Since Tennessee picked up the win over Auburn in the SEC Tournament, the Vols will take on Vanderbilt today at 3:30 p.m. ET, a grudge match between the two schools. It’s hard to ignore that a common theme as of late for Tennesse is getting off to slow starts. When they met the Commodores last Saturday, Vanderbilt came out firing early, leading 15-2 seven minutes into the game. Yesterday against the Tigers, the Vols fell 18-9 in the first ten minutes and were forced to play catch-up from that point on.
Rick Barnes was asked about Tennessee's slow start against Auburn, and he said:
"That’s a great observation. It’s real slow. We were awful against Vandy to start the game, turning the ball over the way we did. But again, tonight wasn’t surprised. I knew Auburn would come out very physical, really try to take Ja’Kobi out. Probably Nate a little bit. We knew our post guys were going to have to be involved."
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Barnes is right; if Tennessee wants to have any success against Vanderbilt, it can’t afford to play from behind early. The Vols have the luxury of being more in rhythm after yesterday’s game, similar to how Auburn was against Tennessee, when the Tigers flourished in the first ten minutes. This is a time when the Vols need to take advantage of it, not give it away.
Barnes also said the Vols needed to bet better in their pick-and-rolls a key part of the offense.
"But we were hanging onto the ball. Ja’Kobi was hanging onto it too long. Nate was, too. Our post guys were rolling out way too deep. We talk about the short roll, spray it. It’s a very fine line," said Barnes.
With ball screens being such an integral part of Tennesse's actions, this needs to be on point today. The bigs can't roll too deep, and the ball handlers need to be quicker with their decisions. Tennessee isn't good enough offensively to waste possessions with mistakes. Barnes can live with a missed shot, but a careless turnover will drive him, and fans, nuts.
How Tennessee can beat Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt has a lot of offensive firepower with Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles. Those guys can flip a switch at any moment, so taking advantage of every opportunity the Vols can get will be huge. I think getting Ament going early will be a big factor for Tennessee. It seems to always help the freshman star to see a couple go through the basket early. Not making this a track meet will be huge, too. If Tennessee can control the base and set the tone physically, they will be successful. It won't be easy, but Tennesse has the chance to have bragging rights all year over Vanderbilt.