JUST IN:wild stat will have Tennessee Vols fans demanding answers from Rick Barnes after loss to Kentucky………

 

 

Tennessee did very little right on Tuesday night in a 78-73 loss to the Kentucky Wildcats.  Their perimeter defense was uncharacteristically poor, leading to the Wildcats knocking down 12-24 from beyond the arc.  Offensively, they were disjointed and couldn’t buy a basket for stretches on end.

However, Tennessee had a good look at stealing the game late after Chaz Lanier knocked down a rare three to cut the lead to 71-68 with 4 minutes left in the game.  All they had to do was play good defense and chip away to steal the win.

Instead, they opted to throw up three pointer after three pointer after three pointer after three pointer.  Brick after brick.  And in spots down the stretch where two points would have sufficed, the Vols threw away a shot at a very important home win against their biggest rival.

How bad was it?  In the final five and a half minutes of the game, Kentucky didn’t make a single field goal.  Door wide open.  However, over the last four and a half minutes, Tennessee didn’t attempt a single two-point shot.  Instead, they went 2-13 from three.  For the game, they shot 11-45 from beyond the arc.  Talk about banging your head against a wall.

Now, some folks will say that you’ve got to knock your shots down.  And you do.  Chaz Lanier was brought here and paid to make those shots.  Zakai Zeigler was dealing with a knee issue he suffered late in the first half, so it’s tough to tell if he was affected or not.  But Lanier, Igor Milicic, Jordan Gainey, and Darlinstone Dubar had no excuse.

Now, with that being said, the question obviously is: why weren’t you attacking the rim if you couldn’t throw it in the water from a boat?  That’s the painfully obvious solution, as Tennessee had plenty of time left to do it.

Barnes knew his players were having an off night from the floor, but asking guys who were clearly in their own heads to shoot their way out of it over and over again from 23 feet wasn’t the answer.  Not when the Vols were in the bonus and they were within a single possession in the final four minutes.

It’s always tough to lose to Kentucky.  It’s even tougher when an opportunity is lost because of poor decision making.  And not just one decision, but minutes worth of them.

Tennessee has no one to blame but themselves for missing shots, but they should have been working on getting easier ones or getting to the free throw line.  That’s something that Barnes will hopefully do differently if Tennessee is in a similar position later this season.

And with the way they’re shooting as a team right now, playing catch up against a tough slate ahead is a distinct possibility.