Tennessee basketball lost its second conference game of the year on Saturday. The 76-75 loss came at the hands of in-state rival Vanderbilt, who brought a loud crowd to maximize the Commodores' chances of upsetting the Vols.
The Vols struggled throughout the game, and the road crowds have been hurting Tennessee's performance. It's going to be difficult to win on the road in the SEC this year, and Igor Miličić Jr. admitted the crowd played a factor in Tennessee's struggles.
Miličić admitted that Vanderbilt's crowd brought the noise, and it cost Tennessee. He blamed it on being new to the program and new to this level of basketball, and it showed on Saturday and in Tennessee's 30-point loss to Florida.
"We have a lot of guys that didn't know it was going to be like this," Miličić said post-game. "A lot of new guys. Me, [Felix Okpara], Chaz -- half the team is new. So we didn't know it was going to be -- of course, the coaches told us -- but it's a new experience for all of us. It don't matter if it's loud or if it's quiet, we gotta talk, we gotta be on the same page. And that's how we're going to win games."
If opposing crowds are going to be that big of a factor for Tennessee moving forward, the Vols could be in big trouble with notable road dates against No. 1 Auburn, No. 8 Kentucky, No. 11 Texas A&M, and No. 21 Ole Miss still on the schedule.
Tennessee's communication undoubtedly has to improve. The Vols looked lifeless for several minutes in the second half, which cannot happen if Tennessee wants to compete with the best the SEC has to offer.
Allowing the crowd noise to throw you off your game this much could also hurt Tennessee in the SEC and NCAA Tournament. It's unlikely Tennessee will have a home-crowd atmosphere for each game in those tournaments, so the Vols have to find a way to play through the crowd noise and win difficult games.