After the Tennessee collapse versus Kentucky, Rick Barnes kept it pretty simple after the game. He was happy with how Tennessee competed, but the Vols need to execute better down the stretch. Everyone needed to be better, including star point guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie, who had a mediocre second half, only scoring one point and not having an assist.
The story of the night was Tennessee seemingly missing every single shot in the second half. They started the second half 2-15 and 0-4 from beyond the arc, a disastrous recipe for success. For the game, Tennessee shot 37% from the field and 68% from the free throw line.
After the game, Barnes summed it up in one simple, spot-on statement: "We can't continue to miss shots at the rim. We’ve got to make some layups."
Rick Barnes: "We've got to make some layups"
Sure, basketball is more than just making more shots than your opponent, but that’s exactly how Saturday night at Rupp felt. Tennessee couldn’t buy a layup in the second half.
Tennessee only scored 24 points in the paint compared to Kentucky's 44. The Vols love to dominate inside, with 43% of their field goal attempts coming at the rim; they need to score more than 24 points in the paint. If the offense is going to be predicated on getting the ball down low, it can't be this low.
All night, Tennessee simply couldn't make a shot at the basket, and it proved to be the difference. JP Estrella has been very good for Tennessee all season, but he was 4-13 from the field and 3-7 from the charity stripe. Barnes needed him to convert in the paint much more often than he did. DeWayne Brown II has never been known for his elite offensive game, but he was 1-6 at the bucket, another example of Tennessee's inside threats not converting at the hole.
Tennessee also managed just 12 second-chance points despite hauling in 19 offensive rebounds, another stat proving Barnes’ point in the postgame presser. If the Vols had converted just a couple more layups, they’d have walked out of Rupp with the win.
Basketball is complex, but sometimes it comes down to something simple. Making a layup.