Tennessee Basketball: 5 Things Vols Have to do to be Successful in SEC Play
1. More Consistent Point Guard Play
This is clearly the area where Tennessee basketball needs to improve the most. However, the Vols already appear to be on the right track with Jordan Bone slated to return on Thursday.
He was supposed to be the Vols’ true point guard from the start.
And through the first three games, he already looked great. One of them included eight assists against Appalachian State.
However, Bone can’t do it alone. He’s still hurt a bit, and he’s developing. That means that Barnes needs his other players to step up.
Shembari Phillips showed flashes of brilliance at the position with Bone out, but he was also wildly inconsistent.
After all, he had five assists against Lipscomb and Tennessee Tech and seven assists against Georgia Tech. But he combined for three assists against Gonzaga, UNC, and ETSU, and he had nine turnovers in those games.
So Phillips has to be more reliable, especially with Lamonte Turner being more of a combo guard who is still trying to fit in.
Barnes needs all three of these guys to be able to manage the position if he calls on them. Bone and Phillips have shown they can do it. They have to continue to prove it.
With The Vols’ offense based on such tempo, a point guard who is in control is a huge deal. Without that, everything can fall apart.
The next key on this list plays a role as well in keeping the unit glued on the court.