G #3 Robert Hubbs III 6-5 207 Sr, 14.7pts*, 4.9reb, 1.7ast, .150 3fg
G #23 Jordan Bowden 6-3 180 Fr, 8.3pts, 2.8reb, 1.0ast, 1.0 steals*, .329 3fg
G #0 Jordan Bone 6-1 173 Fr, 8.0pts, 1.2reb, 3.0ast, .250 3fg
Key Reserves
G #1 Lamonte Turner 6-0 187 Fr, 9.6pts, 2.2reb, 3.1ast*, .375 3fg
G #25 Shembari Phillips 6-3 192 So, 7.0pts, 3.4reb, 2.0ast, .542 3fg
F #5 Admiral Schofield 6-4 238 So, 6.4pts, 3.3reb, .333 3fg
F #21 Lew Evans 6-7 235 Sr, 2.8pts, 2.5reb, .176 3fg
*=category leader
Dismissed from team
Detrick Mostella 6-1 185 Jr, 10.5pts, 3.9reb, 1.2ast, 37.1% 3fg
Team Stats
Points per game 77.8
Points allowed 74.1
Scoring margin +3.7
Field goal pct .442
FG% allowed .438
3-point FG pct .331
3pt FG% allowed .359
Free throw pct .732
F-Throws made per game 18.5
Rebounds per game 37.4
Rebounds allowed 36.1
Rebounding margin +1.3
Assists per game 14.3
Assists allowed 12.4
Turnovers per game 13.3
Turnovers forced 15.2
Turnover margin +1.9
Assist/turnover ratio 1.1
Steals per game 6.2
Blocks per game 4.9
KenPom Analysis (UT rated #53 overall)
Best Stats
#24 nationally in FT attempts per FG attempt (they get to the line)
#41 in offensive rebounding (grabbing 34.7% of misses)
#49 in overall offensive efficiency
#52 in defensive block percentage (blocking 12.5% of opponents’ shots)
#63 in forcing turnovers (forcing to’s on 20.9% of opponents' possessions)
Worst Stats
#329 in defensive FT attempts per FG attempt (they send people to the line)
#290 in allowing offensive rebounds (opponents get 32.4% of their misses)
#260 in 3-point shooting % (32.7%)
#229 in effective FG% (they’re not efficient shooters)
#223 in 3-point defense (allowing 35.9%)
#76 in overall defensive efficiency
Analysis: It’s another Super Tuesday game for Kentucky and the opponent this time around is the Tennessee Volunteers who enter this game with a 10-9 record overall and a 3-4 record in the SEC and a little bit of a deceptive record, in my opinion. I think, and apparently Kenpom, Sagarin, and RPI numbers agree, that this Tennessee team is better than their record would indicate. Kenpom rates them at #53 overall and both Sagarin and RPI rate them #62. They have played some difficult competition along the way this season, including games against Wisconsin, Oregon, North Carolina, and Gonzaga. Those were all losses for UT, but none of those teams really dominated the Vols. Their best win on the season was just recently, an 87-75 win over Vandy at Memorial. Their worst loss of the season by rating was at Ole Miss last Tuesday, 80-69 at Oxford. It should be noted, the Volunteers have been without Detrick Mostella for the last 4 games. He’s been dismissed from the team due to an arrest for possession of drug paraphernalia and drug activities. See story here: http://www.knoxnews.com/story/sport...issed-vols-cited-drug-paraphernalia/96436458/
From a personnel standpoint , the Volunteers are very guard heavy and also very undersized at the forward spots. Their leading scorer is guard Robert Hubbs III, a 6-5 207lb Senior, averaging 14.7points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.7assists and shooting 15% from 3. Obviously, Hubbs’ strength is not perimeter shooting. He gets his points on drives, lay-ups, dunks, and pull up jumpers. He’s a very athletic player who is good at creating offense. If he’s making shots, he’s difficult to stop. He starts at the 3 but he plays either wing. The starting point guard for the Volunteers is Jordan Bone, a 6-1 173lb Freshman, averaging 8.0 points, 1.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and shooting 25% from 3pt range. Bone is playing the point most of the time, though he does share time with reserve Lamonte Turner, a 6-0 187lb Freshman who averages 9.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and shooting 37.5% from 3pt range. He scored 23 points in that road win over Vanderbilt. They are in a virtual tie for most assists on the team. Bone’s improved play has helped off-set the loss of Mostella for UT. The starting 2-guard is another Jordan, Jordan Bowden, a 6-3 180lb Freshman averaging 8.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1 steal, and shooting 32.9% from 3pt range on the season. Bowden is now 4th on the team in scoring, and that is really why he’s in the game. Well over half his shots (55%) are taken from beyond the arc.
In the frontcourt, the top producer is Freshman Grant Williams, an undersized forward who makes up for his lack of height with strength. He’s 6-5 234lb and averages 10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He’s not a good perimeter shooter at only 20% from 3. Williams is 2nd on the team in scoring, but he leads the team in rebounds and blocked shots (2 blocks per game) Williams is a good athlete and is a load inside. He’s built more like a linebacker than a power forward. The other frontcourt starter is Kyle Alexander, a 6-10 218lb Sophomore averaging 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in only 14.5 minutes per game. With as little as Alexander produces, I think Barnes starts him for the opening tip and to defend taller big men. He can block some shots- he’s 2nd on the team in that category, but he’s averaging less than 1 block per game. The guy who gets more minutes inside off the bench is Admiral Schofield, a 6-4 238lb Sophomore averaging 6.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and shoots 33.3% from distance. Schofield is similar to Williams in his build. And, like Williams, Schofield’s specialty is defense and rebounding. Both are very strong and very willing to get in there and mix things up.
From the bench, I’ve already mentioned reserve point guard Lamonte Turner (he’s the top scorer from the bench) and reserve forward Admiral Schofield. Another key reserve is Shembari Phillips, a 6-3 192lb Sophomore averaging 7.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and shooting a team leading percentage of 54.2% from 3. Despite his excellent 3pt shooting, Phillips spends most of his time inside the arc, scoring in the open floor and on drives and mid-range jumpers. He’s actually 4 on the team in minutes played, despite the fact that he hasn’t been starting as much recently. He’s a scoring lift from the bench for Tennessee. The final player who has played in every game this season is Lew Evans, a 6-7 235lb Senior averaging 2.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, and shooting only 17.6% from 3pt range. He does like the 3, though he doesn’t shoot it well. He provides some size (2nd tallest player getting minutes) and some strength when Tennessee needs some help down low. He’s only playing 12.6 minutes per game on the season.
Tennessee is a team that is going to try to out-physical every team they play. There are several players on this roster who have the same M.O. That is, they are very strong and they are going to do their best to take the ball to the goal and ram it down your throat if they can. They have given many good teams trouble this season for this very reason. They are more deliberate on offense than many teams we’ve played in conference. They do crash the offensive boards, so there may be opportunities to run some if we can rebound. They have some good athletes but not a lot of basketball skill on this team. Having said all this, after watching them play a bit, they will shoot jump shots quite a bit- especially Hubbs. They are good at getting to the line but they send people to the line also, so expect physical play. Making free throws will be critical in this one. They play mostly man to man but I think UK’s quickness and interior size will mean we may see some zone and also some double-teams on Bam.
As with all these SEC teams, they will play much better at home. Barnes has quite a youth movement of his own going here, with 3 freshman starters and a 4th as first man off the bench. It’s basically Senior Hubbs III, 4 freshmen and 2 sophomores who carry the load for this team. I expect Tennessee to play about as well as they are able tonight with Kentucky coming to town. The whistles will be critical in this game. Tennessee fouls and the stripes will equalize, so we need to move our feet and get in front on defense. If Tennessee is hitting their jump shots, they will be able to stay in this game for a while, but I expect UK will pull away in the end. Not having Fox(?) or Mulder could be tougher on the road and depending on foul problems. Kenpom predicts a 90-79 win for UK. The line on the game opened at UK-10. I think those are very close to right.
Prediction: Kentucky 88 Tennessee 76
Head Coach: Rick Barnes [25-28 in 2nd season at UT (.472), 629-342 (.648) as head coach]
Current Record: 10-9 overall (6-3 at home, 3-4 in SEC)
Schedule
11/11/16 CHATTANOOGA L 69-82 14483
11/15/16 APPALACHIAN STATE W 103-94 11758
x 11/21/16 vs Wisconsin L 62-74 2400
x 11/22/16 vs Oregon L o t 65-69 2400
x 11/23/16 vs Chaminade W 95-81 2400
12/03/16 GEORGIA TECH W 81-58 12634
12/06/16 PRESBYTERIAN W 90-50 11547
12/11/16 at North Carolina L 71-73 18745
12/13/16 TENNESSEE TECH W 74-68 11524
12/15/16 LIPSCOMB W 92-77 11893
% 12/18/16 vs Gonzaga L 76-86 13784
12/22/16 at ETSU W 72-68 6149
* 12/29/16 at Texas A&M W 73-63 9199
* 01/03/17 ARKANSAS L 78-82 13002
* 01/07/17 at Florida L 70-83 10843
* 01/11/17 SOUTH CAROLINA L 60-70 13794
* 01/14/17 at Vanderbilt W 87-75 12235
* 01/17/17 at Ole Miss L 69-80 6085
* 01/21/17 MISSISSIPPI STATE W 91-74 13917
* = Conference game
x = Maui Invitational
% = Battle on Broadway (Nashville, Tenn.)
Game Information
01/24/17 Kentucky at Tennessee, 9:00 EST, TV: ESPN
Probable Starters
F #11 Kyle Alexander 6-10 218 So, 3.6pts, 3.7reb, .250 3fg
F #2 Grant Williams 6-5 234 Fr, 10.8pts, 5.5reb*, 2.0 blks*, .200 3fg
G #3 Robert Hubbs III 6-5 207 Sr, 14.7pts*, 4.9reb, 1.7ast, .150 3fg
G #23 Jordan Bowden 6-3 180 Fr, 8.3pts, 2.8reb, 1.0ast, 1.0 steals*, .329 3fg
G #0 Jordan Bone 6-1 173 Fr, 8.0pts, 1.2reb, 3.0ast, .250 3fg
Key Reserves
G #1 Lamonte Turner 6-0 187 Fr, 9.6pts, 2.2reb, 3.1ast*, .375 3fg
G #25 Shembari Phillips 6-3 192 So, 7.0pts, 3.4reb, 2.0ast, .542 3fg
F #5 Admiral Schofield 6-4 238 So, 6.4pts, 3.3reb, .333 3fg
F #21 Lew Evans 6-7 235 Sr, 2.8pts, 2.5reb, .176 3fg
*=category leader
Dismissed from team
Detrick Mostella 6-1 185 Jr, 10.5pts, 3.9reb, 1.2ast, 37.1% 3fg
Team Stats
Points per game 77.8
Points allowed 74.1
Scoring margin +3.7
Field goal pct .442
FG% allowed .438
3-point FG pct .331
3pt FG% allowed .359
Free throw pct .732
F-Throws made per game 18.5
Rebounds per game 37.4
Rebounds allowed 36.1
Rebounding margin +1.3
Assists per game 14.3
Assists allowed 12.4
Turnovers per game 13.3
Turnovers forced 15.2
Turnover margin +1.9
Assist/turnover ratio 1.1
Steals per game 6.2
Blocks per game 4.9
KenPom Analysis (UT rated #53 overall)
Best Stats
#24 nationally in FT attempts per FG attempt (they get to the line)
#41 in offensive rebounding (grabbing 34.7% of misses)
#49 in overall offensive efficiency
#52 in defensive block percentage (blocking 12.5% of opponents’ shots)
#63 in forcing turnovers (forcing to’s on 20.9% of opponents' possessions)
Worst Stats
#329 in defensive FT attempts per FG attempt (they send people to the line)
#290 in allowing offensive rebounds (opponents get 32.4% of their misses)
#260 in 3-point shooting % (32.7%)
#229 in effective FG% (they’re not efficient shooters)
#223 in 3-point defense (allowing 35.9%)
#76 in overall defensive efficiency
Analysis: It’s another Super Tuesday game for Kentucky and the opponent this time around is the Tennessee Volunteers who enter this game with a 10-9 record overall and a 3-4 record in the SEC and a little bit of a deceptive record, in my opinion. I think, and apparently Kenpom, Sagarin, and RPI numbers agree, that this Tennessee team is better than their record would indicate. Kenpom rates them at #53 overall and both Sagarin and RPI rate them #62. They have played some difficult competition along the way this season, including games against Wisconsin, Oregon, North Carolina, and Gonzaga. Those were all losses for UT, but none of those teams really dominated the Vols. Their best win on the season was just recently, an 87-75 win over Vandy at Memorial. Their worst loss of the season by rating was at Ole Miss last Tuesday, 80-69 at Oxford. It should be noted, the Volunteers have been without Detrick Mostella for the last 4 games. He’s been dismissed from the team due to an arrest for possession of drug paraphernalia and drug activities. See story here: http://www.knoxnews.com/story/sport...issed-vols-cited-drug-paraphernalia/96436458/
From a personnel standpoint , the Volunteers are very guard heavy and also very undersized at the forward spots. Their leading scorer is guard Robert Hubbs III, a 6-5 207lb Senior, averaging 14.7points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.7assists and shooting 15% from 3. Obviously, Hubbs’ strength is not perimeter shooting. He gets his points on drives, lay-ups, dunks, and pull up jumpers. He’s a very athletic player who is good at creating offense. If he’s making shots, he’s difficult to stop. He starts at the 3 but he plays either wing. The starting point guard for the Volunteers is Jordan Bone, a 6-1 173lb Freshman, averaging 8.0 points, 1.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and shooting 25% from 3pt range. Bone is playing the point most of the time, though he does share time with reserve Lamonte Turner, a 6-0 187lb Freshman who averages 9.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and shooting 37.5% from 3pt range. He scored 23 points in that road win over Vanderbilt. They are in a virtual tie for most assists on the team. Bone’s improved play has helped off-set the loss of Mostella for UT. The starting 2-guard is another Jordan, Jordan Bowden, a 6-3 180lb Freshman averaging 8.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1 steal, and shooting 32.9% from 3pt range on the season. Bowden is now 4th on the team in scoring, and that is really why he’s in the game. Well over half his shots (55%) are taken from beyond the arc.
In the frontcourt, the top producer is Freshman Grant Williams, an undersized forward who makes up for his lack of height with strength. He’s 6-5 234lb and averages 10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He’s not a good perimeter shooter at only 20% from 3. Williams is 2nd on the team in scoring, but he leads the team in rebounds and blocked shots (2 blocks per game) Williams is a good athlete and is a load inside. He’s built more like a linebacker than a power forward. The other frontcourt starter is Kyle Alexander, a 6-10 218lb Sophomore averaging 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in only 14.5 minutes per game. With as little as Alexander produces, I think Barnes starts him for the opening tip and to defend taller big men. He can block some shots- he’s 2nd on the team in that category, but he’s averaging less than 1 block per game. The guy who gets more minutes inside off the bench is Admiral Schofield, a 6-4 238lb Sophomore averaging 6.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and shoots 33.3% from distance. Schofield is similar to Williams in his build. And, like Williams, Schofield’s specialty is defense and rebounding. Both are very strong and very willing to get in there and mix things up.
From the bench, I’ve already mentioned reserve point guard Lamonte Turner (he’s the top scorer from the bench) and reserve forward Admiral Schofield. Another key reserve is Shembari Phillips, a 6-3 192lb Sophomore averaging 7.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and shooting a team leading percentage of 54.2% from 3. Despite his excellent 3pt shooting, Phillips spends most of his time inside the arc, scoring in the open floor and on drives and mid-range jumpers. He’s actually 4 on the team in minutes played, despite the fact that he hasn’t been starting as much recently. He’s a scoring lift from the bench for Tennessee. The final player who has played in every game this season is Lew Evans, a 6-7 235lb Senior averaging 2.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, and shooting only 17.6% from 3pt range. He does like the 3, though he doesn’t shoot it well. He provides some size (2nd tallest player getting minutes) and some strength when Tennessee needs some help down low. He’s only playing 12.6 minutes per game on the season.
Tennessee is a team that is going to try to out-physical every team they play. There are several players on this roster who have the same M.O. That is, they are very strong and they are going to do their best to take the ball to the goal and ram it down your throat if they can. They have given many good teams trouble this season for this very reason. They are more deliberate on offense than many teams we’ve played in conference. They do crash the offensive boards, so there may be opportunities to run some if we can rebound. They have some good athletes but not a lot of basketball skill on this team. Having said all this, after watching them play a bit, they will shoot jump shots quite a bit- especially Hubbs. They are good at getting to the line but they send people to the line also, so expect physical play. Making free throws will be critical in this one. They play mostly man to man but I think UK’s quickness and interior size will mean we may see some zone and also some double-teams on Bam.
As with all these SEC teams, they will play much better at home. Barnes has quite a youth movement of his own going here, with 3 freshman starters and a 4th as first man off the bench. It’s basically Senior Hubbs III, 4 freshmen and 2 sophomores who carry the load for this team. I expect Tennessee to play about as well as they are able tonight with Kentucky coming to town. The whistles will be critical in this game. Tennessee fouls and the stripes will equalize, so we need to move our feet and get in front on defense. If Tennessee is hitting their jump shots, they will be able to stay in this game for a while, but I expect UK will pull away in the end. Not having Fox(?) or Mulder could be tougher on the road and depending on foul problems. Kenpom predicts a 90-79 win for UK. The line on the game opened at UK-10. I think those are very close to right.
Prediction: Kentucky 88 Tennessee 76
