Despite having won six of their past eight games, the Vols find themselves in a familiar position as the regular season nears its end.
Set to host arch-rival Florida on Wednesday, Tennessee has dropped two of its last three contests. This is the first time Rick Barnes and company have fallen twice in the same week since losing their opening two conference games against Arkansas and Auburn.
Barnes knows exactly what has haunted the Vols lately. Tennessee’s recent struggles can be attributed to the offensive end, a particular shot selection that doomed them in their most recent loss to Georgia.
“We had some shots that were good looks, but we also took some shots that were not very good shots, to be honest,” Barnes said. “There’s a lot that can go into it.”
However, Tennessee will be returning home, where it’s played its best this season. The Vols are 11-2 at home and won their last six at Thompson-Boling Arena. Currently just one game behind the Vols in the league standings, the Gators will be looking to slide past them in the SEC standings.
Led by junior Jalen Hudson (14.9 PPG) and graduate transfer Egor Koulechov (14.2 PPG), Florida boasts a potent offense capable of exploding on any given night. The Gators’ offensive attack starts with Chris Chiozza, their senior point guard. Chiozza is an important piece to the offensive success, averaging 11.4 points and 5.9 assists per game. In seven of the Gators’ 10 losses, Chiozza failed to crack double-digit points.
The Vols have faced several premier point guards this season, and slowing down Chiozza will be a key factor to their success.
“He puts a lot of pressure on your defense,” Barnes said. “He’s played a lot of basketball in this league, and he’s had a lot of success.”
Averaging 77 points per game on 43 percent shooting, the Gators make up one of the conference’s best 3-point shooting teams, knocking them down at a 37.6 percent clip. Four of the active members on their roster are currently shooting 40 percent or better from behind the arc, something the Vols must emphasize. The Vols have done a good job this season of holding opposing teams to just 33-percent shooting from beyond the arc, while the Gators allow the opposition to knock down 3-pointers at a 36 percent rate.
Coming off perhaps his worst shooting performance of the season, the Vols will be looking to get sophomore forward Grant Williams back in rhythm. Determined to avoid their first two-game losing streak since SEC play opened in January, Barnes feels that Williams just needs to focus on the task at hand.
“He just needs to focus on playing basketball,” Barnes said. “I just think he’s got to get back to himself, and he will.”
Boasting averages of 15.7 points and 5.9 rebounds, the Charlotte native will be heavily relied upon to produce for the Vols, who will be facing a team with six road wins on its resume.
Although the Gators come in riding a two-game losing streak, the SEC has proven to be as unpredictable as any conference in the country this year, every team boasting at least four league victories. Having coached at programs like Texas and Clemson in the past, Barnes feels like the competition within the SEC this year is as competitive as he’s ever seen.
“This is as tough of a league as I’ve ever been in, ever,” Barnes said. “I think it’s tough, but it goes to show you how tough it is.”
In recent losses, Barnes noted that the some of his best players haven’t been giving it their all and that for them to continue to get better, they’ll need all hands on deck down the stretch.
“Playing hard is not a given,” Barnes said. “I think playing hard is a talent.”
Tipoff is slated for 9 p.m, with the game to be televised on ESPN2.
