Bruce Pearl has brought a much needed new
attitude to Tennessee, but it will take some time for the talent
to follow. Finishing just 6-10 in the conference last year, the
Volunteers once again underachieved. If Pearl can reverse that
underachieving trend, Tennessee could get a couple big wins in
the SEC.
Who’s Out:
Scooter McFadgon, Brandon Crump and Fred Smithwick have
exhausted their eligibility. McFadgon led the squad with 14.3
points per game. He was a streaky shooter, but you still wanted
McFadgon taking the clutch shot. Crump averaged 11.3 points and
5.8 rebounds per contest. Smithwick only saw action in five
games.
Who’s In:
Center Damion Harris will be asked to fill in some minutes off
the bench. The 6-10 center from Greenville, South Carolina will
get a chance to play since the frontcourt has become quite
depleted. Along with projected starters Major Wingate and Andre
Patterson, senior Jemere Hendrix is the only other returning
player over 6-5. Ryan Childress should fit into that frontcourt
rotation as well. The 6-8 power forward is a tough player and
can battle under the basket.
Who to Watch:
C.J. Watson is the senior leader, but it is
sophomore Chris Lofton who can explode and make this a very
difficult team to play. Lofton scored 13.2 points per game and
is the returning leader in that category. The problem is 6.5 of
his 9.5 shot attempts per game were from behind the arc. That
isn’t so bad when he drains 46.5% of those attempts from long
range, but Lofton could be a dominate player if he drives the
lane more often. He’s a great free throw shooter, but only made
a trip to the charity stripe 1.3 times per game last season. If
he can continue to shoot like last year and become more
aggressive, Lofton will be an extremely dangerous player in the
SEC.
Projected Conference Rank:
The frontcourt is decent with Andre Patterson
and Major Wingate, but the depth is unproven. A 9th
place overall finish in the conference isn’t horrible for a team
in transition. Jemere Hendrix, Stanley Asumnu and JaJuan Smith
need to make an impact off the bench, if they can’t crack the
starting line-up, in order for Tennessee not to wear down at the
end of games and the end of the season.
Projected Post-season Tournament:
none
Projected Starting Five:
C.J. Watson, Senior, Guard, 11.9 points per game
Chris Lofton, Sophomore, Guard, 13.2 points per game
Dane Bradshaw, Junior, Guard, 3.0 points per game
Andre Patterson, Senior, Forward, 7.4 points per game
Major Wingate, Junior, Forward, 5.0 points per game
