Struggling Vols Have Lost 4 Straight

As I sat in my living room watching UT play Duke and Memphis in Maui, I thought to myself, “This year could be much better than I thought.” When CoachMartin and company made their way back to the mainland, however, it seemed to be a different story and, in a way, a reality check. Sure, Pittsburgh was understandable and some would even say that Oakland and College of Charleston weren’t huge surprises, but Austin Peay? A team that is 1-9 entering the game? How does that happen? And how does a team compete with two of the top programs in the country, including arguably the best coach to ever coach men’s college basketball, and then lose to three mid-majors? It is impossible to pin point one or two things as the “reason” why UT has had the recent skid. That doesn’t mean that I can’t give my take though, right? That’s why I’m here.

UT basketball has lacked one major thing the last two years on and off the court: Leadership. Last year, even when the Vols were ranked 7th in the country, there was still no leadership. There is togetherness, yes. That is one thing that UT athletics as a whole has always had and will always have, but it impossible to win championships and compete on a high level each day without leadership. It is time for someone to step up within the squad and be that person. Specifically, I’m pointing to Jeronne Maymon and Trae Golden. Either, but preferably both, of these guys needs to be that leader for the squad. In today’s day and age, basketball revolves around point guard play and post play. That gives a huge opportunity for both of these guys to lead this team, especially Golden. The point guard in the floor general and has a responsibility to lead the team. Early in the year, this was happening. Golden was being a leader and, along with that, showing his talent and uncanny ability to score. I have not seen that since Maui. Speaking of Maui, I think Maymon may have left his fire there. The performance he had against Memphis was mind -bottling. Now, I don’t expect him to have that kind of game every night, but Maymon out-willed every person on the floor for the ball while in Maui and I just haven’t seen that since the plane ride back. Having a big-time rebounder down load can be absolutely huge for a basketball team and I think it showed in his performances against Duke and Memphis.

If there is one thing that really grinds my gears it has to be sloppy basketball. And I have to admit that I have seen a good bit of it in my days of watching UT basketball. But, for the first time in a long time, I did not see that at the beginning of the year. It was apparent that this squad had given in to Cuonzo Martin’s system and that they system worked. This team was playing smart basketball that was based off defense and patience. This is a trademark of Coach K at Duke and how he wins titles. Obviously, I like titles and would love to have a team that could win like Duke does so consistently so I was excited to say the least after the first few games and Maui. However, I was quickly brought back down to reality after Oakland, Austin Peay, and College of Charleston. Against Austin Peay (may I remind you that this team was 1-9 at the time) Tennessee has 18 turnovers and against Charleston, down the stretch, this team was making, what my high school coach calls, “bonehead moves.” Like dropping balls when you have a wide open layup, trying to throw it over a defender that had position to make an easy steal, and shooting contested three’s when you haven’t been making wide-open three’s for five minutes. It it times like this where I have flashbacks to the second half of last year’s season. It is just not smart basketball and you are not going to win games playing like this.

With all of this being said, I do have faith in Coach Martin and love the system that he has put in place. He seems to have the players on board and that can go a long way in building a good program. He was the right man for the job and will be successful while at UT in time. Sure, losing four in a row is not part of the plan by any means, but the beauty of college basketball is that it is a long season and everyone still has a shot right now. I think that this will be the low point of the season for UT fans. I’m not saying that this team will go win the SEC. I’m not even saying that this team will even make the tournament, but I am saying that this team will improve. It will be a different team come February. Through all of this turmoil, there is some reason for excitement. It is just kind of hard to see right now. It’s there, though! I promise!