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Tennessee Loses to Georgia Tech: Five Things We Learned About Vols

By Caleb Calhoun

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Here are five things we learned about Tennessee Volunteers Men’s Basketball under Rick Barnes in their loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Monday night.

It was a game of runs, but with lots of tempo and limited skill, the Vols could not hold onto a 53-44 lead in the second half as they lost to Georgia Tech in Atlanta 69-67 Tuesday night.

Rick Barnes’s first team fell to 1-1 on the year in what was a display of ugly basketball. Hustle, sloppiness, and limited skill are the clear identifications for this basketball team.

Somehow, the Vols had the heart to out-rebound Georgia Tech, despite their size disadvantages.

But they also surrendered 12 blocks and 10 steals, and the Yellow Jackets had six more assists than they did.

With both teams shooting below 40 percent from the field, it was an ugly game from a skills perspective but exciting to watch at the same time thanks to the tempo.

Obviously, that means a lot of negatives to takeaway on Vols basketball. Here are five things we learned about them in their second game of the year.

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1. Point Guard Play is Worse than We Thought

When you have no skilled big men, it’s hard enough for a point guard to do much. Add to that the fact that you have no true point guard, and the play is flat-out terrible.

Kevin Punter has a lot of heart and plays as tough as he can, especially on defense, but he is the reason the Vols had 16 turnovers to just nine assists on Tuesday, and he had four turnovers to only two assists himself. Those are terrible numbers that have to get better. It’s hard to say for sure that they will, though.

2. Depth Continues to Plague the Vols

Only seven players for Tennessee logged any sort of meaningful minutes on Tuesday. The Vols only played nine guys at all the entire game. Kevin Punter, Armani Moore, and Robert Hubbs all had to log more than 30 minutes.

And all three players also have had major issues with cramps this season through only two games. Rick Barnes is right to live and die by tempo, but it’s going to kill this team by February. Other guys have to work their way into the rotation.

3. Jabari McGhee Should Continue to See More Action

One of the pleasant surprises through two games this year, Jabari  McGhee has been a very reliable player off the bench for the Vols. He went from a career-high nine points in the opener to a career-high 10 points against Georgia Tech.

At 6’5″ McGhee is going to have issues playing as big as he does, but he has great shot selection and is very efficient under the basket, so he’s a very reliable player.

4. Robert Hubbs III Is Finally Getting Aggressive

This is one of the most important things for the Vols if they are to have any success this year. Robert Hubbs III is finally healthy and should be the best player on the court. He has got to show it now.

Hubbs was only six of 16 Monday night, but he at least showed aggressiveness for the second straight game. A bad shooting night is forgivable if that happens. As the best player on the court, he’s got to be the go-to scorer.

Next: Vols Facing Most Pressure of the Year at Missouri

5. Size May be Overrated

Lack of big men will hamper the offense’s ability to score out of half-court sets and the defense’s ability to rebound in half-court offenses. But the Vols did not lose Monday because they were too small. They lost due to 16 turnovers, a 35 percent shooting rate from the field, and barely shooting above 50 percent from the free throw line.

All of those things could get better as the season goes on. If Armani Moore, who is already aggressive, can get a bit more control, and Kevin Punter can limit his mistakes, size in this tempo will not matter as much.

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