ESPN Men's Basketball

For the next month or so, our friends at The Mag are previewing one high-profile school per day for their Summer Buzz series. For the sake of all that is synergistic, yours truly will be attempting the same, complementing each comprehensive Insider preview with some adjusted efficiency fun. Today's subject? Tennessee. Up next? Florida.

(Oh, and sorry for the late start this morning, folks. Yours truly caught a bad batch of something yesterday. Let's not get into detail.)

Remember when Tennessee was supposed to go away?

Tyler Smith was booted from the team. Melvin Goins, Brian Williams and Cameron Tatum were suspended, perhaps indefinitely. The Volunteers had hit that terrible midseason obstacle -- losing your best player -- from which most teams never recover. After New Year's Day, Tennessee was supposed to fade.

Yeah, that didn't happen. Instead, the Vols responded to the Jan. 1 Smith incident with a thrilling home upset against No. 1 Kansas on Jan. 10, handing the Jayhawks one of just three losses all season. Even then, though, it was hard to see how this Tennessee team -- without its best scorer and most important interior player -- was going to do much more than merely hang around for the rest of the college basketball season.

Well, UT did more than just hang around. It stayed in the thick of things until March, when, after beating the No. 2-seeded, Evan Turner-equipped Ohio State Buckeyes, it was just a handful of possessions away from taking Michigan State's spot in the Final Four in Indianapolis.

And how did Tennessee do it? Defense.

This isn't much of a mystery, but any discussion of the Volunteers from 2009-10 -- and how the 2010-11 version will live up -- starts and ends with defensive ability. Tennessee allowed 88.5 adjusted points per 100 possessions last season, which gave it the 11th-best defense in the country. By contrast, the Vols' offense was anemic: 108.9 points per 100 possessions wasn't even top-50 in the country. But it was more than enough to break away from opponents who flailed about when Tennessee put the defensive pressure on.

There is reason to believe the Vols won't be able to rely so heavily on their defensive chops in 2010-11. For one, there's Bruce Pearl's statistical history: 2009-10 was the best defensive team of Pearl's Tennessee career by a long shot. With the exception of that loaded 2007-08 team, which was ranked No. 22 in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, the Volunteers have always been far more proficient on the offensive end.

There's also the loss of Tennessee's two best defensive players, J.P. Prince and Wayne Chism. Prince was the steal artist and lockdown perimeter defender, swiping 3.5 percent of his opponents' possessions and creating havoc for guards with his 6-foot-7 size. (The Sweet 16 game was one of the few times all season that Evan Turner looked like he met his match. Naturally, his line was still insane.)

Chism manned the paint. Without Smith, the Volunteers didn't have many bigs to fall back on, so Chism's performance as a defender -- leading his team in block percentage (5.7) while guarding each opponent's best big man and grabbing plenty of rebounds, too (21.5 defensive rebounding percentage) -- was a major reason why they could afford to keep so many combo-guard-forward types on the floor at one time.

Without those two players, the Vols will miss a little bit of offense. They'll miss a lot of defense.

You've already heard the good news, though. Pearl's teams don't need to be the best defensive team in the country. Last year's transformation was more from necessity than desire. The Volunteers have always thrived on offense. Which means the return of Scotty Hopson, a sophomore whose tempo-free offensive numbers (his offensive rating was a mere 96.6 last year, which isn't very good) belie his incredible talent. Hopson has had an impressive summer. He'll need to carry it into the season.

It will also be interesting to see what kind of contribution ESPNU 2010 No. 6 overall prospect Tobias Harris can make. His high school numbers are enticingly gaudy. A quick rundown from today's Buzz: "Here's what Harris managed in his final two seasons as the top prep product in the state of New York: Mr. Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year honors as a senior after averaging 25 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks, leading Half Hollow Hills West (Dix Hills, N.Y.) to the Class AA state championship game. As a junior, he averaged 25 points and 12 rebounds, leading Long Island Lutheran to a Class A state title."

I think it's safe to say Harris has offensive talent.

Throw in a couple of other athletic recruits -- Jordan McRae and Trae Golden -- as well as Brian Williams, who impressed in Tennessee's tournament run, and it's not hard to see the Vols reverting back to their high-flying offensive ways in short order.

Of course, it's always hard to predict what recruits will add or detract from a team's performance. Whatever the new batch of Volunteers does, though, it is easy to predict that Pearl will coach them very well. Last season was a testament to Pearl's tenure in Knoxville thus far. It showcased his ability to motivate players in the face of adversity, his willingness to change his tactics, and his unique tournament savvy.

Whether the Vols go back to their offensive ways or find a way to remain one of the country's best defensive teams -- or, hey, maybe both -- you can bet it will be by design.

ST. LOUIS -- Quick thoughts from Ohio State 42, Tennessee 39:

Very good game so far -- close, competitive, well-played offensively, a lot of open shots going in, neither team able to take command. Tennessee is the physically superior team -- bigger and better athletes. But Ohio State has more skill and a bit better shot selection.

• Ohio State shot a smoking 56 percent from the field and 55 percent from 3-point range. Tennessee shot 46 percent and 50 percent from 3.

• After falling behind 11-4 almost immediately, Tennessee tightened its defense considerably. The Volunteers went on a 13-2 run for a four-point lead, and after that it was back and forth the rest of the half.

• Ohio State was in an early crisis when David Lighty got his second foul with 13:43 left in the half and went to the bench. But the Buckeyes got a nice lift off the bench from Jeremie Simmons, who made three 3-pointers. He was the hot man late while William Buford (12 points) was the scorer early for Ohio State.

• National Player of the Year Evan Turner had to work for his stats, particularly when guarded by pesky point guard Melvin Goins. But at intermission his numbers look like they always look: 10 points, three rebounds, four assists. You cannot shut him out of the box score.

• Cameron Tatum did not miss for Tennessee. Made all three field goals and all three free throws for a team-high 11 points in just nine minutes. J.P. Prince continued his stellar NCAA tournament play with nine points, three assists and no turnovers.

• Players and coaches alike were unhappy with the officiating, especially the first 12 or so minutes. The refs were calling it closely and mysteriously for a while, and it took a while for everyone to adjust.

ST. LOUIS -- Quick previews of the Sweet 16 games here tonight:

Tennessee-Ohio State storylines

• How will J.P. Prince do checking Evan Turner? That’s the marquee individual matchup in a rematch of a thrilling Sweet 16 game three years ago between the Volunteers and Buckeyes. At 6-foot-7, Prince has the length to hinder Turner's passing lanes and shooting looks -- but does he have the mentality for the matchup? Prince has been an up-and-down, hot-and-cold player for four years -- but he played great in the first two rounds of the tourney, averaging 16 points and playing excellent defense against San Diego State and Ohio. But this is Ohio STATE, not Ohio.

• Turner gets the attention for Ohio State -- but that helps guard Jon Diebler get the open shots, and he's been killing it lately. Diebler has made 29 of 61 3-point shots the last six games, and is averaging 21 ppg over the past three games. Diebler's scoring has become progressively more important to Ohio State as the season has gone along. He's scored in double figures in 10 of the Buckeyes' last 11 games, and their record in that time is 10-1.

“Diebler is a guy that you have to respect,” Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl said. “You have to fear. If he can see it, he can make it. So you’ve got to know where he is on the floor.”

• Will Tennessee be able to force a tempo that wears down the Buckeyes? Ohio State has played a very short rotation all season -- essentially just six guys -- and the Volunteers prefer to play at a frantic pace. Ohio State’s core group of players obviously is in great shape, but this could be their most difficult stamina challenge.

Northern Iowa-Michigan State storylines

• Northern Iowa's team got a congratulatory phone call from UNI alum Kurt Warner after beating Kansas. Both Warner and the Panthers know a thing or two about success in St. Louis. UNI has won six straight games here in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament over the last two years, and Warner was the quarterback who led the Rams to their only Super Bowl victory.

“When I got that call and passed it along to the guys, they lit up about as much as they did following that basketball game,” coach Ben Jacobson said. “I mean, it had a real impact on our guys.”

• Is Michigan State now an underdog against Northern Iowa, without leading scorer Kalin Lucas, who will miss the rest of the season with a torn Achilles tendon? If so, that's fine with the Spartans. Said forward Draymond Green: "I'm pretty sure if Kalin was in this game we wouldn't be the underdog. But with Kalin going down, a lot of people think we can't do it. And we know we can. So we're going to come out and play like it."

• Both the Spartans and Panthers are well-versed in playing physical, half-court basketball. But Michigan State has traditionally had an underrated fast break, and that concerns a UNI team that much prefers a slower pace.

“The biggest thing will be to stop their initial break,” guard Ali Farokhmanesh said. “That’s what they’re really good at. They get into their sets quick. And they get the ball off the rim and go. So we’re definitely going to have to be ready on the defensive end to get back in transition and be ready to block them off and set up a wall.”

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- You don’t have to convince Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl or his team about the stakes in facing Ohio rather than Georgetown in the second round Saturday.

Pearl has been where Ohio is now when he was at Wisconsin-Milwaukee and coached the Panthers to the Sweet 16.

“It’s a chance to go to the Sweet 16 and go to St. Louis, and have everyone talk about you for a week,’’ Pearl said after No. 6 Tennessee beat No. 11 San Diego State 62-59 in the nightcap at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence Thursday night.

“Ohio is a lot like we were at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, relying on 3s,’’ Pearl said of the Bobcats who upset No. 3 Georgetown in the first round earlier Thursday. “We shot ourselves past Alabama and Boston College that year. I guarantee it that Ohio thought it could beat Georgetown and I guarantee you they think they can beat us.’’

Tennessee played a classic grinder game to beat the Aztecs on Thursday night. That’s exactly what the Vols have done throughout an erratic season that has included knocking off top-seeded Kansas and Kentucky at home. Pearl said the Vols had to limit Billy White and Malcolm White inside, and they did as neither player cracked double figures for the Mountain West champs. Meanwhile, J.P. Prince ended up being the early catalyst for the Vols with 15 points before Melvin Goins was the finisher with a decisive 3-pointer.

But the Vols will have to switch how they defend in round two. It was critical to shut down the Aztecs’ inside game. They’ll have to defend on the perimeter against the Bobcats.

Beat Ohio and the improbable season for Tennessee, which had to deal with a major black eye when four players were arrested on New Year’s Day which ultimately led to the dismissal of star wing Tyler Smith, continues to the Sweet 16.

“There’s such a difference from the first weekend to the second,’’ Pearl said. “Everyone talks about you. There are only 16 teams. It means a whole lot."

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Quick postgame thoughts from Tennessee 74, Kentucky 65:

• Tennessee won't be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, but it has now beaten half the probable field of No. 1s. First it was Kansas, now it's Kentucky. Both in Thompson-Boling Arena, both holding on late, both with the help of huge three-pointers from near the same spot on the court. Skylar McBee did the honors in the last minute against Kansas, Hopkinsville, Ky., native Scotty Hopson did it to the Wildcats.

• Kentucky made 2-of-22 3-point shots. Every team in March will pack the paint against the Cats and make them prove they can hit jump shots. Kentucky had a nine-point edge at the foul line but was outscored 18-6 from 3-point range.

• J.P. Prince played a tremendous game for the Volunteers, scoring a game-high 20 points. He made the go-ahead basket after Kentucky rallied from 19 points down to tie the score, then made the final four free throws to clinch it.

• John Wall had 19 points and six assists, but also five turnovers and was 0-for-4 from 3-point range. He was great much of the game, but flawed for key stretches as well.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Halftime thoughts from Tennessee 40, Kentucky 29.

• Clearly, Tennessee just needs to play home games against top-five teams and everything will be OK. The Volunteers handed Kansas its only loss of the season here in early January, and are halfway to handing Kentucky just its second defeat of the year. Yet another example that Bruce Pearl does his best work when he's an underdog.

• Tennessee got a terrific first half from mercurial J.P. Prince. He scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, was active defensively and creased Kentucky's defense driving the ball on several occasions.

• Tennessee also survived five three-point hoists from 6-foot-10 center Wayne Chism in the game's first ten minutes. He missed them all. Chism is a decent three-point shooter, so taking a couple (when open) is fine. Jacking them up indiscriminately should not be part of the Volunteers' game plan.
• Speaking of being invited to shoot: John Wall's perimeter game continues to deconstruct. The Kentucky point guard was 1-for-8 in the first half and missed all three of his 3-point shots. Wall has made three of his last 22 3-pointers. At this rate, he'll be left open a lot from the perimeter in the coming weeks.
• Kentucky is shooting just 24 percent from the field and 9 percent from 3-point range. Considering that, being down 11 isn't all that bad. If the Wildcats can find a stroke, this game could tighten up appreciably in the second half.

Ten o'clock thoughts:

• DeMarcus Cousins gave us a glimpse of what makes him both overpowering and maddening during the first half against Tennessee. He's the best offensive rebounder in the country -- and perhaps the most immature player in the country, too.
  
  I believe he's Kentucky's best player. He can get his hands on anything that comes off the glass, which is why the argument that he's dependent upon fellow freshman John Wall to get him the ball is a fallacy -- Cousins gets the ball for himself off missed shots.
  
  But Cousins also is addicted to cheap and silly drama -- throwing elbows, talking trash, arguing with officials. He was T'd up yet again in the first half against the Volunteers along with J.P. Prince. If he doesn't think opposing players and fans are going to continue to work on his hair-trigger temper, he's fooling himself.

• Tennessee is outmanned, banged up, on the road -- and right in the game. Give the Volunteers credit for moxie, but you still have to wonder about their horrendous shot selection. If they continue to jack up long 3s early in the shot clock, they'll get run out of the gym eventually.

• Kentucky has seen all kinds of zone this season without it costing them. But zones from better teams could be another matter. The Wildcats struggled in the first half against the Vols' zone and surely will see more of them as their SEC schedule stiffens down the stretch.

• Good stuff from the ACC tonight, particularly Georgia Tech-Wake Forest (won by the Demon Deacons) and Virginia-Virginia Tech (won by the Hokies). It's not a very good league by its own lofty standards, but it is a competitive one. ACC tournament should be a big ball of messy fun.

• Western Kentucky crushed Arkansas-Little Rock on the road, continuing to pull out of a midseason tailspin in which it lost six of seven games. The perennial mid-major power will finish in the middle of the Sun Belt pack in the regular season but figures to be dangerous in the league tournament.

• Oregon State, which lost by 51 points to Seattle, won at Arizona. The Pac-10 is amazingly mediocre.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- If Tennessee is going to hold off Vanderbilt, the Vols are going to have to do it despite major foul trouble.

Both Scotty Hopson and Kenny Hall picked up their fourth fouls in the early minutes of the second half. J.P. Prince came back a few minutes later and picked up a pair of technical fouls.

The Vols were able to build a lead as large as six points, but they're going to have to play a large chunk of this second half without some of their key players.

Senior center Wayne Chism has been awfully quiet. He's rebounding well, but has yet to score a field goal. The Vols, leading 51-47, are going to need him offensively these last 12 minutes.

With all this foul trouble, you keep thinking that Vanderbilt will be able to exploit Tennessee inside. But so far, that hasn't happened.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- How would a short-handed Tennessee deal with top-ranked Kansas? For a half, at least, it's a fair fight.

The Volunteers led by as many as six points in the first half and go into intermission tied at 33. They came into the game with only six scholarship players and stole several minutes in the first half with walk-ons on the floor after J.P. Prince and Wayne Chism each picked up two fouls.

But coach Bruce Pearl gambled by putting Chism back in for the final couple of minutes, and the Vols' best big man got whistled for his third foul while hacking Sherron Collins with 34.6 seconds left. Pearl may regret that move. They'll need him for the second half to have any chance.

Kansas, which struggled shooting the ball on Wednesday against Cornell, had its troubles again in the first half while making just 35.3 percent of its shots and missing nine of its 13 threes. But Tyrel Reed drilled a 3-pointer in the waning seconds to tie the game at the break.

Tennessee looked like it was in trouble about midway through the half, but then Renaldo Woolridge sank three straight 3-pointers, one of them a bank shot from straight on and the other two under heavy duress. It was an unlikely barrage from a guy who had hit only seven 3s all year.

Kansas owned the boards for most of the first half, holding a 17-7 edge at one point and finishing with 10 offensive rebounds to just three for the Volunteers. Cole Aldrich has 12 boards already, but he has just two points on three field goal attempts as Tennessee is trying to smother him in the middle of its matchup zones. The Jayhawks still need to get him more involved in the second half, especially with Chism saddled by foul trouble.

Prior to Friday’s decision to dismiss Tyler Smith, Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl told ESPN.com there might be fairly different levels of involvement in the case and that could lead to different decisions. He said no decision had been made regarding Sunday's Kansas game, but that the three other players -- Brian Williams, Cameron Tatum and Melvin Goins -- remained indefinitely suspended.

But it seemed highly unlikely any of the three remaining players would be cleared for what is easily the biggest nonconference game on Tennessee’s home schedule.

Pearl said the crowd for Wednesday's win over Charlotte was a great help, rallying around the depleting Vols, especially once their huge lead was cut to six in the second half. Pearl said he anticipated a similar type of reaction from the Volunteer fans for the KU game. Tennessee had just six scholarship players for the Charlotte game and may have the same against the top-ranked Jayhawks.

For the Vols to have a chance forward Wayne Chism will have to rebound against Cole Aldrich, Pearl said. Scott Hopson and Renaldo Woolridge will have to make 3-pointers and Bobby Maze must limit turnovers against KU's Sherron Collins. Maze had only one turnover against Charlotte on Wednesday. J.P. Prince will also have to find ways to score. The Vols did defend well against the 49ers by limiting them to 27.6 percent on 3s, 36.2 percent overall. But obviously there is a talent upgrade with the Jayhawks.

Meanwhile, according to a number of NBA sources, Smith was already becoming a marginal draft pick with his play this season. He declared for the NBA draft in the offseason, but withdrew mainly because he wasn’t getting any traction on being a first- or even second-round draft pick. Smith was averaging 11.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists a game this season. All but his assist numbers were down from 2008-09, when he averaged 17.4 points and 5.8 rebounds a game.

One NBA personnel source said that executives will have to decide if Smith is worth digging into the facts of the case. The source said many times a big man is more often given the benefit of the doubt than a wing (where there are countless options) unless they are an exceptional talent.

Tennessee was projected to be Kentucky’s toughest nemesis in the SEC East with its full compliment of players. But if Williams, Goins and Tatum don’t return, the Vols will likely be vying with Florida and Vanderbilt, desperately trying to separate itself from the pack. In its three most significant nonconference games, Tennessee lost by 22 points at USC, lost by one to Purdue at the Paradise Jam, and won at Memphis on New Year's Eve day. The Vols open the SEC against Auburn on Jan. 14.