Hear what Head coach Buzz Williams had to say ahead of Texas A&M’s huge Tuesday night home matchup vs. the 11th-ranked Tennesee Volunteers
The 25th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies (20-7, 12-2 SEC) are just one sleep away from their biggest matchup of the season thus far, as the 11th-ranked Tennesee Volunteers (20-7, 9-5 SEC) visit Reed Arena on Tuesday night in the battle for seeding in the SEC, and NCAA Tournament next month.
After going 2-0 last week with victories over Arkansas (62-56) and Missouri (69-60), sophomore guard Wade Taylor IV, who averaged 19.5 ppg between both contests, was named SEC Player of the Week, while the Aggies received their No. 25 ranking in both the AP and USA TODAY polls on Monday as well. Sitting second in the SEC with a three-game lead on both Kentucky and Tennesee, chasing the 13-1 Alabama Crimson Tide for their first conference title since sharing the achievement with Kentucky during the 2015-16 season.
Head coach Buzz Williams continued his normal pre-game routine with his weekly press conference a day ahead of the game to discuss the Top 25 showdown vs. Tennessee, among other topics. Here’s what Buzz had to say.
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Who’s on deck this week? Perhaps the toughest opponent the Aggies will face so far this season, as the 11th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers (20-7, 9-5 SEC) come to what might be a sold-out Reed Arena on Tuesday night, coming off their road loss to Kentucky on Saturday afternoon. Head coach Rick Barnes’s squad hasn’t had the best February, losing four out of their last six games, but did notch an impressive home win against Alabama last Wednesday. For the Aggies, a win against Tennesee would mean a 6th Quad 1 victory, their 13th conference win, and a virtual lock for the NCAA Tournament.
The Volunteers are led by senior guard and sharpshooter Santiago Vescovi, averaging 12.5 ppg, while sophomore guard Zakai Zeigler 10.8 ppg, 5.4 assists, and 2.0 steals per game, followed by senior forward Oliver Nkamhoua with 10.5 ppg, and 5.0 rebounds per game. Defensively, Tennessee consistently frustrates every offense they come in contact with, ranked as the third-best scoring defense in the country at 56.7 points per game, limiting Alabama’s 6th-ranked scoring offense to just 59 points and 35.4% from the field.
The Aggies are currently ranked as the 68th-ranked scoring defense at a very respectable 65.9 points per game, so let’s assume this is going to be a knock-out, drag-out defensive slugfest, which of course plays into the hands of Head coach Buzz Williams’ offensive scheme, wanting to slow the game down as much as possible to penetrate the paint, and eventually get to the free throw line, where 25% of their offensive production derives from.
Against Missouri, sophomore scoring leader Wade Taylor IV shined with his third 20-plus-point game in his last four, netting 21 points including 4-7 from three, paired with Wichita State transfer guard Dexter Dennis’s 17-point, 10 rebound double-double, also going 3-7 from deep, exhibiting Texas A&M’s stark improvement on the perimeter during the five-game win streak.
One key advantage in the matchup is Tennesee’s recent performance outside Thompson-Boling Arena, currently 4-4 on the road, the Volunteers have dropped 3 out of their last six on the road, scoring 54, 65, and 54 points in each loss. So, keeping the score low is a must to keep the game in reach, and if trends can be trusted, The Aggies are in good shape heading into Tuesday.
Texas A&M vs. Tennessee is slated for Tuesday, Feb. 21st at 6:00 PM CT. and will air on ESPN. Oh, and it’s a blackout, y’all.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty
The Texas Longhorns got bullied on the basketball court Saturday. The No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers lived up to their billing, defeating the Longhorns, 82-71.
Generally speaking, teams should be expected to lose on the road to Top 5 teams, but the way in which Texas lost is cause for concern.
Tennessee owned the paint on both ends of the court, scoring at will and keeping the Texas offense away from the basket. It was reminiscent of losses to Purdue and other bigger teams last season.
The Vols’ length and athleticism kept Texas from getting to its usual attempts. On the rare occasion the Longhorns saw a good look early on, the team often failed to convert.
Here’s a look at what to conclude from what transpired on Saturday.
Texas’ high scoring offense faces Tennessee’s elite defense on the road.
A big Saturday is ahead for the Big 12 and the SEC. Texas and Tennessee are one of the highlights of the series.
Former Texas coach Rick Barnes and the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers play host to the No. 10 Texas Longhorns.
Tennessee presents the best defense the Longhorns will have faced. The Volunteers have ranked toward the top of the country in multiple defensive categories.
As far as what Tennessee brings offensively, the group is unremarkable compared to some of the better offenses Texas has faced. The Vols score 74.1 points per game (No. 88 in NCAA) to the Longhorns’ 80.5 (No. 16).
The clash should pull the Texas scoring average down, but Rick Barnes’ team has proven vulnerable against athletic mismatches like the Longhorns. The Vols recently lost to Kentucky by 7 in Knoxville.
Texas will look to get over its road struggles over the 2023 season. Here’s a look at how the games could unfold.
After winning eight of Rodney Terry’s first nine games, it’s time to take the Longhorns seriously.
The Texas Longhorns are 15-2 with a resume that rivals the top teams in the country. You wouldn’t know it by the rankings.
The Longhorns ranked No. 10 in last week’s Top 25. Three-loss Gonzaga, who they beat by 19 points earlier this season, ranked ahead of Texas. The two-loss Tennessee Volunteers, who lost to the Colorado Buffaloes (11-8) ranked five spots ahead of Rodney Terry’s team.
After two impressive comeback victories this week, Texas is every bit as worthy of recognition as any other 2-loss team. The Horns erased an 18-point lead against No. 17 TCU before defeating Texas Tech on Saturday.
Losing head coach Chris Beard understandably led to questions about the team’s championship viability. That said, after winning eight of Terry’s first nine games, perhaps it’s time to take the Longhorns seriously.
Here’s a look at what Texas has accomplished this season.
A cautionary note after Wisconsin blasted Tennessee
When covering a sports team, it is certainly important to make note of progress and improvement. It is essential to be clear in saying that a team notched a particularly important victory and took a clear step forward. It is irresponsible to gloss over successes or minimize them. Always waiting to criticize and being stingy on praise is a bad look every time.
We also pointed out that Wisconsin played a more complete game even without Micah Potter posting big numbers or logging much playing time. We have clearly noted the good developments connected to a genuinely impressive performance in Knoxville. We aren’t being stingy on praise. We aren’t being a bunch of Negative Nicks or Nancies around here.
However: When noting the successes of a team (or an athlete), it is still fair and reasonable to point out that a given success might have been the product of the opponent’s struggles. We shouldn’t completely ignore this element of Wisconsin’s win over Tennessee. We shouldn’t make too big a deal of it, yes, but we shouldn’t completely cast it aside.
Tennessee, as we pointed out before this game, was playing without senior point guard Lamonte Turner, a core member of last season’s Sweet 16 team which came within an eyelash of reaching the Elite Eight. Tennessee lost Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield to the NBA. Turner was one of the players who anchored this season’s team and gave Tennessee a real shot at another NCAA Tournament berth. Losing Turner just before the Wisconsin game clearly crippled Tennessee.
By all means, let’s give full credit to Wisconsin for pouncing on a vulnerable opponent and stomping on its throat. Nevertheless, one has to be mindful of the reality that future opponents won’t lack critical players — not just point guards, but quality players and upperclassmen who knit the rest of the team together. The timing of this game worked in Wisconsin’s favor. The Badgers made great use of their circumstances, but for all the good things they did, it certainly should be said that they faced a weakened opponent.
The next challenge for Wisconsin: Standing up to a good team on the road when that good team has all its weapons. It’s not being a killjoy to point that out.
If you have followed sports for any reasonable length of time, you know that what I am about to write is not a new or foreign concept for sports teams: Having an athlete in the lineup, even if that athlete doesn’t produce big numbers, can be a source of comfort for teammates.
If you have heard it once, you have heard it many times: After a big win, a team’s players say something to the effect of, “He might not have scored a ton of points, but just knowing he was with us meant a lot to the team. We all drew energy from him and are more excited to play now that he is a more complete part of our journey through this season.”
Translation: We like playing for our teammate, our brother. We are more together. We are more cohesive, regardless of what the stats might say.
Is this what is happening with the Wisconsin Badgers basketball team? Maybe. Maybe not. I’m not sure. However, after a convincing 68-48 win over the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday — UW’s first win of the season away from the Kohl Center — it is certainly reasonable to wonder if the Badgers are simply happier and more whole now that Micah Potter is on the bench as an active player, a member of the team in full.
Potter did not provide a big statistical contribution on Saturday. In fact, he didn’t provide much of a statistical contribution at all. Potter played only seven minutes, grabbing two rebounds and not scoring any points. If I had told you before this game that Potter would post those numbers, would you have predicted Wisconsin would win by 20 and basically coast through the entire second half without any real scoreboard pressure? I doubt it.
Again, I don’t know if this “placebo effect” is real. We will find out in the next few weeks, especially this Friday against Ohio State. Yet, the notion that Wisconsin needed Potter to be a prime player — a high-impact contributor — in order for this team to improve, especially on the road, was refuted by this game. Potter was peripheral to what the Badgers did on the court, but Wisconsin looked so much better and more formidable nonetheless.
Did this team simply need to know that Micah Potter was with the Badgers not only as a friend, but as an eligible player? Is that all it took? Where was this kind of performance when Potter was ineligible, and not yet allowed to play? Potter didn’t change the dynamic for this team on the court, but maybe he has changed the dynamic in the locker room.
I don’t know any of this. I admit I am speculating.
The question, though, is very interesting… and I wonder if any other Badger fans are thinking the same thing. Stay tuned as the season continues.
We told you earlier this season after the North Carolina State and Rutgers losses: The Wisconsin Badgers, for all their struggles on offense in games played away from the Kohl Center, had the chance to become a much better team if they developed at the defensive end of the floor. Offense might not always travel, but defense does. Defense doesn’t depend on a familiar shooting environment. Defense doesn’t depend on the lighting in the arena or the depth perception a shooter has in a given building. Defense doesn’t need the rims to be soft or the backboard to be accommodating for a shooter’s touch.
A shooter likes the feel of the ball and the way a gymnasium looks. A shooter wants to know what to expect from the rim. A shooter likes getting up in the morning and shooting in his (or her) own building. There is comfort to shooting in the place you love, the place where you spend most of your time, like a pitcher knowing what his home-ballpark pitcher’s mound feels like. Defense has nothing to do with that. Defense is about work, hustle, positioning, communication, and other components which can exist regardless of one’s visual, physical surroundings.
Basketball players with limited ceilings in terms of talent or physical capacity won’t become elite scorers, but they CAN become elite defenders. Dick Bennett enabled Wisconsin basketball fans to see this when he took the 2000 team to the Final Four. Several of Bo Ryan’s teams manifested this same reality. In 2019 — with 2020 just days away — the current iteration of Wisconsin basketball has the ability to change its season not by shooting better, but defending better.
So it was that on Saturday, the Badgers took a big step forward. They did make a lot of threes on the road, but their biggest improvement was on defense. Wisconsin — whose great 3-point shooting certainly didn’t hurt the cause against the Tennessee Volunteers — nevertheless did something it had rarely done over the past eight weeks: It held an opponent under 50 points.
Even if Wisconsin hadn’t torched the nets; even if D’Mitrik Trice hadn’t busted loose; even if Brevin Pritzl didn’t have a strong game off the bench, the Badgers might still have beaten the Vols.
The big lesson from this game is not “When Wisconsin shoots threes well, it is very hard to beat.” That is a lesson to take from this blowout of Tennessee, but it’s not the main one. The main lesson is this: “When Wisconsin defends well, it gives itself a large margin for error.”
There will be Big Ten games — perhaps as early as this coming Friday at Ohio State — in which Wisconsin doesn’t shoot threes well and labors on offense. When those games arrive, and you know they will at some point — will UW’s defense be able to win a game in the mud, pulling out a 53-51 victory which looks ugly in the box score, but very beautiful on an NCAA Tournament nitty-gritty report on Selection Sunday?
We would all love Wisconsin to continue to play well at both ends of the floor, just like this Tennessee game, for the rest of the season. Yet, the key insight into UW’s defensive improvement is that it will enable the Badgers to win when they’re not at their best. Wisconsin — heading into Knoxville on Saturday — had generally not won games in which the offense struggled. UW received great performances from its offense in many of its victories (Marquette second half, all of the Indiana game, all of the Milwaukee game), but the losses were mostly comprised of struggle-bus showings (Saint Mary’s, Richmond, New Mexico, N.C. State; Rutgers was the exception).
Saturday’s win over Tennessee did involve great 3-point shooting, but if the Badgers can carry that defense into 2020, they will give themselves the best possible chance of returning to the NCAA Tournament.
Wisconsin faces Tennessee in Knoxville on Saturday afternoon. Badger fans should be sure to know these three opposing players.
After picking up a much-needed victory over Milwaukee at home last weekend, Wisconsin (6-5) hits the road to Knoxville to take on Tennessee (8-3) on Saturday afternoon.
The Badgers and Volunteers have split the four previous contests in this series, with Wisconsin winning a 74-62 decision at the 2016 Maui Invitational in the last meeting.
Wisconsin has lost four of its last six leading into Saturday’s matchup, though it was able to take care of business in a 83-64 victory over Milwaukee the last time out. Tennessee has fallen on some hard times as well as of late, dropping two of its last three. The Volunteers lost to No. 12 Memphis and Cincinnati before breaking their losing streak in a 75-53 win over Jacksonville State last Saturday.
Though I would expect this to be a close contest, Tennessee is certainly the favorite to come out on top in the end; we all know how awful the Badgers have played on the road this season, and though the Volunteers did lose one of their top players recently with Lamonte Turner’s decision to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, head coach Rick Barnes still has a pretty strong rotation.
Here are the three players on the other side who Badger fans should keep a close eye on throughout Saturday afternoon’s contest.
Bowden has taken a big leap this season after serving as the fourth or fifth option on Tennessee’s loaded roster last year.
An excellent shooter, the 6-5 senior from Knoxville has become the team’s leading scorer this season. However, with Turner – who was their No. 2 scorer and one of the top facilitators in the nation at 7.1 assists per game – now sidelined, the Volunteers will need Bowden to step up and shoulder an even greater share of the offensive load.
Bowden has scored at least 11 points in all but two of Tennessee’s games this year and is coming off of his second-highest scoring total of the season (19 points) in its win last Saturday against Jacksonville State.
Dec 14, 2019; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Yves Pons (35) moves the ball against Memphis Tigers forward Precious Achiuwa (55) during the first half at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
As with Bowden, Pons has assumed a far greater role for the Volunteers this season compared to last.
One of the freakier athletes in college basketball, the 6-6 junior from France has always had major potential, and he now appears to be putting it all together. Pons’ minutes have skyrocketed from 11.7 to 32.6 minutes per game this season, and he has poured in at least 10 points in eight of 11 games while averaging over nine points more than he did in 2018-19.
Pons is also second on the team in rebounding and third in the SEC in blocks per game. He rejected a school-record six shots in Tennessee’s last game.
James was one of the nation’s top high school recruits in the class of 2019, earning five-star status and the No. 22 spot in the 247Sports composite national rankings and making a trip to the McDonald’s All-American Game. Unsurprisingly, the 6-6- combo guard from Charleston, S.C. has been an instant-impact addition for Tennessee this season.
He’s struggled a bit to knock down shots, but he’s still making an impact in the scoring column, and his production should increase moving forward with Turner out of the lineup. James is also second on the team in assists, and his rebounding average is the highest of any Volunteer and all SEC freshmen.
While he hasn’t put up the kind of numbers we often see from highly-touted freshman, there’s no question James has still established himself as one of Tennessee’s top players. He may not be a sure-fire “one and done” player destined for the first round in this year’s NBA draft as things stand today, but he still looks to have a bright future at the next level ahead of him and will undoubtedly be the top pro prospect on the floor in this matchup.
The Tennessee Volunteers and Wisconsin Badgers have both endured rough losses this season, often marked by a sputtering offense but sometimes defined by an unfocused defense. These teams both have incomplete resumes and stand on shaky ground relative to the NCAA Tournament. They have a lot in common based on what they have endured over the past several weeks.
The past is not the only thing these teams share. Their current situations relative to their respective rosters are also strikingly similar.
Wisconsin fans know that the Badgers are trying to quickly integrate Micah Potter into their regular rotation. Potter was allowed to play for the Milwaukee game on Dec. 21, which gave the Badgers one game in which to adjust before this tussle with Tennessee. The Badgers are learning how to play a new way — not in terms of a new “style,” but certainly in terms of how they react and respond to each other in a sport which requires crisp and immediate (and often unspoken) understanding of what teammates will do. This will be Potter’s first road game of the season with the Badgers. It is a major test for Wisconsin with one of its key pieces finally in the lineup.
Tennessee is also facing a new situation, but not because an important player has joined the lineup. For the Vols, it is just the opposite.
Senior point guard Lamonte Turner (whose phantom foul of Purdue’s Carsen Edwards led to the Vols’ overtime loss to the Boilermakers in last March’s Sweet 16) was injured and knocked out for the entire season earlier in December. Tennessee has to rework its lineup without a core performer while Wisconsin welcomes Potter to the mix. Tennessee will also spend Saturday’s game figuring out how to cope with an adjusted reality. It makes this game that much more of a coin flip, so much harder to figure out from any or all sides of the competition.
If you think you know how Wisconsin — with Micah Potter — will play against Tennessee — without Lamonte Turner — this coming Saturday, you’re a much more confident person than I am.
