I wrote earlier in the week based on KenPom data when it comes to tempo and style of play that Tennessee Basketball would either lose in the Sweet 16 or reach the Final Four. After the way the No. 7 seed UCLA Bruins just dismantled the No. 10 seed Utah State Aggies on the first day of March Madness, I may have to rethink that position.
UCLA will face the Vols, who are the No. 2 seed and ranked No. 6 in both polls, on Saturday after beating Utah State 72-47. Mick Cronin’s team did to USU what the Vols were supposed to do to the Wofford Terriers, a much less threatening offensive team. That should scare UT fans.
More importantly, despite being inconsistent from three down the stretch, UCLA shot 10-of-24 from beyond the arc. Now, Tennessee is the best three-point defending team in the nation per stats, but the Vols allowed Wofford to go 11-of-26 from outside.
There are real concerns that the deep SEC Tournament run has drained the energy UT needs to defend the three in March Madness. Now they have to play their fourth game in a week Saturday and fifth game in eight days. UCLA, while inconsistent from three, is naturally going to hit a lot more if they aren’t as contested.
Speaking to that drained energy, this is another advantage UCLA showed. The Bruins are typically go eight or nine-deep while the Vols never go more than seven-deep. We knew this going into March Madness, but given how the Vols looked a bit tired Thursday, it’s a much bigger deal now.
Finally, there’s a matchup issue. Cronin went unconventional and put in 7’3″ Aday Mara in this game for 20 minutes despite playing sparingly all year. He scored 10 points, sic rebounds and had five blocks in 20 minutes off the bench. Simply put, he’s a new threat.
Stopping UCLA’s one post scorer in the main rotation, Tyler Bilodeau, would never have been hard for Felix Okpara. However, add in Mara, potentially playing them together, and the Vols have a big issue on their hands. Igor Milicic Jr. just isn’t capable of playing physical in the post, and Cade Phillips isn’t big enough yet.
All of a sudden, you could see another Zach Edey situation from last year in which Jonas Aidoo got punked, which is why the Purdue Boilermakers beat the Vols in the Elite Eight. It was hard to envision that two days ago, but Cronin and UCLA look wildly different now. If the Vols aren’t careful or are just unlucky, they could be in for another early March Madness exit.
One Response
When did you turn negative? The last month or so most of your articles slant doom and gloom. That’s fine occasionally but not a recurring theme. Just my thoughts.