Tennessee was supposed to be a team that was led by a Dalton Knecht-type of scorer. That didn’t work out as planned. Then, the Vols were supposed to be led by a trio of scorers. No go.
After a 68-56 win over Mississippi State, coach Rick Barnes’ basketball team is obviously led by its defense. That’s nothing new and could actually work out better than the other options that Tennessee fans have more easily gravitated towards, such as guards Chaz Lanier, Igor Milicic, Jr., or Darlinstone Dubar.
Barnes, whose teams have most often been carried by defense throughout his career, can win at a high level and go deep in the NCAA Tournament with what he’s got this season no matter what’s dropping on the offensive end. That was evident as the No. 6 Vols manhandled the Bulldogs on Tuesday in Thompson-Boling Arena, especially inside.
State struggled to manage any sort of offensive flow for the vast majority of the game against Tennessee, whose defense, especially in the paint, was superb. In holding State to 16 (yes, 16) first-half points, the Vols smothered the Bulldogs, who hit 6-of-27 (22.2-percent) from the field and 3-of-15 (20.0-percent) from three-point range.
That’s all well and good, but here is the one head-scratching fact that can’t be ignored. Tennessee’s suffocating defense, which is fourth-best in the nation, giving up 58.8 points per game, hasn’t played as well on the road that one would think of a defensive-minded team. Tennessee is 11-0 at home and 3-2 on the road. Defense is supposed to travel, right? Try to make sense of that.
That road record doesn’t bode well for the Vols, who will face No. 1 Auburn on Saturday night, but defense should be on Tennessee’s side. The Tigers allow 66.1 points per game. Like it or not, defense is Barnes’ best chance to beat the Vols’ old friend, coach Bruce Pearl, and make a run into the NCAA Tournament, at least as things stand now. Why? Tennessee can stymie an opponent’s scoring run, but can struggle to manufacture points when things get tough.
That was evident when Mississippi State made a 15-4 run to begin the second half. Unlike the Auburn game last season, there was no Knecht to answer the bell and save the Vols. What did? Good ‘old fashioned defense.
The Vols held State scoreless for just over six minutes and forced five missed field goals. That led to a 14-2 run, which pushed the lead back to 19 and essentially sent Mississippi State back to Starkville, Miss.
History tends to repeat itself. Barnes is known for great defense and not great scorers, other than Knecht and some guy named Kevin Durant who you may have heard of.
I’ve seen enough of this basketball team to believe that an elite scorer isn’t going to take the court for the Vols anytime soon. Guard Chaz Lanier was supposed to be that guy, like Knecht, but he can’t take the ball to the basket at a high enough clip to think he can take over a game.
Knecht isn’t going to leave the Los Angeles Lakers and head to Auburn on Saturday if things go awry. He’s not going to put up 39, including 25 in the final 12:01, to save the Vols as he did against the Tigers last year. There is only one basketball savior for Tennessee when things go well and it doesn’t even have a full name.
With an offense that can go cold, defense is going to be Tennessee’s saving grace. The Vols had better get used to that. The notion of being able to replace Knecht with a single scorer or, even, a trio of scorers just isn’t going to happen.
