University of Tennessee Athletics
The @Vol_Hoops Report: Ready For Vandy
February 25, 2015 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Two weeks after a dramatic, come-from-behind overtime victory against Vanderbilt on the road, the Tennessee Volunteers are preparing for another matchup against their in-state foe Thursday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Eastern. Tickets remain available by calling 1-800-332-8657 or visiting www.UTtix.com. The UT Ticket Office opens at 8:30 a.m.
The game against Vanderbilt (15-12, 5-9 SEC) marks the first Thursday night game for the Vols (14-12, 6-8 SEC) during SEC play this season. Every other mid-week game has been on Tuesday or Wednesday.
The gap marks the longest stretch between SEC games on the Vols' calendar. After returning home from a 59-57 loss at Ole Miss on Saturday, head coach Donnie Tyndall had his team take two days off before returning to practice Tuesday.
"I just thought with the time of year with our limited depth and some guys being banged up a little bit and playing with an undersized roster, it was important to get a couple days off and get our legs back," Tyndall said. "We came back and had a great practice Tuesday. Most of it was about ourselves and cleaning up on our end."
Though three of the Tennessee's eight SEC losses this season have ended with the Vols having a chance to tie or win at the buzzer, the Vols were on the other side of that equation in their first meeting against Vanderbilt this season. With a near coast-to-coast drive by Robert Hubbs III to tie the game at the end of regulation and Josh Richardson's game-high 27 points, Tennessee beat the Commodores 76-73 at Memorial Gymnasium on Feb. 11.
Since that time, the Vols have gone on a three-game losing streak. Vanderbilt is 2-1 with wins over Alabama and Missouri.
Sophomore big man Damian Jones, a preseason All-SEC pick, leads Vanderbilt with 14.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He and fellow inside player James Siakam combined for 30 points and 16 rebounds in the first matchup between the two teams. TheCommodores out-rebounded the Vols in that game by six.
"Vanderbilt, they're a very good team," said junior forward Armani Moore. "They do have some very physical guys down there in Siakam and also Jones. They're relentless on the boards. They're always crashing, they're always trying to figure out how to get their hands on the ball."
BACKING OFF THE FULL-COURT PRESS
Tyndall said he has recently decided to scale back Tennessee's full-court press.
"We weren't converting [turnovers] into a high enough number of points as we'd hoped, so we've backed our press off a little bit and it's become more of almost a half-court press," said Tyndall.
Through 12 SEC games, the Vols were averaging 17.5 points off turnovers. In the two games last week, the Vols averaged just six points off turnovers.
"We're not causing quite as many turnovers or forcing as many turnovers, but we are defending better in the half-court, the [shooting] percentages have gone down the last couple games, and I think maybe it's helped us be a little bit fresher in regards to going on the offensive end and having a little more pop," said Tyndall.
THE SWEET SIXTEEN RINGS
Returning players and staff from the 2013-2014 team received their Sweet Sixteen rings Tuesday afternoon at practice.
"They're nice," said Vols' senior guard Josh Richardson. "We were really excited when we got the opportunity to actually be able to go and put them on."
Richardson was in charge of alerting his teammates of the rings presentation after meeting with Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Dave Hart earlier this week.
Players and staff from last year's team that are not currently on campus will have their rings shipped to them.
HOPSON'S BIG DAY
Former Vol Scotty Hopson made the news Tuesday night with his big-scoring effort in the NBA Development League.
Hopson scored a franchise-record 52 points for the Sioux Falls Skyforce in a 141-128 victory against the Reno Bighorns. He was 21-for-28 shooting from the field with four 3-pointers. By halftime, he already had 29 points.
It has been a year filled with change for Hopson in the last year. Hopson played two games for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2013-14 season and was later quickly traded from Charlotte to Houston to Sacramento. Since December, he has been a member of the Skyforce, an affiliate of the Miami Heat.
Hopson was a member of the Vols 2008-11, averaging 17.0 points and earning All-SEC honors in his final year.
McRAE ENDS SEASON DOWN UNDER
In other professional Vol news, Jordan McRae just finished his season as a member of Melbourne United in the Australian National Basketball League. He was second in the league in scoring with 19.9 points per game, shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from 3-point range.
The Philadelphia 76ers hold McRae's exclusive negotiating rights. After finishing his college career in 2014, he was drafted as the 58th pick in the NBA Draft by San Antonio and traded to Philadelphia.
