Tennessee Volunteers
Head Coach: Rick Barnes 614-325 (.654), 10-11 (.476) in 1st season at UT
Overall Record: 10-11, 3-5 in SEC (9-2 at home)
2015-16 Schedule
11/13/15 UNC ASHEVILLE W 82-78
11/16/15 at Georgia Tech L 67-69
11/19/15 MARSHALL W 84-74
11/22/15 GARDNER-WEBB W 89-64
11/24/15 ARMY WEST POINT W 95-80
? 11/27/15 vs George Washington L 70-73
? 11/28/15 vs Nebraska L 71-82
12/12/15 at Butler L 86-94
12/16/15 FLORIDA ATLANTIC W 81-62
& 12/19/15 vs Gonzaga L 79-86
12/22/15 ETSU W 76-67
12/29/15 TENNESSEE STATE W 74-69
* 01/02/16 at Auburn L 77-83
* 01/06/16 FLORIDA W 83-69
* 01/09/16 TEXAS A&M L 88-92
* 01/13/16 at Georgia L 72-81
* 01/16/16 at Mississippi State W 80-75
* 01/20/16 VANDERBILT L 74-88
* 01/23/16 SOUTH CAROLINA W 78-69
* 01/26/16 at Alabama L 57-63
1/30/16 at TCU L 63-75
? = Barclays Center Classic (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
& = Battle in Seattle (Seattle, Wash.)
* = Southeastern Conference game
Game Information
02/02/16 Kentucky at Tennessee, Thompson Boling Arena, Knoxville, TN, 7:00pm EST, TV: ESPN
Probable Starters
F #4 Armani Moore 6-4 217 Sr, 11.7pts, 8.0reb, 4.0reb, 1.4stls, 2.0blks, .316 3pt%
F #5 Admiral Schofield 6-5 240 Fr, 6.9pts, 3.8reb, .327 3pt%
G #3 Robert Hubbs III 6-4 207 Jr, 11.8pts, 4.4reb, 1.6ast, .171 3pt% (6-35)
G #34 Devon Baulkman 6-4 200 Sr, 9.0pts, 3.7reb, 2.0ast, 1.0stls, .330 3pt%
G #0 Kevin Punter 6-2 190 Sr, 23.0pts, 3.7reb, 3.5ast, 1.5stls, .385 3pt%
Key Reserves
G #15 Detrick Mostella 6-1 175 So, 8.3pts, 1.9reb, 1.1ast, .330 3pt%
G #25 Shembari Phillips 6-2 190 Fr, 3.2pts, 1.0reb, .333 3pt%
F #23 Derek Reese 6-7 230 Sr, 3.0pts, 5.5reb, .400 3pt%
F #11 Kyle Alexander 6-9 215 Fr, 1.4pts, 2.6reb, no 3pt threat
Team Stats
Points per game 77.4
Points allowed 75.9
Scoring margin +1.6
Field goal pct .423
FG% allowed .421
3-point FG pct .332
3pt FG% allowed .340
Free throw pct .740
Rebounds per game 38.8
Rebounds allowed 40.8
Rebounding margin -2.0
Assists per game 13.9
Turnovers per game 11.8
Turnovers forced 13.1
Turnover margin +1.4
Assist/turnover ratio 1.2
Steals per game 6.2
Blocks per game 5.4
KenPom Analysis #98 Tennessee
Strengths
#38 in FT% (74.0%)
#36 in Defensive block % (13.0%)
#44 in Offensive Turnover % (they don’t turn it over)
Weaknesses
#320 in allowing offensive rebounds
#243 in effective fg% (they don’t make shots)
#226 in 3pt% (33.2%)
#221 in 2pt% (47.3%)
Analysis: The Volunteers enter Tuesday’s game with Kentucky sporting a 10-11 season record and coming off a loss that likely stings almost as much as Kentucky’s loss to Kansas. They led TCU by 14 at the half only to lose the game by 12, a 26pt turnaround in 20 minutes. Tennessee has had a rough 2015-16 season that has been the result of many different factors, not the least of which is breaking in a new coach and new system with Rick Barnes now at the helm. The other primary factor leading to this 10-11 record is Tennessee’s lack of skilled size in the paint. If you look at that starting line-up, they basically start 5 guards. Tennessee has Armani Moore and Admiral Schofield (what a name!) listed as forwards, but that doesn’t change the fact that they start nobody taller than 6-5. Now, these guys play bigger than they are, so that makes up for it somewhat. Perhaps even crazier is this: they only have a -2 rebounding margin. But this lack of size has definitely been an issue. They don’t have a back to the basket scorer and they don’t get many easy points.
Tennessee’s team begins with its high energy leader, senior Kevin Punter. He has definitely emerged this season as their go-to scorer, putting up 23.0 points per game. Beating Tennessee begins by slowing Punter down, which is easier said than done. He’s a high energy guy who is very quick and an excellent leaper and finisher, even at only 6-2. He leads the team in scoring, assists, steals, 3pt makes and 3pt% among players with qualifying attempts. (Reese has a better % but only 5 attempts) Punter doesn’t just do his damage from beyond the arc. He’s also excellent off the dribble, can get into the lane, and has an excellent mid-range jumper. Tennessee’s second best scorer is junior Robert Hubbs, a 6-4 wing who plays the 3 and gets most of his points on mid-range jumpers and garbage buckets around the goal. He’s not a good 3pt shooter, only making 6-35 on the season for 17%. He drives and drives and, if he can’t get to the goal, he’ll pull up for the short jumper. The third guard in the line-up is senior Devin Baulkman, a 6-4 2-guard who doesn’t get the attention of Punter, Hubbs, and Armani Moore, but has contributed in multiple ways. He’s 2nd in assists, 2nd in 3pt makes, 3rd in steals, and 4th in scoring. He does a little bit of everything. He’s only a 33% shooter from 3, but he does like to take the 3pt shot more than any other.
In the frontcourt (and I use that term loosely), Tennessee’s other senior, Armani Moore, leads the team. Moore is the closest thing to an interior scorer as Tennessee has, but he’s similar to other UT guys in that he likes that mid-range jumper and can shoot it all the way out to 3pt range. Moore leads the team in rebounding by a large margin, hauling in 8.0 rebounds per game. He also leads the team in blocked shots, with 40 on the season for nearly 2 blocks per game. He’s a big time energy guy who will scrap and fight for loose balls and rebounds, and is a high flying finisher on the break. If you don’t put a body on him, he can hurt you, without question. The other frontcourt starter is Admiral Schofield, the lone freshman starter for the Volunteers. He’s 6-5 and 240lbs, so he’s a bit of a load even though he’s not very tall or long. He might be better suited to play tight end for the football team, to be honest, but here he is. He scores 6.9 points per game, gets 3.8 rebounds, and is a decent defender because of his strength more than his size. He usually gets the assignment of guarding whoever plays back to the basket for the opponent.
From the bench, the guy we’ll see the most is Derek Reese, the 6-7 230 senior forward. Reese has started 11 games for Tennessee this season but lost his starting job to Schofield. The reason Reese doesn’t start is because he’s just not a scorer, and Tennessee needs all the points it can get. Reese plays 20 minutes per game, which is 5th in minutes on the team, but only scores 3.0 points, good for 8th on the team. He’s a strong guy who can rebound well, grabbing 5.5 boards which is 2nd on the team. The leading scorer off the bench is sophomore Detrick Bostella, a 6-1 guard. He’s the second best 3pt shooter on the team at 33% and he shoots about 2/3 of his attempts from beyond the arc. He doesn’t start because he’s a bit turnover prone, sporting an a/to ratio of .76, which is one of the worst on the team. He’s best as a spot-up shooter. Shembari Phillips is another guard who comes off the bench. He’s a 6-2 190 freshman who keeps Bostella from having THE worst a/to ratio on the team. He only plays 9.6 minutes per game. He scores 3.2 points, but unfortunately the second largest number on his stat line is 19 turnovers on the season. The other bench player is the biggest guy on the team who gets minutes, the 6-9 215lb freshman Kyle Alexander. He’s still a bit of a project and only plays about 10.4 minutes per game. I have a feeling he wouldn’t get that much time if Barnes were not looking a bit to the future (and who can blame him for that?). Alexander doesn’t produce much, only scoring 1.4 points per game and grabbing 2.6 rebounds. He does have 22 blocks on the season, so his defense is quite a bit ahead of his offense.
Tennessee is a very unorthodox team to play. First of all, 5 guys 6-5 and under is strange for a major conference program. But this also means you need 5 defenders who can guard out to 3pt range. (this may mean we see little of Skal, though he might have a field day on offense) They've had a couple games where they shot the ball extremely well, such as against Florida back on January 6 when they scored 83 points, shot nearly 50% from the floor, and won by 14. This team is a jump shooting team, so when they’re hot they can cause some problems. They almost beat Butler in Indianapolis, played to within 7 of Gonzaga in Seattle, and Texas A&M within 4 points in Thompson Boling Arena. So, I say all that to say this- if our Cats come out flat or down, this could be a loss. We all know what to expect- a tshirt giveaway, an orange out or white out, and a raucous crowd on hand. But I can’t imagine it being any worse than at Kansas.
I fully expect Tennessee to come out ready to play in this one. Forget TCU, this is Kentucky! And these seniors, Punter, Moore, Baulkman, and Reese have been through these battles before. They want to go out with a win. In fact, that thought may have led to their second half meltdown against TCU, a game the Volunteers could have and should have won. I expect a strong start from Tennessee but I think reality will sink in at some point. I think Kentucky, coming off a loss, will be ready to play with energy and aggression in this one. The Cats have been very good coming off a loss this season, and their play has been significantly improved since that Auburn debacle. I think, even if Tennessee’s first shot defense is decent in this game, they will struggle keeping Poythress, Lee, and Willis off the offensive glass. IN fact, when you look at their stats, they are near the bottom of D1 in keeping people off the glass- #320. Meanwhile, Kentucky is #10 in the nation on the offensive glass, grabbing nearly 40% of their misses. I also think Tennessee will struggle finding open shots against UK’s quick starting line-up.
Prediction: Kentucky 78 Tennessee 68
Head Coach: Rick Barnes 614-325 (.654), 10-11 (.476) in 1st season at UT
Overall Record: 10-11, 3-5 in SEC (9-2 at home)
2015-16 Schedule
11/13/15 UNC ASHEVILLE W 82-78
11/16/15 at Georgia Tech L 67-69
11/19/15 MARSHALL W 84-74
11/22/15 GARDNER-WEBB W 89-64
11/24/15 ARMY WEST POINT W 95-80
? 11/27/15 vs George Washington L 70-73
? 11/28/15 vs Nebraska L 71-82
12/12/15 at Butler L 86-94
12/16/15 FLORIDA ATLANTIC W 81-62
& 12/19/15 vs Gonzaga L 79-86
12/22/15 ETSU W 76-67
12/29/15 TENNESSEE STATE W 74-69
* 01/02/16 at Auburn L 77-83
* 01/06/16 FLORIDA W 83-69
* 01/09/16 TEXAS A&M L 88-92
* 01/13/16 at Georgia L 72-81
* 01/16/16 at Mississippi State W 80-75
* 01/20/16 VANDERBILT L 74-88
* 01/23/16 SOUTH CAROLINA W 78-69
* 01/26/16 at Alabama L 57-63
1/30/16 at TCU L 63-75
? = Barclays Center Classic (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
& = Battle in Seattle (Seattle, Wash.)
* = Southeastern Conference game
Game Information
02/02/16 Kentucky at Tennessee, Thompson Boling Arena, Knoxville, TN, 7:00pm EST, TV: ESPN
Probable Starters
F #4 Armani Moore 6-4 217 Sr, 11.7pts, 8.0reb, 4.0reb, 1.4stls, 2.0blks, .316 3pt%
F #5 Admiral Schofield 6-5 240 Fr, 6.9pts, 3.8reb, .327 3pt%
G #3 Robert Hubbs III 6-4 207 Jr, 11.8pts, 4.4reb, 1.6ast, .171 3pt% (6-35)
G #34 Devon Baulkman 6-4 200 Sr, 9.0pts, 3.7reb, 2.0ast, 1.0stls, .330 3pt%
G #0 Kevin Punter 6-2 190 Sr, 23.0pts, 3.7reb, 3.5ast, 1.5stls, .385 3pt%
Key Reserves
G #15 Detrick Mostella 6-1 175 So, 8.3pts, 1.9reb, 1.1ast, .330 3pt%
G #25 Shembari Phillips 6-2 190 Fr, 3.2pts, 1.0reb, .333 3pt%
F #23 Derek Reese 6-7 230 Sr, 3.0pts, 5.5reb, .400 3pt%
F #11 Kyle Alexander 6-9 215 Fr, 1.4pts, 2.6reb, no 3pt threat
Team Stats
Points per game 77.4
Points allowed 75.9
Scoring margin +1.6
Field goal pct .423
FG% allowed .421
3-point FG pct .332
3pt FG% allowed .340
Free throw pct .740
Rebounds per game 38.8
Rebounds allowed 40.8
Rebounding margin -2.0
Assists per game 13.9
Turnovers per game 11.8
Turnovers forced 13.1
Turnover margin +1.4
Assist/turnover ratio 1.2
Steals per game 6.2
Blocks per game 5.4
KenPom Analysis #98 Tennessee
Strengths
#38 in FT% (74.0%)
#36 in Defensive block % (13.0%)
#44 in Offensive Turnover % (they don’t turn it over)
Weaknesses
#320 in allowing offensive rebounds
#243 in effective fg% (they don’t make shots)
#226 in 3pt% (33.2%)
#221 in 2pt% (47.3%)
Analysis: The Volunteers enter Tuesday’s game with Kentucky sporting a 10-11 season record and coming off a loss that likely stings almost as much as Kentucky’s loss to Kansas. They led TCU by 14 at the half only to lose the game by 12, a 26pt turnaround in 20 minutes. Tennessee has had a rough 2015-16 season that has been the result of many different factors, not the least of which is breaking in a new coach and new system with Rick Barnes now at the helm. The other primary factor leading to this 10-11 record is Tennessee’s lack of skilled size in the paint. If you look at that starting line-up, they basically start 5 guards. Tennessee has Armani Moore and Admiral Schofield (what a name!) listed as forwards, but that doesn’t change the fact that they start nobody taller than 6-5. Now, these guys play bigger than they are, so that makes up for it somewhat. Perhaps even crazier is this: they only have a -2 rebounding margin. But this lack of size has definitely been an issue. They don’t have a back to the basket scorer and they don’t get many easy points.
Tennessee’s team begins with its high energy leader, senior Kevin Punter. He has definitely emerged this season as their go-to scorer, putting up 23.0 points per game. Beating Tennessee begins by slowing Punter down, which is easier said than done. He’s a high energy guy who is very quick and an excellent leaper and finisher, even at only 6-2. He leads the team in scoring, assists, steals, 3pt makes and 3pt% among players with qualifying attempts. (Reese has a better % but only 5 attempts) Punter doesn’t just do his damage from beyond the arc. He’s also excellent off the dribble, can get into the lane, and has an excellent mid-range jumper. Tennessee’s second best scorer is junior Robert Hubbs, a 6-4 wing who plays the 3 and gets most of his points on mid-range jumpers and garbage buckets around the goal. He’s not a good 3pt shooter, only making 6-35 on the season for 17%. He drives and drives and, if he can’t get to the goal, he’ll pull up for the short jumper. The third guard in the line-up is senior Devin Baulkman, a 6-4 2-guard who doesn’t get the attention of Punter, Hubbs, and Armani Moore, but has contributed in multiple ways. He’s 2nd in assists, 2nd in 3pt makes, 3rd in steals, and 4th in scoring. He does a little bit of everything. He’s only a 33% shooter from 3, but he does like to take the 3pt shot more than any other.
In the frontcourt (and I use that term loosely), Tennessee’s other senior, Armani Moore, leads the team. Moore is the closest thing to an interior scorer as Tennessee has, but he’s similar to other UT guys in that he likes that mid-range jumper and can shoot it all the way out to 3pt range. Moore leads the team in rebounding by a large margin, hauling in 8.0 rebounds per game. He also leads the team in blocked shots, with 40 on the season for nearly 2 blocks per game. He’s a big time energy guy who will scrap and fight for loose balls and rebounds, and is a high flying finisher on the break. If you don’t put a body on him, he can hurt you, without question. The other frontcourt starter is Admiral Schofield, the lone freshman starter for the Volunteers. He’s 6-5 and 240lbs, so he’s a bit of a load even though he’s not very tall or long. He might be better suited to play tight end for the football team, to be honest, but here he is. He scores 6.9 points per game, gets 3.8 rebounds, and is a decent defender because of his strength more than his size. He usually gets the assignment of guarding whoever plays back to the basket for the opponent.
From the bench, the guy we’ll see the most is Derek Reese, the 6-7 230 senior forward. Reese has started 11 games for Tennessee this season but lost his starting job to Schofield. The reason Reese doesn’t start is because he’s just not a scorer, and Tennessee needs all the points it can get. Reese plays 20 minutes per game, which is 5th in minutes on the team, but only scores 3.0 points, good for 8th on the team. He’s a strong guy who can rebound well, grabbing 5.5 boards which is 2nd on the team. The leading scorer off the bench is sophomore Detrick Bostella, a 6-1 guard. He’s the second best 3pt shooter on the team at 33% and he shoots about 2/3 of his attempts from beyond the arc. He doesn’t start because he’s a bit turnover prone, sporting an a/to ratio of .76, which is one of the worst on the team. He’s best as a spot-up shooter. Shembari Phillips is another guard who comes off the bench. He’s a 6-2 190 freshman who keeps Bostella from having THE worst a/to ratio on the team. He only plays 9.6 minutes per game. He scores 3.2 points, but unfortunately the second largest number on his stat line is 19 turnovers on the season. The other bench player is the biggest guy on the team who gets minutes, the 6-9 215lb freshman Kyle Alexander. He’s still a bit of a project and only plays about 10.4 minutes per game. I have a feeling he wouldn’t get that much time if Barnes were not looking a bit to the future (and who can blame him for that?). Alexander doesn’t produce much, only scoring 1.4 points per game and grabbing 2.6 rebounds. He does have 22 blocks on the season, so his defense is quite a bit ahead of his offense.
Tennessee is a very unorthodox team to play. First of all, 5 guys 6-5 and under is strange for a major conference program. But this also means you need 5 defenders who can guard out to 3pt range. (this may mean we see little of Skal, though he might have a field day on offense) They've had a couple games where they shot the ball extremely well, such as against Florida back on January 6 when they scored 83 points, shot nearly 50% from the floor, and won by 14. This team is a jump shooting team, so when they’re hot they can cause some problems. They almost beat Butler in Indianapolis, played to within 7 of Gonzaga in Seattle, and Texas A&M within 4 points in Thompson Boling Arena. So, I say all that to say this- if our Cats come out flat or down, this could be a loss. We all know what to expect- a tshirt giveaway, an orange out or white out, and a raucous crowd on hand. But I can’t imagine it being any worse than at Kansas.
I fully expect Tennessee to come out ready to play in this one. Forget TCU, this is Kentucky! And these seniors, Punter, Moore, Baulkman, and Reese have been through these battles before. They want to go out with a win. In fact, that thought may have led to their second half meltdown against TCU, a game the Volunteers could have and should have won. I expect a strong start from Tennessee but I think reality will sink in at some point. I think Kentucky, coming off a loss, will be ready to play with energy and aggression in this one. The Cats have been very good coming off a loss this season, and their play has been significantly improved since that Auburn debacle. I think, even if Tennessee’s first shot defense is decent in this game, they will struggle keeping Poythress, Lee, and Willis off the offensive glass. IN fact, when you look at their stats, they are near the bottom of D1 in keeping people off the glass- #320. Meanwhile, Kentucky is #10 in the nation on the offensive glass, grabbing nearly 40% of their misses. I also think Tennessee will struggle finding open shots against UK’s quick starting line-up.
Prediction: Kentucky 78 Tennessee 68
