All year long, Tennessee Basketball has been one of the slowest-pace teams in the nation. The Vols are outside of the top 300 in KenPom adjusted tempo ratings and possessions per game. UCLA is not much better but found a size advantage in the Big Dance with Aday Mara.
However, once Mick Cronin decided to play big, the Vols decided to unleash.
Late in the first half, trailing 25-24, Tennessee Basketball decided to start pressing UCLA and playing trap defense once they crossed half court. it worked like a charm, as the Vols were able to go on an 8-0 run to end the half and extend that to an 11-0 run into the second half.
Given how they weren’t as aggressive on the perimeter against the Wofford Terriers as they had been all year, and given how they were playing their fourth game in a week, the concern of this team turning up the tempo like that was legitimate. However, they showed in this game that when needed, the could do just that.
A common misconception about basketball is that a team that plays slow can’t hang with teams that turn up the tempo. However, for the really elite teams, tempo is never necessary to try to win a game. They have the skill to win out of their half-court sets.
By turning up the tempo when needed at the end of the first half, Tennessee proved it was always capable of dominating in a fast-paced matchup. The Vols just chose to slow it down throughout the season because they knew they had more talent than anybody else.
We already knew Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack were athletic defensively, and they were indeed huge parts of the traps this game. They combined for five steals. However, Felix Okpara was able to come out and defend at the half-court line, and Chaz Lanier was key for help defense.
Taking all of that into account, save for depth, this is one of the most complete teams Tennessee Basketball has ever had. For a Rick Barnes-coached team, having the inside game being its biggest weakness is shocking. Still, this team can win in a lot of ways.
If the Vols need three-point shooting, well Lanier, Igor Milicic Jr. or Jordan Gainey is bound to be on. When it comes to half-court defense, Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack know what their doing. Defense in the interior is locked down by Okpara at the moment.
The question was always whether or not this team was capable of turning up the tempo at the right time. They did just that with their athleticism late in the first half. Now, all of a sudden, a national title seems more on the table for Tennessee Basketball than it ever did before.
