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Tennessee basketball: 5 keys for Vols in 2017-2018 SEC play

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 24: Tennessee Volunteers players react in the second half of the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 24, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 82-80. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 24: Tennessee Volunteers players react in the second half of the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 24, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 82-80. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images /

2. Tennessee basketball needs to show multiple looks on offense.

Rick Barnes heavily bases his offense on tempo and transition. The defense is aggressive to force transition buckets, and the offense runs up and down the court. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Barnes has found the right personnel to run such a system, it works to perfection, and it’s incredibly entertaining for the fans. Meanwhile, he develops his players as well.

That development is what allows them to run half-court sets when the tempo isn’t working. However, such a strategy could be a bit of a problem this year.

We’re not saying that anything Barnes does is bad. But he doesn’t have a huge focus on scoring out of pure half-court sets.

With brilliant SEC coaches on the other side, that could become an issue. Two former Tennessee basketball coaches, Bruce Pearl and Cuonzo Martin, thrive in throwing different defensive looks at you. And both are in the SEC.

Roy Williams and Jay Wright did it, and it was why the Vols lost.

On top of scoring out of half-court sets, Tennessee basketball needs a way to beat the press. They showed some ability against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

But it’s going to be brutal in the SEC. We already know what Pearl does. Then there’s Mike Anderson of the Arkansas Razorbacks. Anderson comes straight out of Nolan Richardson’s “40 minutes of hell” system. And he lives and dies by pressure defense.

So this offensive variety is going to be key for the Vols. They have to score out of half-court sets to beat the aggressive man-to-man styles that Martin and John Calipari run. Then they need set plays to beat the press against Pearl and Anderson.

Admiral Schofield’s development on the outside, the continued improvement of Grant Williams, the red-hot shooting of Jordan Bowden, and the dramatic leap of Lamonte Turner give them a chance to do it. But this is something they have to prove. And there’s one final key element that could help this.

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