CHICAGO — It took “a lot” of screaming from Rick Barnes to break the shell. But Tennessee basketball couldn’t have asked for a more timely appearance from one of its offseason additions that had been expected to make a hefty impact.
Jaylen Carey’s 11-point, 10-rebound performance against Iowa State sparked the Vols (25-11, 11-7 SEC) to the program’s fourth Elite Eight appearance ever. It wouldn’t have been possible if Carey hadn’t taken the adversity-ridden coaching that Barnes has pressed on him throughout the year.
“I’m really happy because if I put all the chips on the table, I have been after Jaylen harder than anybody all year,” Barnes said. “There’s days he looked at me like, ‘man, this dude is crazy,’ but he never said a word, kept going.”
That gamble paid off at the United Center on Friday. Carey rounded out his game with four assists and a steal while playing 22 minutes in the 76-62 win.
“I’m having a lot of fun right now, playing with my guys,” Carey said. “I kind of wanted to get back to myself, just bringing energy, playing aggressive, playing hot, getting on that rebounding glass.”
His energy was infectious. Carey pulled in a Ja’Kobi Gillespie missed 3-pointer and dropped it in the basket with 13:37 to go in the first half — recording two points and an offensive rebound, which was the biggest key to success against the Cyclones.
Then, Carey made his impact defensively. After dropping in a basket to give Tennessee a three-point lead, Carey fell on a loose ball that Tamin Lipsey coughed up, drawing a tie-up. As he lay on the ground, Carey beat at his chest while expressing his satisfaction.
“He’s just a bully,” forward J.P. Estrella said.
Carey’s oppressor role immediately shone on the ensuing inbound by Iowa State. The 6-foot-8, 267-pound enforcer tipped the pass to himself and ran it to the other end — dunking it down atop Blake Buchanan.
Paired with a scream, Carey continued his momentum toward the post padding and smacked it. The forward left a printed sweat stain on the cushion as a souvenir.
But that passion is nothing out of the ordinary.
“Every day in practice, he’ll get a wide open dunk and bang his head on the wall,” forward Nate Ament said. “I love that from him and it brings so much energy to our team.”
It was a play reminiscent of the Players Era Festival in November against Kansas when Carey had a similar coast-to-coast posterizer. Furthermore, it is a sentiment to the defensive development that Carey and coach Justin Gainey have spent time trying to perfect.
A few possessions later, Carey displayed the rest of his game. He took a pass at the top of the key and drove into the lane with the shot clock expiring, and lobbed the ball to a leaping Felix Okpara, who dunked it.
“It’s March,” Carey said, “when big-time players show up.”
Carey played a pivotal role in the Vols’ pull away in the second half. When Tennessee came out of the locker rooms firing, it was Carey doing the dirty, emphatic work on the inside. With 12:57 left in the game, Carey pulled in an Estrella missed jumper and put the ball back up as Tennessee rattled off a 7-0 run to take a 13-point lead. That prompted an Iowa State timeout.
But Carey wasn’t done with his imposing.
After the break, and a Cyclone bucket on the other end, Carey took care of business when he cleaned up Estrella’s misfortunes again. This time, the big man put the ball on the deck, turned to the left side of the rim and put a shot up through Buchanan’s reaching arms.
And-one, and Carey let the crowd know as he meandered his way to the visitors’ section with a roar.
“He’s a monster,” Gillespie said. “Nobody wants to deal with him in there when he’s playing like that.”
Carey’s offensive display shifted to his passing ability in the later minutes of the game. He recorded three of his four assists in the final six minutes.
“I feel like he just wanted it today, and he proved to everybody that he belongs in the highest levels,” guard Ethan Burg said. “He’s capable of hurting the other team — offensively, defensively. When he plays like that, we’re very hard to stop.”
That train rolled through central Chicago. Or perhaps it was the train-like stature of Carey and his fellow bigs. The Vols outrebounded the Cyclones 43-22 and pulled in 16 boards on the offensive side.
It starts with the outside contributions Tennessee has received from Carey in the postseason. He’s put together back-to-back double-digit scoring games after an up-and-down regular season.
The hard coaching brought him to the light. The practices were enough for Carey and the guy to want to “fight each other.” But in the end, it’s been the buy-in. And Carey’s latest performance suggests he’s all in.
“He really wants to win,” Gillespie said. “He’s a winner, so yeah, I think he’s just bought in and really figured out his identity and how we need him to play.”
