University of Tennessee Athletics
5 Quick Things: Jan. 27
January 27, 2017 | Men's Basketball
Tennessee closes out its three-game homestand on Saturday, hosting Kansas State at Thompson-Boling Arena in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge Presented by Sonic (2 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
1 | MOVING FORWARD
While many of the Vol fans pushing through the turnstiles into Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday might still be basking in the glow of Tuesday's upset win over No. 4 Kentucky, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes is wary of that emotional victory setting the stage for a letdown against a talented and disciplined Kansas State squad.
"“It is important that we move forward. We had a great night, but we’ve had a couple of those, and we still haven’t proved that we can take a step forward. We showed them the good, the bad, and the ugly (in the film room). In some situations, against Kentucky, we got a little bit away from our game plan. We need to understand that we still aren’t where we need to be for 40 minutes, and not let the emotion of the game and the crowd affect the process that we need to go through, mentally, to play for 40 minutes."
2 | WILLIAMS HITTING ANOTHER LEVEL
The proverbial “wall” that freshmen sometimes hit during the second half of the college basketball season has done little to impede Tennessee forward Grant Williams. The 233-pound, 18-year-old true freshman leads the Vols in total rebounding (5.5 rpg), offensive rebounding (2.5 orpg), field-goal percentage (.532) and blocks (2.1 bpg) and heads into Saturday’s showdown with Kansas State fresh off a stat-sheet-stuffing performance during UT’s upset win over fourth-ranked Kentucky on Tuesday in which he totaled 13 points, six rebounds, six assists, four blocks and three steals. "He’s starting to become everything we thought when we recruited him, but he’s still nowhere near where he can be," Vols head coach Rick Barnes said Friday. "I think the biggest thing that he’s starting to learn how to do is play when he’s fatigued a little bit. He’s tougher in terms of pushing through fatigue. Early in the year, he would hit the wall and just fall. Now, he’s starting to fight back. He’s trying to fight through that." Evidence of that assertion is seen in Williams’ recent second-half performances. In Tennessee’s last two games—both Vol victories—he averaged 14.0 points after halftime.
3 | ADMIRAL EMERGING
Earlier this month, Admiral Schofield enjoyed what head coach Rick Barnes described as the sophomore's "the best game as a Tennessee Volunteer," posting a double-double effort with 18 points and 10 rebounds at Florida. At year's end, one might be able to look back at that productive night in Gainesville as the turning point in Schofield's season. Up to that point, the forward from Zion, Illinois, had appeared in just 10 games, averaging 3.9 ppg while shooting .333 from the field. He was also chipping in just 2.5 rebounds over his modest 11.2 minutes per game. But over the last six games, Schofield has become one of UT's most consistent performers off the bench, scoring in double figures in four of those six and notching back-to-back 15-point performances in wins against Mississippi State and fourth-ranked Kentucky. Over that span, Schofield's shooting percentage has been an efficient .571 while averaging 12.0 ppg. He has also rebounded at a clip of 5.3 per game while averaging 23.0 mpg over the last six games.
4 | GRANT'S DIMES
Maybe the most eyebrow-raising figure among Grant Williams' robust stat line from Tuesday night was his season-best six assists. Williams had never handed out more than two helpers in a game prior to that outing. Coach Rick Barnes chalked that showing up to the increasing capacity of Williams' already-stout basketball IQ.
"We could put Grant at the point today and he would know what should be done at that position. We put him off the ball and on the wings, he could do that. He understands the offense. He understands, for the most part, where everybody should be, and what they should be doing."
Williams was less willing to accept any notion that he might suddenly possess superstar-level court vision, calling his six assists nothing more than "just a nice night." However, the freshman knows that as his production continues to swell, the expectations will grow proportionally: "I have high expectations for myself on and off the court, but I feel like I have a long way to go. There is a lot more I can do and try and I have to get it done."
5 | SEC/BIG 12 CHALLENGE
This Saturday is a common bye date in conference play for both the SEC and the Big 12, making the fourth annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge a one-day event. Teams from each conference will host five Challenge games. Through three years, the SEC trails the challenge, 10-20. Tennessee is 1-1 in the event, as the Vols did not take part in the inaugural challenge. This year’s Vols-Wildcats matchup marks the second time in the past three seasons that the Volunteers have hosted Kansas State as part of the Challenge. The Wildcats visited Rocky Top for the 2014 Challenge, with Tennessee posting a 65-64 win. That was the first time these programs ever met on the hardwood. In last season’s Challenge, UT suffered a 75-63 defeat at TCU. Tennessee’s all-time record against current members of the Big 12 stands at 11-17. Second-year UT head coach Rick Barnes—who spent 17 seasons coaching in the Big 12 before transitioning to Knoxville prior to last season—owns a 157-94 record against current Big 12 teams and is 12-11 in his career against K-State.
