NCAA Tournament: Three takeaways from Vols’ 70-56 loss to Oregon State
With John Fulkerson unable to go, an underachieving season for Tennessee basketball came to an end Friday in the NCAA Tournament. The No. 5 seed Vols lot their first game of the Big Dance in 2021 to the No. 12 seed Oregon State Beavers 70-56, their first Round of 64 since 2011.
Oregon State, which has now won four straight after winning the Pac-12 Tournament title and seven out of eight overall, took control from the start, building a 33-14 first-half lead. They led by 20 at multiple times in the second half and held off every comeback by UT.
Rick Barnes’ team finishes the year 18-9. Wayne Tinkle’s Beavers, meanwhile, improve to 18-12 and will advance to take on the winner between the Liberty Flames and the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Here are three things we learned from Tennessee basketball’s NCAA Tournament loss.
1. Open looks just weren’t falling.
By the time the Vols fell behind significantly, the shot selection did get progressively worse. However, Oregon State took control of this game because UT couldn’t buy a bucket in the first half. They had great looks and took the right shots from three and inside, but they weren’t falling, and that put the Beavers in control early.
The Vols went 5-of-26, or 19.2 percent, from the three-point line and 21-of-63, or 33.3 percent from the field overall. Oregon State, meanwhile, went 10-of-21 from the three-point line. That difference in threes was the difference in the game. Their efficiency increased as UT pressed more, though, so it came back to just too many misses for Rocky Top.
2. Interior advantage was erased.
If Tennessee basketball’s shots aren’t falling, it can usually rely on the one-two punch of John Fulkerson’s offense down low and Yves Pons’ defense to remain competitive. Well, Fulkerson was still out due to that injury he suffered in the SEC Tournament. Meanwhile, Pons got in foul trouble early and played the final eight minutes with four fouls.
That combination proved disastrous. UT didn’t have an offensive option down low, and Oregon State attacked Pons late. Center Roman Silva came away with 16 points because Pons couldn’t be aggressive defensively, and in a shocker, the Beavers outrebounded the Vols 41-34. Josiah-Jordan James, a guard, led the team in rebounds with 13. That’ll cost you an NCAA Tournament game.
3. Rick Barnes was too late to the press.
One strength of the Vols all year was versatility. They could exploit any opponent’s weakness. Well, the Oregon State Beavers play a slow-paced game relying on great defense and hoping their shots fall. With the shots not falling for UT and the interior advantage erased, their best bet was to use their athletic guards to turn up the press.
They finally did that with six minutes to go trailing 62-42 and nearly cut the game to single digits in the process. That aggression led to three steals apiece for Keon Johnson and Santiago Vescovi and two for James. Thanks to transition buckets, Johnson had 14 points. If Barnes turned that up 10 minutes earlier, UT might be advancing in the NCAA Tournament. That was a big mistake.