In sports, ups and downs are typical parts of long, enduring regular seasons.
No. 6 Tennessee found that out on Friday, falling to No. 2 Kansas by a slim margin in overtime during the NIT Season Tip-Off Championship.
Hosting Eastern Kentucky (3-3) on Wednesday in the 500th game played at Thompson-Boling Arena, Tennessee (4-1) will be looking to get back in the win column as it nears the midway point of its non-conference schedule.
For head coach Rick Barnes, last week’s loss marked another learning curve the Vols must get around to get where they want to be.
“We have to execute our game plan and understand how difficult it is to do that,” Barnes said. “To play with that kind of effort, emotion and concentration to do the job.”
Treading in uncharted waters, the Vols are looking at a favorable two-game homestand before heading to Phoenix for a matchup with No. 1 Gonzaga. While Tennessee failed to close the deal on a big stage in Brooklyn, they’ll have a prime opportunity to right the ship before boarding a plane headed west.
Boasting a completely healthy roster for the third time in as many games, Tennessee will be facing the task of containing EKU’s all-conference selection in Nick Mayo.
Mayo, the Colonels’ all-time leader in blocked shots, is one of just six players in program history to record 1,500 career points and 500 rebounds. The senior forward is currently averaging 25.0 points and 9.2 boards for an offense that puts out 86.3 per game, while shooting the ball at a 42 percent clip.
Earlier this month in Chattanooga, Mayo tallied 40 points on 12-of-23 shooting against the Mocs. He’s also on pace to break EKU’s all-time scoring record by the end of the season.
While they face a difficult task in slowing him down, the Vols have used the past four days as a time for reflection, specifically on their offensive shortcomings.
“We just need to be able to sustain our play when Grant and Admiral aren’t in the game,” Kyle Alexander said. “We rely on those games, but everyone has to be able to bring us something offensively.”
On the contrary, Tennessee allows just 65.4 points on the defensive side of the ball, while holding opponents just 36 percent shooting. While the Vols have struggled at times to defend the three-point line, the Colonels boast a rate of .317 from that distance, a far-cry from the 44 percent rate put out by the Jayhawks.
Boasting an average of 6.6 made threes each night, Tennessee has struggled in that department at times this year as Lamonte Turner continues to work his way back from offseason shoulder surgery.
Despite the low output from beyond the arc, Barnes isn’t taking lightly to the challenge of slowing down a team that averages 73 shots per game.
“They play really fast and take as many shots as any team in the country,” Barnes said. “They press, they want a high-possession game and they get after it.”
Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on the SEC Network.
