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Tennessee basketball: Three takeaways from Vols 80-63 loss at Georgia

By Caleb Calhoun

COLUMBIA, MISSOURI - JANUARY 08: Head coach Rick Barnes of the Tennessee Volunteers directs his team against the Missouri Tigers in the second half at Mizzou Arena on January 08, 2019 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI - JANUARY 08: Head coach Rick Barnes of the Tennessee Volunteers directs his team against the Missouri Tigers in the second half at Mizzou Arena on January 08, 2019 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /
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A two-game winning streak for Tennessee basketball came to an end with a loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. Here are things we learned about the Volunteers.

For the sixth straight time, Tennessee basketball lost in Athens. The Vols fell to the Georgia Bulldogs 80-63 Wednesday night, ending their two-game winning streak while UGA snapped its two game losing streak.

With the loss, UT falls to 10-6 on the year and 2-2 in the SEC, and Georgia improves to 11-5 on the year and also 2-2 in the SEC. Up next for Rocky Top is a trip Saturday to Oxford to take on the Ole Miss Rebels.

This was the Vols’ first game with Uros Plavsic, and they did lead 12-8 at one point. But UGA went on a 32-11 run, including a 10-0 run, to go up 40-23 and take a 47-28 lead into halftime. They never were threatened after that. Here are three takeaways from Tennessee basketball’s loss.

1. Veterans still can’t buy a three.

This is becoming a major concern. We knew that Jordan Bowden and Yves Pons would hit reality after being red-hot early in the year. But they can’t even get somewhat warm now. Each player attempted five three-pointers, and neither hit one. Bowden still had 12 points by hitting five field goals and getting to the line, but this was a major issue.

2. It was the Anthony Edwards and Rayshaun Hammonds show.

We saw why Anthony Edwards was the top-rated prospect this past year. He torched Tennessee basketball with 26 points, hitting five of 10 three-pointers. Hammonds, meanwhile, was a great stretch-four, scoring 21 points and hitting all three three-point attempts. These two guys were just red-hot, and there was no way to stop them.

3. Freshmen are showing growth.

Josiah-Jordan James did hit three three-pointers and scored 11 points. Santiago Vescovi only had two turnovers. Uros Plavsic had five points in his first game, coming off the bench, and Olivier Nkamhoua, Davonte Gaines and Drew Pember all provided production off the bench. This was one plus, but it couldn’t overcome the other issues.

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