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Tennessee basketball: Even after setback, Vols still in good shape

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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On Wednesday, Tennessee basketball suffered a bad loss at the Georgia Bulldogs. But the Volunteers are still in good shape long-term.

Yes, given the way things have looked really dating back to Tennessee basketball’s loss to the Memphis Tigers and then Lamonte Turner’s season-ending surgery, the Vols did not want to lose by 17 to the Georgia Bulldogs on the road. However, in the grand scheme of things, they can get a lot better with time.

Remember, Rocky Top was playing its first game after the news of Uros Plavsic’s eligibility waiver being granted. A seven-foot, 240-pound center, he came off the bench in his first game. It’s inevitable that Rick Barnes eventually moves him into the staring lineup for more size, and he should develop.

Meanwhile, Josiah-Jordan James, despite being a five-star, is still a work in progress, and Santiago Vescovi continues to develop. Those guys are going to have off-nights and on-nights, and Vescovi will be a defensive liability at times.

Finally, Jordan Bowden and Yves Pons can’t be in this slump forever. Both were 0-for-five from the three-point line in Athens. Over the past five games, Bowden is five-of-38 from beyond the arc. He is one for his last 17 from outside. After shooting over 37 percent each of the past two years, this slump is bound to turn around.

Pons, meanwhile, has hit one-of-13 attempts in his last three games. Now, that is consistent with his past, but it’s not consistent with the improvements he made earlier this year. You have to think he’s just in a slump as well.

When both guys are struggling, point guards are still developing, and the key center hasn’t been able to be a regular part of the rotation, Tennessee basketball is going to struggle. That’s just the nature of how things go.

Add in the fact that they are on the road against a team with the top prospect in Anthony Edwards, and Edwards and Rayshaun Hammonds both had red-host shooting nights, and of course they will lose in a blowout. Nobody should have expected anything less.

However, if just one of the guys, Bowden or Pons, is not slumping, and if Plavsic gets more acclimated while James and Vescovi improve each game, then the Vols will continue to increase their chances of winning. They didn’t beat the Missouri Tigers on the road and South Carolina Gamecocks a few days later by luck.

In Tennessee basketball’s win over South Carolina, the Vols didn’t even have Plavsic, and Bowden and Pons were even worse. Oh, the Gamecocks just beat the Kentucky Wildcats as well. That should give you an idea of what the Vols can do.

Simply put, Barnes has had to completely remake the team three times this year already because of the transitions that have happened, and with those changes the Vols are still 10-6 and 2-2 in the SEC. It’s only midway through January. There are nearly two more months of basketball left to play before the postseason begins.

As a result, Rocky Top has plenty of time to get things right. Even with what was indeed a rough loss Wednesday night, fans should not panic yet. This team deserves one more full rocky month before being expected to settle into its identity. And that’s just fine.

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