Oh no! The shotblocker is coming!

Some Vol fans, including myself, are concerned about how much Jarvis Varnardo is going to hurt us this weekend. There’s a perception that under Bruce Pearl, teams with dynamic shotblockers have generally given us more trouble than teams without such a presence. After doing some research, I think this is a misconception based on a few highly memorable games and blocks.

When I started looking into the history and stats, I was convinced I’d find something remarkable, some amazing discrepancy between our results against teams with good shotblockers and against teams without. The difference I found was unremarkable, which to me was a remarkable find.

First, to define what a “dynamic shotblocker” is. I think a fair assessment would be that a player is a dynamic shotblocker if he blocks a high percentage of shots while he is on the court. Thankfully our buddy Ken Pomeroy provides that very statistic. I will define a “dynamic shotblocker” as an individual who ranks in the top 50 nationally in this statistic.

I need to say a little about what sorts of teams have dynamic shotblockers. Typically, they’re very talented teams overall, with some ability at the other positions on the floor. Talented teams generally have talented post players. There have been a few exceptions on Tennessee’s schedule the last three years (UNC-A’s Kenny George, for example) but those are rare. Prior to 2007-2008, Pearl’s Vols played 13 games against teams with dynamic shotblockers and only 4 have come against teams outside of the pythag/Pomeroy top 50 (Tennessee is 3-1 in these games). We need to be comparing apples-to-apples, so the data I’m going to look at involves only good teams– top 50. Some have dynamic shotblockers and some don’t.

Here’s what I found. In the past 2 seasons, BruceBall is 16-14 against the top 50 teams. Nine of these games were against teams with dynamic shotblockers:

2006:

• Steven Hill, Arkansas (4th). Home loss.
• Tyrus Thomas, LSU (10th). Road loss.
• Joakim Noah, Florida (24th). Home win.
• Joakim Noah, Florida (24th). Road win.
• Joey Dorsey, Memphis (38th). Road loss.

2007:

• Steven Hill (9th) and Darian Townes (29th), Arkansas. Road win.
• Greg Oden, Ohio State (10th). Road loss.
• Greg Oden, Ohio State (10th). Neutral loss.
• Joey Dorsey, Memphis (37th), Home win.

Tennessee is 4-5 in these games, leaving the Vols with a 12-9 record in games against top 50 teams with no dominant shotblocker. That’s a 0.444 record vs. a 0.571 record. Seems like a difference, perhaps? First of all, I’d say with such a small sample size that’s not much of a difference. But let’s dig a little deeper anyway:

Of the five losses, four came against Elite 8 (2006 Memphis, 2006 LSU) or better (2007 OSU) teams. Of the four wins, three also came against elite 8 or better teams (2006 UF twice, 2007 Memphis).

Greg Oden had Conley, Cook, Butler, and a host of other talented players on the floor with him. Tyrus Thomas had SEC player of the year Glen Davis sharing the lane with him. Joey Dorsey was probably the least talented of the starters on the 2006 Memphis team, plus we beat him the next year. Steven Hill had Ronnie Brewer on the perimeter, and again we beat him (and co-tower Darian Townes) on the road the next year. Are we losing games to big-time shotblockers, or are we losing games to great teams who happen to have big-time shotblockers?

Let’s look a little more, this time at Tennessee’s games against the top 50 teams without dynamic shotblockers. In 2006, this included Elite 8 Texas and a whole host of teams not nearly as good: South Carolina (NIT), Vandy (NIT), Kentucky (2nd round NCAA), Alabama (2nd round NCAA), Wichita State. In 2007, this group included Elite 8 UNC, national champ Florida, and a bunch of teams that weren’t as great: Texas (2nd round NCAA), Vandy (Sweet 16), Mississippi State (NIT), Kentucky (2nd round NCAA), LSU (2nd round NCAA), and Virginia (2nd round NCAA).

As you can see, the slate of teams without big-time shotblockers simply isn’t as daunting. Seven of the Vols’ 9 games against dynamic shotblockers happened to be against top (Elite 8 ) teams. Of the 22 games against good teams without dynamic shotblockers, just four came against Elite 8 teams (and Tennessee was 2-2 in these games).

One could argue, I suppose, that the dynamic shotblockers are what make a good team more like an Elite 8 team. But that only goes further to the point– these shotblockers are good against everyone, not just UT. The bottom line would appear to be that Tennessee, understandably, loses some games against elite teams, and it seems to do it whether the team has a dynamic shotblocker or not (3-4 with, 2-2 without). Against dynamic shotblockers NOT on elite teams, Tennessee is 4-2 (1-1 vs. the top 50).

For what it’s worth, the Vols have faced three dynamic shotblockers so far in 2008: UNC-A’s Kenny George, South Carolina’s Sam Muldrow, and Gonzaga’s Austin Daye. The Vols are 3-0 against these teams.

Tennessee 93, Alabama 86

23 turnovers, 24 fouls, 5 shots rejected . . . it wasn’t pretty. The Vols will have a lot to learn from the video of last night’s game at Alabama, but one thing matters more than any other– the record book will show a W in Tuscaloosa. It doesn’t happen very often and we should cherish this win despite its warts. The Vols improve to 18-2 (5-1 SEC) and remain in the driver’s seat in the SEC East with West leader MSU on the schedule for Saturday.

There were, in my opinion, four stories for the Vols. First, can we officially label Chris Lofton a phoenix at this point? In years past, opposing teams and fans probably thought there was something supernatural about Lofton, with his uncanny ability to nail threes, make runs, and dash hopes and dreams. This year he’s showing off a new power, rising from the ashes of a dreadful and frustrating shooting slump to hit 21 of 42 three-pointers in his last 4 games. We’re glad to have you back, #5.

Second, JaJuan Smith hit some absolute daggers late in the game. He got off to an iffy start but when the team needed big baskets to maintain its tenuous late lead, JaJuan Smith just kept putting Big Orange nails in crimson coffins. It’s not often that JaJuan and Chris have such big games on the same night, but last night they combined for 45 points on 16-27 shooting (9-16 from three) and both hit a lot of 2nd half shots to put Alabama away. Oh, and JaJuan only had 5 steals in the contest as well. That never hurts your team’s chances. He would perhaps be MVP were it not for a braindead attempt at a backboard alley-oop when he had an open layup. His performance overshadows the silly mistake though, and his play late in the contest propelled the Vols to victory.

Third . . . tonight was the unveiling of Tennessee’s new zonebuster. I know, we already have potential zonebusters in Lofton and Smith with their three-point shooting, but you can’t just stand around and jack threes unless you’re hitting a whole bunch of them. It’s clear that Bruce and company saw how much the team struggled to get within a zone defense and in the second half against Alabama they did a tremendous amount of damage by positioning Tyler Smith at the elbow and dishing it in to him. He was often wide open when he received the passes and free to attack the basket, drawing fouls (and hitting seven free throws) and picking up key points. Tyler had an uncharacteristic 5 turnovers in the game but his propensity for gutting the Crimson Tide zone made his play crucial.

Fourth, the Vols sealed the game with free throws, hitting 14 of their first 15 second-half free throws before Ramar Smith and Jordan Howell finished the game going 1-4 from the line. Tennessee was just 4-9 in the first half but the second half turnaround pulled their shooting up to 68%, which Vol fans will take most of the time now.

It also didn’t hurt that Tennessee outrebounded Alabama 45-36 and forced 20 turnovers. Two of my keys to the game did wind up being important: Alabama won the foul trouble battle, drawing 24 Vol fouls including 4 apiece on Ramar, Tyler, Wayne, and Jordan. That was overcome by Tennessee’s sharp perimeter shooting (12-27, 44%) which kept the Vols just ahead of the Tide for most of the second half.

I also felt like Tennessee was finally able to force its tempo in the second half after being dragged down into a methodical slugfest so many times this season. That was a key element for this game and hopefully shows that Tennessee can push teams into playing its game, which could be crucial down the road.

You have to go back to 1998 to find the last Vol victory in Tuscaloosa, and to 1981 to find the one before that. This win was special and momentous in many ways despite being a bit of an ugly game on both ends. There are some ugly numbers, but the most important figures are always the biggest on the scoreboard: Vols 93, Tide 86.

BruceBall vs. Alabama Preview

After polishing off Georgia at Thompson-Boling Arena, the Vols head back on the road to play the Crimson Tide of Alabama tonight. It may surprise you to know that we’ve beaten Kentucky twice in Rupp Arena since our last win in Tuscaloosa (January 28, 1998). We’ve had trouble winning there– serious trouble– and the series has been totally dominated by the home team. Alabama is 41-15 against Tennessee at home, and the Vols are 44-19 against the Tide in Knoxville. I know home court helps in nearly every contest, but those stats are wild.

This year’s Alabama team has had its ups and downs, mostly recently being very up with a 97-77 thrashing of rival Auburn. Prior to that the Tide had a four game losing streak, dropping road contests to Arkansas and Georgia sandwiched between home losses to Florida and Mississippi State. Overall, Alabama is 12-8 and 1-4 in the SEC– a disappointment if you’re an Alabama fan. Expectations under Mark Gottfried have been very high and so has the talent level, but results have been spotty: three NIT appearances, two first round NCAA exits, two second round exits, one Elite 8 appearance, and one year with no postseason tourney. With Ronald Steele out again this year, the Tide may be looking at another NIT appearance even if they finish the year with some strength.

On paper Alabama doesn’t have any good wins, with their best coming on a neutral floor against pythag #103 Missouri State. They have some iffy losses to Belmont and Georgia as well. Recall also that Kentucky came into last Tuesday with a similar resume, so nobody get too down on the Tide or too confident in our prospects. Road games are hard to win in the SEC, and none have been harder than at Lexington and at Tuscaloosa over the years.

Who they got? Alabama is a talented team, led my junior guards Alonzo Gee (6′6″, 107.2 O-rating, #165 offensive rebounder, 15.9 PPG) and Brandon Hollinger (5′11″, 123.1 O-rating, #2 in SEC in assist/TO ratio, 6.5 PPG) and junior forward Richard Hendrix (6′8″, 123.0 O-rating, top 100 in O- and D-rebounding and in blocks, 19.4 PPG). Senior guard Mykal Riley (6′6″, 116.6 O-rating, 13.3 PPG) is also a solid player for Alabama and is generally the Tide’s third scoring option after Hendrix and Gee. Riley and Gee at 6′6″ apiece will be matchup problems for our guards, and Riley is an excellent perimeter shooter (42.9%). Their 5th starter is 6′7″ sophomore forward Demetrius Jemison, an average player offensively but a good shot blocker. 6′4″ freshman PG Rico Pickett will get a lot of minutes off the bench and is coming off a season-high 17 point game against Auburn. Another freshman, 6′2″ Senario Hillman, will get in the game but the extent of his playtime will probably be limited. 6′4″ sophomore Mikhail Torrance has played about 12 minutes per game this year but in SEC play his PT has dropped closer to 5 MPG. Sophomore Justin Tubbs has appeared little in the Tide’s last 13 games and will likely not be a factor. 6′9″ sophomore Yamene Coleman will play in relief of the Tide’s post players, but will see limited minutes.

So that’s 10 deep of players who may see action, but Hillman and Coleman will not play that much– maybe 6-10 minutes depending on the foul situation– and Torrance and Tubbs will likely play even less . Alabama will be rotating Gee, Hollinger, Riley, and Pickett for the primary minutes at the three guard spots, with Hendrix and Jemison playing most of the game in the post, relieved only by Coleman. Don’t be surprised to see some four-guard lineups from the Tide; the height of their guards means they will remain a decent rebounding team with four guards.

Alabama is good at: offense, where it ranks 33rd in the nation in adjusted efficiency. Specifically, they excel in shooting (63rd in eFG%), taking care of the ball (22nd), and offensive boards (35th). Defensively they don’t fare as well, standing out only in shotblocking (41st). They shoot a decent rate from the perimeter (36.3%). Hendrix is a machine on both ends, scoring, rebounding, and blocking shots.

Alabama isn’t so good at: defense, ranking 164th in adjusted efficiency. Alabama doesn’t defend the opponent’s shot (213th), really has trouble defending the perimeter (opponents shoot 36.7% on threes) doesn’t turn the opponent over (232nd), is average in rebounding (125th). Offensively, they struggle getting to the FT line (319th), hitting FTs (334th), and assisting on baskets (141st).

Gameplan. The Tide will want to keep the pace down closer to the 65 possession range, while the Vols will do everything they can to push it toward 75. Alabama will try to do most of its damage in the post (only 31.6% of its FG attempts come from the perimeter) and will attempt to make this a halfcourt game. Tennessee will, as always, look to run-and-gun. This is always easier if the Vols can force turnovers but the Tide haven’t been too cooperative in that area with their other opponents.

I think much of the game rides on two things: perimeter shooting and foul trouble. In particular, a strong day from Gee, Hollinger, and Riley on the perimeter spells trouble for the Vols, while a strong day from Lofton, Howell, and JaJuan Smith would put them over the top. Meanwhile, in the post, the Vols need to keep Chism out of trouble and Hendrix in trouble if at all possible. Hendrix on the bench would be huge for the Vols, but the Tide can still win if the three-pointers can fall for them.

Luckily for the Vols, foul trouble for Chism isn’t as bad as it would have been a week ago with the return of Duke Crews. Crews will give Tennessee another strong post presence to give Hendrix trouble and to keep him working on both ends.

How it will go down. I think Lofton is back and I think he has a strong game for the Vols. I also think the re-emergence of Duke Crews will continue and he’ll pick up some key fouls on Richard Hendrix, keeping Alabama’s big man from dominating the game. I think Tennessee struggles early in the game and comes alive down the stretch, hitting some threes and turning a halftime deficit into a too-close-to-be-comfortable-but-good-enough margin of victory. My prediction: Vols 76, Tide 68.

Holy crap, where have I been?

Busy. And in the meantime, Chris Lofton has continued his awakening and the Vols beat UGA by 16. I only saw about 5 minutes of the game so it’s hard to comment, but it sounded sloppy yet comfortable.

I’ll be posting more soon.

Kentucky 72, Tennessee 66

Well, crap. We managed to put together our worst game of basketball when we went to the home of our most-hated rival. There’s a pattern of this at Rupp. I had just hoped it would end in the Pearl era. Not just yet.

The good

Chris Lofton, Ramar Smith, Wayne Chism (45 total points). These three played pretty well and made plays. Chris looked much like the Chris of old, and Ramar got to the rim seemingly whenever he wanted to. Chism didn’t have his best game but it was good enough.

The bad

Everyone else. Tyler Smith played his worst game as a Vol. JP Prince continues to force things and get frustrated when things aren’t going well. Brian Williams and Ryan Childress were ineffective in their 21 combined minutes. Jordan Howell was 0-3 shooting and scored no points. JaJuan Smith had one of the most off-nights he’s had all year, going 3-9 from the floor and scoring only 7 points while making some very poor decisions.

The ugly

Rebounding was atrocious. Shot selection and basketball IQ were total crap. Halfcourt offense was nonexistent. We only forced 12 turnovers. The players chose Rupp and Kentucky as the time to pull out their worst game of the year.

Give some credit to Kentucky, who played solid defense, broke the press well, and hit some really key jumpshots as they were coming back in the 2nd half. Tennessee simply didn’t bring enough to keep the lead or take it back.

The better team on the night was Kentucky, and the team they beat was almost unfamiliar to me it was such a caricature of itself: flaws magnified, heads large, helpless when they couldn’t get turnovers, inept on the glass, flailing threes wildly when the game was in the balance.

Let’s hope this was a mid-season aberration and nothing more. I think the team has finally stopped to read its press clippings and felt pretty good about itself. Bruce has some work to do to break that back down.

BruceBall Statistical Update

My pal Bradley just gave me a friendly reminder: “you give all kinds of stats about opposing teams in your preview but you never give us the Vols’ stats for comparison. Are you going to start mentioning those, you prick, or am I going to have to beat you down with the force of a thousand rabid gorillas?” Okay, that’s not exactly how it went, but I could hear frustration and malice in his words.

It was a good idea, threat or no threat. So here is a rundown of some of the vitals for the BruceBall season so far:

Old school and tempo-biased stats (and SEC rank)

• scoring offense: 85.6 PPG (1)
• scoring defense: 68.2 PPG (7)
• scoring margin: 17.4 (2)
• FT shooting: 65.3% (9)
• FG shooting: 46.5% (
• FG defense: 42% (7)
• 3pt shooting: 35.4% (6)
• 3pt FG: 9.5 (1)
• 3pt defense: 28.9% (1)
• rebounds: 37.4 (5)
• rebounds against: 38.6 (11)
• rebound margin: -1.2 (10)
• O-rebounds: 14.3 (2)
• D-rebounds: 23.1 (12)
• blocks: 3.2 (11)
• assists: 20.2 (1)
• steals: 11.4 (1)
• TO margin: +8.5 (1)
• A/TO ratio: 1.6 (1)
• attendance: 19,912 (2)

New school and tempo-free unbiased stats (and SEC rank)

• pythag: 0.968 (1)
• adjusted offensive efficiency: 118.8 (1)
  • eFG%: 53.1 (5)
  • turnover %: 16.7 (2)
  • O-rebound rate: 36.4% (7)
  • A/FGM: 65.9% (1)
• adjusted defensive efficiency: 88.3 (2)
  • eFG% defense: 48.1 (
  • turnover % defense: 27.4 (1)
  • d-rebound rate: 62.7% (12)
• adjusted tempo: 73.1 (1)

You can see what a different picture the tempo-free stats paint, and also how important turnovers have been to our efficiency on both ends. We lead the conference in offense and are second in defense only to Mississippi State (85.3), which is a nice place to be statistically. We’ve also easily played the toughest schedule of all SEC teams: #3 RPI and #9 pythag.

I like where we stand, battle tested and improving all the time. In the weeks to come, hopefully we won’t have too many lapses and will be contending for a very high NCAA seed. The schedule still will not be kind, starting with the game in Rupp tonight. Buckle up, folks.

BruceBall vs. Kentucky Preview

When Tubby Smith left Kentucky under pressure from the fans (and likely the administration) and UK hired Billy Gillispie, I’m not sure this is exactly what Wildcat fans had in mind:

Record: 7-9
Pythag Rank: 71
RPI Rank: 183

Kentucky has struggled mightily this year, with four bad losses (Gardner-Webb, UAB, Houston, San Diego) and only one good win (Vanderbilt) through 16 games. In fact, not only is the Vandy win the only win over a good team– it’s the only win over a team with a winning record. Their other six wins game against teams ranked 185, 249, 252, 286, 295, and 323 in pythag. These are not good teams and Kentucky seriously lacks quality wins. They’ll be looking to pick one up tomorrow night against the streaking Vols, who have shot up to #1 in the RPI, #11 in pythag, and into the top 5 in the polls.

Kentucky has three things going for it in this game: senior guards, Patrick Patterson, and the Rupperees. Let’s hit them one at a time.

Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford: The 6′2″ Bradley and 6′5″ Crawford do much of Kentucky’s damage, though both have been wildly and openly criticized by Kentucky fans. They combine to average 32.5 of Kentucky’s 72.1 PPG, shoot 34.9% from behind the arc, and nail 84.9% of their free throws. They are dangerous players, both outside and in getting to the basket. Bradley is second on the team with a 114.0 O-rating and ranks among the top 500 players in the NCAA in assist and steal rates. Crawford has a 105.2 O-rating and takes nearly 1/3 of UK’s shots when he’s in the game.

Patrick Patterson: This 6′9″ freshman was a coveted recruit and chose Kentucky over Florida. He’s lived up to his billing, scoring 16.6 PPG and pulling down 8.0 RPG. He leads the Wildcats with a 118.2 O-ratingand ranks highly nationally in eFG% (61.8, 68th), both rebounding stats (116th and 347th, and blocks (213th). He’s also very effective at the line for a player his size, hitting 74.2%. He’s got a mature body with a big build, and is a big presence inside on both ends.

The Rupperees: I hardly need to elaborate on these fellas. They’re different characters for each Kentucky home game, but seem to share a common goal: sending the home team out with a win. I’m sure they aren’t intentionally biased and I’m not going to accuse anyone of improper activities, but if you’re a Tennessee fan you know how many times the home cooking has kept the Vols out and Wildcats in games in Rupp Arena. It’s a frustrating place to play. Of course, maybe I could just give you some stats? In Kentucky’s three SEC games to date, here are the free-throw rates (FT attempts per FG attempt x100):

1. Vandy (home): 63.2
2. MSU (road): 20.0
3. Florida (road: 38.7

Hmm. Against Vandy, Kentucky attempted 57 FGs and were sent to the line 36 times. To be fair, this is not just a Rupp phenomenon, as UF and MSU had very high FT rates in their home wins over Kentucky. One team that doesn’t seem to get this benefit is Tennessee. In its last 6 home games, Tennessee’s best FT rate was 38.2 against Vandy. The Commodores’ rate in that game was 43.9. Oddly enough, scanning through the Vols’ schedule it seems that UT gets more love from the officials on the road than at home. Tomorrow we will find out if the Rupperees will be so kind.

Kentucky does do some things well. In particular, they get to the stripe and make them at a high rate, both bad news when the Rupperees are involved. Offensively they rank 84th in the nation, and their best asset is their shooting (eFG% is 85th). Defensively they rank 56th, with solid eFG defense (27th) and shotblocking (42nd).

But they do a lot of things poorly: UK can be exploited in the turnover battle– they rank 290th in taking care of the ball and 151st in taking it away from the opponent. You can bet Tennessee will attack them with pressure and try to exploit this. They are average rebounders (162nd on offense and 103rd on defense) and do not move the ball especially well (208th in assists per made FG).

Keys to the game: The first thing that jumps out at me is depth. Tennessee’s bench plays 38.4% of its minutes (NEW GEEK STAT!) while Kentucky’s plays just 33.1%. In particular, Kentucky always needs big games out of Patterson, Crawford, and Bradley in order to win. These guys average 16.6 points in 34.5 minutes, 16.4 points and 32.3 minutes, and 16.1 points and 33.4 minutes, respectively. That’s 68% of Kentucky’s scoring, if you’re keeping track, and a whole lot of minutes. In the tight games you can expect these three to be even more of a factor and the bench to play less of a role. Against Florida, Bradley played all 45 minutes (5 minutes of OT), Patterson played 44, and Crawford played 42. Against Mississippi State, they played 40, 36, and 39 minutes. Against Vandy, they played 50 minutes (10 minutes of OT), 50 minutes, and 48 minutes. Between the 3 of them, they have been off the floor a grand total of 11 minutes in the last three games.

As for Tennessee? JaJuan Smith played 33 minutes for the Vols against Ohio State, which was a season high- for the whole team. At first glance a Tennessee fan might worry about fatigue playing a role and favoring Kentucky with this being the third game in six days for the Vols; but the stats are quite revealing and I think we can expect the Vols’ legs to be just as fresh as Kentucky’s at tip, and moreso by the final horn.

Tempo will be a factor as well, just as it was against Ohio State. Kentucky will slow the pace down (184th) while Tennessee will look to run at every opportunity. If they can force turnovers, the Vols can really ramp up the pace and try to wear Kentucky out by challenging them up and down the floor.

Tennessee will mainly have to focus on Bradley, Crawford, and Patterson on the offensive end. They are easily the Wildcats’ best players and will have to lead Kentucky if they want to win. But like Ohio State’s Evan Turner, Kentucky has talented support players who are capable of hurting the Vols if we lose them defensively. In particular, 6′4″ Jodie Meeks and 6′6″ Derrick Jasper are very talented and capable of lighting it up if we are not careful. Both will come off the bench but play substantial minutes.

How it’s going to play out: Free throws will be an issue. I expect Kentucky to hurt us here with a lot of attempts, and for us to hurt ourselves with too many misses. I think Patrick Patterson will be a very tough player for Tennessee to defend and he will score some points and perhaps achieve a double-double. Bradley is the other player that scares me, as he’s an effective outside shooter as well as penetrator. The Vols will have to be very careful that he doesn’t burn them for easy buckets. Crawford is very talented but for some reason I don’t see him having a big game tomorrow. Call it a hunch. For Tennessee I think we could see a big game from the perimeter and not as much on the inside– but that’s okay as long as our posts are at least defending and rebounding admirably. But the big keys will be depth/fatigue and turnovers, and I think by the end of the game the Vols will have a significant edge in both. Kentucky’s advantage in the paint and on the line will be made up for by extra shots and fresher legs, and Tennessee has enough to hold them off in the end. My prediction: Vols 76, Wildcats 68.

Big big BIG win; RPI shaping up

My apologies for the limited posting the last few days. I have been in transit and am just now ready to catch back up.

I’m not going to really review the OSU game. I’m two days late and I’m sure you’ve read all the details elsewhere if you didn’t get to see it. I’ll make some random comments though:

• This is several games this season where things didn’t go as we wanted (tempo, style, poor shooting, no help from the zebras, etc.). We just keep winning these games; games we certainly would not have been able to pull out a year ago. Thank senior leadership and a better post/drive presence for this.
• Brian Williams played well. So did Wayne defensively, but at times he was lazy and his stats show it.
• We were much more athletic than OSU. I thought Jamar Butler would be a problem, but we were on him like white on rice.
• JaJuan just keeps putting up consistent numbers and playing good D.
• Koufos is a very good scorer on the block. We frustrated him early but he hurt us a lot late.
• Depth was huge, huge, huge. The Buckeyes got zero points off their bench.
• We held our own rebounding but still got hurt on the low block. We must play better against Patrick Patterson tomorrow night.
• Revenge is sweet.

This was another win over the RPI top 50. With Temple joining the top 50 today, Tennessee is 7-1 against that top tier. Only one other team (Memphis) even has 5 wins over the top 50. On the rest of the schedule there are three top 50 games (Arkansas, Memphis, Vandy) and three more against teams that will likely finish in the top 50 (Florida x2, Mississippi State). There’s also not a single team remaining on the schedule that is ranked 201+, and only one team we’ve played so far is (PVAMU). We have no RPI killers. Oh, did I mention that we’re up to #1 right now? With a large lead too. If we keep winning we won’t drop far, either, even though the schedule (according to the RPI) gets easier. With 4 or fewer losses I think we’ll remain in the top 5 throughout the season.

Big win, everyone. Next up is Kentucky for the third game in 6 days. If we aren’t too fatigued, this could cap off a terrific trio of wins. More on that game later.

Duke Crews cleared for practice; brief preview for OSU

Vol fans got great news today, as Duke Crews has been medically cleared to resume activities with the Tennessee basketball team. The Vols could use his toughness and athleticism on the inside, though it is sure to take some time before he’s ready to contribute many minutes. Duke hasn’t worked out or practiced in a month. Welcome back, Duke!

I am on the road, in Knoxville, and don’t have enough time to do my usual preview. So here are a few things you’ll want to know about OSU:

• The Buckeyes are solid (27th in pythag, #82 offense, #11 defense) and will be a challenge for the Vols
• OSU is young but talented, so they’re probably playing a lot better now than they were in December
• Senior guard Jamar Butler is good: O-rating 123.5, assist rate 34th nationally
• 7-foot center Kosta Koufos is a very good freshman (O-rating 110.5, ranked in both rebounding stats as well as in block rate, and rarely turns the ball over)
• Othello Hunter is a very solid post player too and will be tough to handle in the paint
• OSU will turn the ball over (their rate is 114th in the NCAA) and doesn’t turn its opponents over (256th)
• They prefer a slow pace (198th)
• They block a lot of shots and force low eFG%
• They don’t rebound very well (144th offensive, 228th defensive)
• They pass well (58th in assists/FGM) but sort of rely on the three ball (94th)
• Average minutes-weighted height (NEW GEEK STAT!) is 78.2 inches, or 6′6″. They play tall, 11th nationally. Tennessee’s AMWH is 6′5″, so it’s not a huge difference but one that could be important.

So, with all of this digested, we are faced with a familiar problem– a great perimeter player (Butler) and a great post player (Koufos). If we can defend them as effectively as we defended Foster and Ogilvy we’ll be in good shape. Also important are turnovers and especially tempo. Ohio State will want to slow it down into a halfcourt game, but if we can turn them over for easy buckets we could compound their errors and have some nice scoring spurts. We ought to hold our own in rebounding, and need to be cognizant of Hunter and Koufos’s ability to block shots. Chism will be a key player again.

Also of note– Chris Lofton owes them one after missing the front-end of a 1-1 that could have beaten OSU in Columbus a year ago. Might he break free tomorrow against the Buckeyes? Let’s hope so. My prediction: Vols 72, Buckeyes 64

Tennessee 80, Vanderbilt 60

A lot of things went as I expected in this game. Wayne Chism exploded for a huge game, and JaJuan and Tyler Smith played well.

I did not expect the defense to be that phenomenal. We held the SEC’s second-highest scoring team to 60 points in an up-tempo game. We held the SEC’s best shooters to 37% from the floor and forced 22 turnovers. That was a tremendous effort and shows what progress this team has made defensively. They are now ranked #23 in the nation in defensive efficiency. Bruce has got them where he wants them defensively.

I don’t have time for a full review, but I am very proud of this team and wanted to at least put that out there. We’ve got no time to rest with OSU coming in tomorrow, so I hope we can at least keep our edge.