Wednesday night the Niners roll into Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Volunteers in the final non-conference game of the season. The Volunteers, ranked 15th/16th in the polls, will sport a much different look than in their latest victory, a 66-59 victory over the Mempiss Tigers. Tyler Smith, Cam Tatum, Brian Williams, and Melvin Goins will all be suspended for the game (and perhaps beyond) thanks to their recent brush with the law. Despite the depleted roster, the Volunteers are still a dangerous, talent-laden squad with an excellent coach in Bruce Pearl.
The most likely changes to the Vols lineup will be part-time starter J.P. Prince (Sr. G/F) taking over for Tatum. Prince, cousin of NBA star Tayshaun Prince, puts up 6.0 ppg. in just under 20 minutes of action/game. The biggest drop off in play compared to Tatum is from long range. Prince is much less of a threat to hit the 3, managing just one across 12 games this season. What he does add is tremendous length at the swing position. Prince gets a lot of dunks for a wing player and blocks plenty of shots as well, not to mention being tied for 2nd on the team with assists. He could certainly give the Vols some interesting looks defensively if they opt to play zone to preserve players: Imagine Ian trying to shoot over him. SLKDjf;saf. Do not want.
Replacing Tyler Smith in the starting lineup may likely go to Renaldo Woolridge, a backup So. PF who’s built and styled more to be a wing forward than a power forward but manages to get the job done in the paint pulling down 8 boards and blocking a shot in a win against NC A&T. With Smith getting the bulk of the minutes at the PF position, Woolridge has averaged 3.5 ppg. in 8.2 mpg. of play. Although not a deadly shooter from long range, Woolridge can step outside and hit 3-pointers, shooting just under 30% from behind the arc through his young career.
The regular starters are led by Sr. Wayne Chism. Chism is a 6’9 C/F who’s UT’s leading rebounder (5.8 rpg.) and third in scoring at 10.9 ppg. Like seemingly every Volunteer, Chism likes to drift out and shoot the three, and pretty well for someone of his size converting on 35.7% of this attempts. He’s also very solid at the line, making more than 80% of his FTs. He is a bit foul prone averaging 3.0 fouls/game in just over 21 mpg. of play, which could play into the Niner’s hands should the men in green get the inside attack rolling. Leading the offense from the point guard position is Sr. Bobby Maze. Maze typically distributes more than he scores, putting up 7.5 ppg. on a modest 38.4% from the field; however, he is terrific from the foul line. Leading the team in scoring so far this season is terrific So. G Scotty Hopson, averaging 13.3 ppg. on 49.2% from the field and a stellar 41.3% from behind the arc. Oddly enough, he’s a bit suspect at the FT line hitting on 56% of his attempts and somewhat careless with the ball, leading the team in turnovers.
In a game where so many players are missing, it is difficult to gauge how Bruce Pearl will approach the game. Intuitively, it’s likely a given that UT will slow the game down from their usual frenetic pace (they average over 80 ppg.) and dial down their
typical pressure defense (teams average over 20 turnovers against the Vols). The latter certainly comes as a relief to the Niners, as strong defense has been an Achilles’ Heel for Charlotte.
For the Niners, tempo and style of play will be key factors. Clearly with Tennessee the Niners will want to play an intense, physical game, pushing the tempo where appropriate. The inside game absolutely has to be up to snuff, as fouls will eat into a precariously thin Volunteer bench. Shamari Spears needs to be a bigger factor in this game than the GT game, fighting for baskets closer to the rim as opposed to relying heavily on the fade away. Phil Jones should also be a bit more comfortable, as Tennessee is a little smaller up front than Georgia Tech. Two Niners who could play major roles are An’Juan Wilderness and Chris Braswell, who can frequently draw fouls on their defenders with their play close to the basket; however, a repeat of the free-throw shooting performance from the GT game can’t happen. Fouls come more difficultly on the road, and Wilderness in particular needs to convert.
This is becoming a scary sight for Niner foes.
One intriguing matchup will be for whoever defends Derrio Green. Green had a breakout performance against Georgia Tech, lighting the Yellow Jackets up for 31 points. Derrio did it with an array of drives to the basket and superior perimeter shooting, showing signs of being the kind of complete shooting guard the Niners have lacked for years. Teams are now going to have to pay major attention to the So. guard, possibly freeing up more room for Spears down low. Play zone against Derrio Green at your own peril!
So let’s wrap this up; this author is getting prolix. Despite the holes in the UT roster due to suspension, they remain a very dangerous team playing in an environment where they seldom lose.
Regardless, the Niners need to come into this game with the attitude they can win, and unlike the GT game, execute the entire game. A first half performance like they had Saturday will put them down by 25 to the Volunteers. That simply can’t happen for the Niners to have any chance at victory.
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