University of Tennessee Athletics
Donnie Tyndall Media Luncheon: March 9
March 09, 2015 | Men's Basketball
(Opening Statement)
"Last week obviously we had a very good road win at LSU against a team that finished in the top four in our league. I thought we played very aggressive and efficient at the offensive end of the floor. ​We came home against South Carolina, with senior night for Josh (Richardson), Galen (Campbell) and Brandon (Lopez). (South Carolina) played mostly zone, which has happened to us a lot this year. Our team just did not drive the basketball enough versus the zone. Obviously, when you don't have a post player to just throw it to, to loosen the zone up, and you won't drive the basketball, then you end up settling for jump shots. I believe 26 out of our 46 shots were from behind the (3-point) line which is just too high of a percentage. Give South Carolina credit for that. Certainly, we hope to bounce back as we head to Nashville for the SEC Tournament, playing Vanderbilt for a third time. They are probably playing, outside of Kentucky, as well as anybody. They went to Ole Miss and beat a really good Ole Miss team by double figures the other night. They are shooting the ball at an incredibly high percentage right now. So it will be key to take away the 3-point line as much as possible. With that being said, they have a very good inside game, particularly with (Damian) Jones, who is probably one of the better big men in our league. So it will be another tough challenge in Nashville on Thursday."
(On playing well on the road this season)
"The bottom line is that we have been beaten at home by some really good teams. We have gone on the road and played pretty well. We certainly hope to go on the road and play well this week. We hope it will be more than just one game, but it is one of those unique things that I can't really explain it. I haven't been able to explain it all year, but I certainly hope our team plays as well Thursday as we have played on the road for the most part this season."
(On teams having shot so well against Tennessee recently)
"I think the biggest thing all year for us has been that we have to pick our poison. When teams can throw the ball to the post and get buckets, we have to make a decision: do we let our guys play 1-on-1 around the goal, which is usually a negative for us and bad results? Then, if we stretch the floor to get out to shooters, then it leads to a number of different things, including driving angles, and that is a deficiency or weakness of our team is guarding the dribble. I thought (Michael) Carrera, even though he is undersized, put a lot of pressure on the rim toward the middle of the zone right at the box area. We had to converge on him at times. He kicked it out to guys that made shots or re-drove the ball. It has been a common theme for us. If we get driven on too much or foul too much, it is usually a bad result. When we do guard the dribble and play without fouling, then we usually play pretty well. We didn't do that against South Carolina."
(On Vanderbilt's recent success and five-game win streak)
"I think it is a couple of different things. They have a very youthful team that has continued to improve and get better. Those young guys on the perimeter, they start three freshmen. They are all talented, young guys, but early in the year, like most freshmen, they were finding their way. They kind of got that game experience under their belt. They have that total outside dimension and added with (Damian) Jones, who as I mentioned earlier is one of the better big players in our league. They have both things covered from an offensive standpoint--an inside and outside game. Our schedule was probably a little tougher on the back side (of SEC play). Their schedule was probably a little more favorable to them on the back side. That is just part of conference play."
(On areas in which Tennessee has improved most in SEC play)
"Collectively, our team has gotten better at getting to shooters, although we certainly didn't show that against Vanderbilt. But, I think for the most part, we've gotten to shooters and made them drive the ball. As I mentioned, we don't maybe guard the dribble as much as I would like every night, but I do think we've done a pretty good job as the season went along getting to shooters. Offensively, our team has grown. We still don't have a true post player, but guys like Derek Reese and Armani Moore have really given us offensive output being post players from being in positions to either face up and play-make from 15 feet or to pick-and-pop and make threes or drive it (from) behind the line. Josh Richardson has been fantastic all year, but I think as of late, he has really done a nice job of trusting his teammates, delivering the ball when the defense converges on him, and that has made our team a little bit more whole as well."
(On the difficulty of winning when Armani Moore's production is limited)
"If you look at the box scores of our team when we've played well, we usually had three or four guys in double figures. When we haven't played well, we usually have two guys in double figures, and usually those two guys have been Josh and Armani and no one else happens to step up that particular night. The other night, Armani... his shots were limited, his opportunities were limited, because they played mostly zone, and when (he) caught in the mid- to high-post, they converged on him and he had to kick it out. He's not a great shooter, so obviously the zone limits his opportunities. That way, he doesn't have the opportunity to drive the basketball and pick-and-pop or isolation situations that we put him in when teams play us man-to-man. His opportunities when we're playing in zone need to come in transition or from offensive rebounds or from driving the ball from the mid- to high-post. South Carolina did a good job of making him give it up, and we didn't get too many transition buckets the other night."
(On Tennessee's side of the SEC Tournament bracket)
"Again, we've talked about this all season, there is not a team in our league that we don't feel like we can beat, and there is not a team in our league that we don't feel like can beat us. It's that even of a playing field. When you look at the possible (third) round with Arkansas, we split with them. Then, I believe it would be Georgia or Ole Miss, and we had a shot to tie in both of those games against those two teams on the road. No one is looking ahead, I can assure you that. We have our hands full with Vanderbilt. I do think outside of Kentucky, everyone would say top to bottom, it's pretty wide open."
(On preparing to face a team for a third time this season)
"The week of practice leading up to the game won't be any different. I do think having the chance to see what they have done in regards to adjustments in game one to game two, even the first half of game two to the second half. It certainly helps you prepare. Coach (Kevin) Stallings is a great coach, and he'll make adjustments, I'm sure. We'll tweak a few things and change a few things. But, at the end of the day, it's going to be the five guys on the floor for each team. They've got to go out and execute the game plan and make plays. I'm confident our guys will be excited and ready to play."
(On the anticipated level of physicality in this week's practices)
"The biggest thing is you just can't go as long (duration-wise), but we're going to go hard today for probably about an hour. Same thing on Tuesday, and maybe a little lighter on Wednesday. You can't worry about the possibility of playing four games in four days. You just have to worry about winning that first game. If you don't have good practices leading up to that first game, you are not going to win."
(On the two OVC Tournaments he won with Morehead State in Nashville)
"It's obviously a lot of fun when you get the chance to win championships and cut down nets with your entire university there and your fans. Those were some of the fondest memories of my life. My daughters were there with us cutting down the net. So, it's obviously an exciting, emotional time. It was some lifelong memories, but my goal is to do the same thing here at Tennessee. We have a lot of work to do, but I'm looking forward to going back there for sure."
(On the team's ability to out-rebound most opponents down the stretch)
"I think most people would agree with this... We've played 30 games, and really haven't competed in one half of one game, and that was the LSU game, at home, in the first half. Outside of that, we certainly haven't played good basketball every night, but we have competed every night. I think when you look at that rebounding statistic with an undersized, young team, etc., it talks about the competitiveness of our team. It talks about our team not giving up and continuing to scratch and claw, because rebounding is mostly about effort. I think that's obviously a good stat. It's a positive stat, but it's about effort, and I think our guys have given that all season long."
(On Tennessee's eagerness to play Vanderbilt again)
"I think our team would be excited to play, regardless of who the opponent was. I think certainly we all understand that's a huge game to both fan bases and both teams, so it will add a little bit to it. I don't think you hide from that or try to sugar coat that in any way. There was a little incident, unfortunately (after our game with them in Knoxville), which will add, from a media stand point, a little more `pop' to the game, if you will. I think our guys will be excited regardless. Certainly they will be excited and looking forward to playing Vanderbilt."
(On the development of sophomore wing Robert Hubbs III)
"Robert has done some nice things the second half of this season, probably really the last two-thirds of the season. He's just got to continue to be aggressive and play low to the ground. And that may sound corny to people that don't follow or understand basketball, but many times he plays upright. When you play upright, it limits your opportunities to drive the basketball and turn the corner on the defender. That's something he really, really has to work on. We've talked about it a ton. His mentality needs to be more aggressive or to stay aggressive. But playing lower to the ground (is key to his development), and working hard on that this summer will be imperative for him to be able to stay aggressive and drive the ball more."
(On Josh Richardson's statement that Robert Hubbs III doesn't yet realize how athletic he really is)
"I think as a young guy that didn't get to play his freshman year for the most part because of the (shoulder) injury, (Robert Hubbs III) is still kind of finding his way like a freshman would this year. I think the sky is the limit for Robert, but he's got to continue to work on his game like everybody does. Again, playing lower, being more compact, and he's got to have a great offseason, he really does, and I'll think he'll embrace that and work hard this summer."
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