All for Tennessee
Fansided

March Madness 2022: Five keys for Tennessee Vols vs. Longwood in NCAA Tournament Round of 64

By Caleb Calhoun

Mar 13, 2022; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Kennedy Chandler (1) and forward John Fulkerson (10) and guard Josiah-Jordan James (30) and guard Zakai Zeigler (5) and guard Santiago Vescovi (25) huddle during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 13, 2022; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Kennedy Chandler (1) and forward John Fulkerson (10) and guard Josiah-Jordan James (30) and guard Zakai Zeigler (5) and guard Santiago Vescovi (25) huddle during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
Tennessee guard Santiago Vescovi (25) shoots during a game at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021.012321 Tennessee Mizzou
Tennessee guard Santiago Vescovi (25) shoots during a game at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021.012321 Tennessee Mizzou /

1. Hit free throws

light. Related Story. NCAA Tournament: Toughest matchups in Vols' region

If there’s one thing to criticize about Tennessee basketball in the SEC Tournament, it’s free throw shooting. Rocky Top shot 32-of-49 from the stripe in those three games, which is good for just over 65 percent. They never shot better than 68 percent in any individual game.

That’s not going to cut it in March Madness, especially when games get close towards the end. Against a team like Longwood, this could prove devastating. The Lancers shoot 72.4 percent from the free throw line on the year, and given how many elite shooters they have, if it gets close late, they could have an advantage.

To be fair, the Vols shoot 71.2 percent from the stripe on the year. The problem is teams have found a loophole. UT’s go-to player, Kennedy Chandler, struggles from the stripe. He’s shooting an abysmal 61.1 percent there on the season. A key miss by him almost resulted in the Vols blowing their lead late to Kentucky.

Next. NCAA Tourney: Top five Vols ranked by importance. dark

As a result, this really applies to Chandler since he’ll be the one with the ball late. If he can hit his free throws, then even if Longwood makes it close, the Vols are advancing in March Madness. However, a few misses could pull costly if the other factors enter the mix.

Home/Vols Basketball