Tennessee is still fiddling with the old yo-yo trick, up and down, win one, lose one, win one, lose another.
The Vols had to search to find a way to lose to Kentucky, 80-78, Saturday afternoon at Food City Center – but they found one or maybe it was three.
Rick Barnes bemoaned the defensive collapse (49 points in the second half), three late turnovers and the Wildcats’ offensive rebounds. The visitors hit six of 10 threes after intermission.
Barnes made an interesting point.
“By now we should know what goes into losing … Other than the Florida game, I can make a case that we just shot ourselves in the foot so many times.”
The finish was a shock. Home losses are shattering. Kentucky went away very happy. It is somehow 3-2 in Southeastern Conference combat. The Vols are 2-3. I keep thinking I see far more potential than productivity. The team appears disjointed at times. It must be maddening for the very precise coach.
Tennessee was up 17 in the first half. The gap was down to 11 before halftime. The Wildcats kept chipping away.
Tennessee provided helping hands. Seven turnovers in the second half led directly to 15 points. Tennessee didn’t hit a field goal in the closing five minutes and 38 seconds.
That wasn’t enough to decide the game. The Vols had a one-point lead and the ball with the end in sight. They provided more assistance.
Kentucky guard Collin Chandler intercepted a Ja’Kobi Gillespie pass and threw long to Otega Oweh for a go-ahead layup. Gillespie fouled on the finish. Oweh missed the free throw.
Alas, Kentucky got the rebound and Denzel Aberdeen added a short jumper from the lane.
Tennessee, down by three, still wasn’t really out. The Wildcats fouled Gillespie. He hit the first free throw and missed the second deliberately. As scripted, Jaylen Carey got the carom but was stranded under the backboard. Time expired before he could get off a shot.
Gillespie did almost everything except win. He scored 24, made four of seven long shots and had eight assists. He did look tired on defense in the second half.
Nate Ament scored 14 of his 17 in the second half. He hit four of seven. Barnes thought he should have had more shooting opportunities. He told Carey it would be OK to throw the ball back out when surrounded by three or four foes.
Carey missed some point-blank shots and finished three-of-12.
Aberdeen led UK with 22 points.
“I thought Aberdeen was terrific in the second half,” said Barnes. “It didn’t matter who was guarding him, he got it where he wanted to go.”
Barnes didn’t spend much time talking about Kentucky. He switched to football terminology in discussing intercepted passes, Tennessee turnovers that turned into Kentucky points.
“You can’t throw the pick-6s, especially late in the game. You can’t turn the ball over at any point in time. The last four minutes it’s double trouble when you do that.”
The deciding pass was intended for Ament.
“I thought Nate was open and he wasn’t,” Gillespie said. “I threw it and I shouldn’t have thrown it. It’s just a bad decision.”
Chandler said he knew what was coming.
“They kind of telegraphed it a little bit. So when he came off the screen, I knew I had a lane to go steal it.”
Barnes fretted about losing the big early lead. He said the Vols should have gone into halftime up by more than 11. He said with the group he has right now, he’s not sure if they think the game is over before it is over.
“A 17-point lead in today’s world is nothing if guys are together and do what they need to do. We didn’t (stick together) in the second half. We gave up 49 points, got out-rebounded.
“You got to play 40 minutes … Like I said, a lead in the first half is sometimes fool’s gold.”
Barnes was asked if not having veteran Vols with experience in the program has been tougher than expected.
“No doubt. I mean no doubt. Those guys won these games because they were not going to collapse on defense like that. And that’s what it was, it was a real collapse defensively. “
Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com
