Tennessee basketball goes as perimeter play goes

Rick Barnes loves playing inside-out, and Tennessee basketball has weapons in the post. However, it’s no longer a fluke based on red-hot three-point shooting. The success of the Vols this season will be dictated by how they play on the perimeter.

On Tuesday, they beat the Presbyterian Blue Hose 86-44. That blowout came despite John Fulkerson, Olivier Nkamhoua and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield all scoring single digits. UT won its first game of the year with Fulkerson and Jonas Aidoo out due to injury.

What led them to victory? Well, they shot over 50 percent from the three-point line, largely thanks to Justin Powell hitting all five attempts, and Kennedy Chandler tied a school-record seven steals as the team overall had 13.

In their previous outing, against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, Tennessee basketball didn’t have Powell. Josiah-Jordan James has been out since the Hall of Fame Tip-Off in Connecticut. As a result, Barnes decided to focus on the post.

Fulkerson, Nkamhoua and Huntley-Hatfield all had double figures in that game. However, Rocky Top only won 80-69 and looked hideous. The other time they looked bad was in heir 71-53 loss to the Villanova Wildcats. They didn’t get blown out on the glass that day, but they shot 17.9 percent from three and only forced seven turnovers.

The blueprint for Tennessee basketball to win is clear at this point. Chandler needs to force turnovers on defense, as does James when he gets back onto the court. They also both need to score the ball in transition.

Then Powell, Santiago Vesocvi and Victor Bailey Jr. need to be the scorers out of the half-court offense, usually by dominating from the three-point line but also being able to find other ways to score if they’re having an off-day. One of them is always bound to be on.

Fulkerson, Nkamhoua and Huntley-Hatfield should provide the rebounding and the help down low. But while Fulkerson is the leader of the team and the most experienced weapon in the post, the heart and soul of the Vols comes from what they do in the backcourt.

If this team isn’t hitting any three-pointers and isn’t generating any transition buckets, it’s not going to win many games against elite competition. That’s a major departure from Barnes teams of the past.

Now, this isn’t to say the post isn’t important. It adds a level of versatility that most teams built around elite perimeter play don’t have. Honestly, it’s what makes this team unique and dangerous. That threat alone is why they can still be effective without players like James.

However, Tennessee basketball will be driven by guard play this year. The Vols may be elite again like the 2018-2019 team, but they aren’t built like that team, where everything went through Grant Williams. This year, they go through Chandler, Vescovi, Powell and Bailey.