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Tennessee basketball: Three takeaways from Vols 51-47 loss vs. Memphis

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 31: Jordan Bowden #23 of the Tennessee Volunteers shoots a layup during the game between the Tusculum Pioneers and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on October 31, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 31: Jordan Bowden #23 of the Tennessee Volunteers shoots a layup during the game between the Tusculum Pioneers and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on October 31, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Rick Barnes failed to secure his 700th win as Tennessee basketball fell at home to the Memphis Tiger. Here’s what we learned from the Volunteers’ loss.

Despite a 17-5 lead early, Tennessee basketball could not hold on. They fell behind 25-24 at halftime and then lost in a battle in the second half to the Memphis Tigers, 51-47, in front of a sellout crowd at Thompson-Boling Arena.

This was a marquee non-conference matchup between two in-state rivals tied for a No. 17 ranking in the Coaches Poll with the Tigers ranked No. 13 and the Vols ranked No. 19 in the AP Poll. The loss kept Barnes’s career win total stuck at 699, and it ended UT’s 31-game home winning streak dating back to January of 2018.

With the loss, the Vols fall to 7-2 on the year. Memphis, meanwhile, improves to 9-1 on the year and just secured a top 25 road win while still waiting on its best player, James Wiseman, to return. Here are three takeaways from Tennessee basketball’s loss.

1. Horrendous start for both teams offensively

This may have been the ugliest start to a basketball game in history. The Vols were up 10-5 more than 10 minutes into the game, and it was turnovers galore from both sides. Foul trouble and poor shooting were also major issues, rendering this one virtually unwatchable.

At that point in the game, the teams had shot a combined four for 30 from the field. Now, UT, because of Barnes’s great coaching, was the one leading at that point, and they even pushed it to 17-5 with eight minutes to go. The problem was once the Tigers started getting hot from outside, the Vols couldn’t respond due to our next takeaway.

2. Poor shooting from veterans proved costly.

Nobody among John Fulkerson, Yves Pons, Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowen scored in double-figures. Fulkerson was the best among them with nine points, seven rebounds and three blocks. But none of the back-court guys could ever get anything going for Tennessee basketball in this one, and it proved disastrous.

Pons and Bowden got into foul trouble early, and even as they got back on the court, they went a combined five-for-20 from the field, one-for-nine from three and scored a combined 11 points. Turner, meanwhile, finally hit rock-bottom with his shooting woes. He was one-for-11 and didn’t have a field goal until the final three minutes of the game. These issues are what cost the Vols.

3. Freshmen were able to step up when veterans struggled.

One major silver lining from this loss is the fact that the freshmen proved they could carry the load. Josiah-Jordan James was the one player on the team to score in double-figures, as he had 14 points and went three-of-six from three. He scored the teams first eight points as well. Freshmen in general had 10 of the first 12 and 15 of the Vols’ first 17 points, when they were up 17-5.

Drew Pember made three great plays in the first half, drawing a foul and hitting both free throws to break a dry spell, finding John Fulkerson for a bucket and then hitting a floater. Overall, after two Davonte Gaines free throws, UT’s freshmen had 19 of the Vols’ 24 first half points. And Olivier Nkamhoua had four rebounds that half. They were the stars, and that bodes well for the future.

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