University of Tennessee Athletics
Postgame Quotes: Vanderbilt 67, Vols 56
February 22, 2017 | Men's Basketball
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Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes
(Opening statement)
"I think you have to give Vanderbilt a lot of credit. They had a lot of focus from the beginning, like a team that new what they wanted to get done. To be honest with you, they didn’t do anything that we didn’t expect them to do, but you have to give them credit. I thought we played like a team that wasn’t very well-coached in terms of what we wanted to get done. The way we started the game, from the jump ball, we play around with position and we give up a layup to start the game. We knew they were going to double in the post. We knew they were going to do that and Grant (Williams), instead of trying to make a quick move, he held the ball trying to make a spectacular pass twice and turned it over. We got going and we got in a hole. We fought back some, but when we needed to make a couple of free throws here and there we didn’t and you have to give them credit for the two big threes back-to-back. Those were good plays. We let them race up on one and the other one we over held which we talked about not doing. We have to be better than that."
(On the first couple of possessions)
"I am mystified by it. This time of year you can’t come out at home playing like that and I have been doing this a long time, but I don’t have all of the answers because that surprises me. I thought we would be more focused. You have to give Vanderbilt credit because they understand what this time of year is about obviously and we don’t. You don’t perform like that in situation like this."
(On the difference in Vanderbilt’s defense)
"They were switching it. We could have taken advantage of so much of it. We didn’t play hard enough and you go back and we missed some shots. You have to give them credit because (Luke) Kornet blocked seven shots. We just weren’t very good. I am not taking away from Vanderbilt and you have to give all the credit in the world. They were willing to switch and give Robert Hubbs one-on-one in the post against a point guard. It should have been one pass in there to him. They weren’t double teaming Robert and that is just lack of being focused and we didn’t."
(On gaining an edge in rebounds in the second half)
"(It was) effort, not a sense of urgency to start the game. You’d like to think this time of year, with four regular-season games left, that you start the game with that kind of energy and effort. We didn’t. A team like them, who got you down, they can raise up (and shoot). We knew they were going to shoot 30 threes. They pretty much make eight-to-nine a game. That’s a simple question that’s hard to answer for me. Because if you did it at the start of the second half, then why didn’t you do it at the start of the game? I wish I knew the answer to that, but I really don’t. Ask the players because it’s a matter of focus. And give (Vanderbilt) credit for being focused and doing what they wanted to get done. We didn’t know what we wanted to get done."
(On Kwe Parker getting more minutes)
"Effort, intensity, wanting to compete, that’s what it was. At the beginning, in the first half, we didn’t compete. In the second half, I thought Lamonte (Turner) and Shembari (Phillips) even—I thought Shembari had a lot put on him, no question about it. He took some tough shots. There at the end, those two blocked shots, those were big. He got the ball down the lane and should’ve been kicking out for something else, but he’s got to learn. I thought he tried. It’s just our point-guard play. All we want is effort. We wanted to run. At the start of the game, what we’re asking Jordan Bone to do is use his feet. He’s refusing to do that, and defensively, he’s got to get better. We know that, like most freshmen, he’s got to give us the effort to do that."
(On how the players were affected by the officiating)
"I don’t know. I think when we are not playing well, a lot of things get into your head. I can tell you that the breakdown we had had nothing to do with the officials. Those two threes we gave up had nothing to do with officiating. Missing free throws, that has nothing to do with officiating. If it did affect them that is because they are looking for an excuse. It is just disappointing that we did not do the things that we are capable of."
(On the team’s free-throw percentage)
"It’s critical when you are not shooting the ball well from the outside. I think at one point we had a chance to tie the game. I think Admiral Schofield might have tied the game and that gives you some momentum. It gives the crowd a chance to get into the game, but we did not give them a whole lot of reason to stay with it. Luke Kornet had seven blocks and that is a big difference that you have to give him credit for it."
(On Shembari Phillips stepping up and taking more shots)
"Yeah we do but he has to learn that when the two blocks he had he should have kicked out because somebody is open. We want Shembari to be more aggressive. I would rather have him play like that than the way he has been playing."
(On how the team has practiced recently)
"The past two days have been good. You have teams sometimes that will compete in practice but when the lights come on you really find out about it. When the lights came on tonight we did not compete. We did not play hard enough for 40 minutes to win this game. There was a big difference between the first half and the second half. That is effort, intensity and focus. We have three games left and we have to show them what we can do."
(On Jordan Bowden’s absence)
"He is under doctor’s care. They are the ones that are holding him back. If he would have been dressed out, I would have put him in and see if he could have played. The doctors obviously say that he cannot go right now. He got pneumonia, where you have some fluid in your lungs, right before the Missouri game. He practiced well before the Missouri game, but the day of the game he spent a night in the hospital. He has been with us the past two days but he has not been cleared."
Tennessee forward Admiral Schofield
(On coming out flat against Vanderbilt)
"You’d think with it being a rivalry game that guys would have energy, but I don’t know particularly what it was. I just know, as a team, that we didn’t get the job done tonight. Energy level was low. (We) didn’t come out pushing the ball and we didn’t come out executing the gameplan. This game is not on the coaches. It’s not on Rick Barnes. It’s on Tennessee Basketball. We didn’t come out with any fire today."
(On feeling different before the game)
"Everything that we’ve gone over these past couple of days to prepare for Vandy, we saw. We just did not execute and I don’t know what it was. We weren’t on the same page as a team. We’ve just got to get on the same page and finish this season out strong."
(On trying to energize his teammates)
"Like I said before, my job is to sit on the bench, see how the game is flowing and see what I need to bring, and it was some energy, rebounding and some low-scoring presence. I just went out there and tried to bring some type of fire to the team. It worked a little bit, but we dug ourselves in a hole early and we just couldn’t get out of it."
Tennessee guard Shembari Phillips
(On coming out flat against Vanderbilt)
"We didn’t handle it well early. There are just some things we have to take a look at, inside of ourselves, really just dig deep and say, 'We’re not going to come out flat. We’re going to come out with energy.' (We need to) hit them first. Tonight, they hit us first."
(On being surprised by the slow start)
"We work hard every day, and we go at it. We go after each other. So when we came out as flat as we did it is just not acceptable. We have to come back stronger next game."
(On Tennessee’s offensive struggles)
"There were some times when we just got stagnant. In the first half, we just weren’t moving the ball like we should. When things boggle down, we have to keep the ball moving. We can’t just have the ball standing in one person’s hands. I’m guilty of it a little bit, but we’ve just got to keep the ball moving, keeping everybody involved. (We have to) keep the defense shifting and we’ve got to get something, because offensively, we’re capable. We’re explosive and we’ve got to use that to our advantage."
Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew
(Opening statement)
"Tennessee is a really good team and they are playing really good basketball. We knew it was going to be a very challenging and physical game. I think our guys were extra motivated because of losing the first one at our place. We wanted to come back and show we were a much better team, playing at a much higher level than we were earlier in the year. I thought Luke Kornet was incredible tonight. He almost had a triple double and his last five minutes of defense were as good of a five-minute defense."
(On different guys making plays)
"We had five guys in the double figures tonight and you can see that we are trying to give guys freedom to make plays. Joe Toye struggled in the first half and then came back with a great three and a driving lay-up that he made. With Luke (Kornet), his ability to make the three makes teams game plan for him on how to guard him on pick and rolls and other situations, [which] opens up other play options for different players on the team."
(On the 18-4 start)
"I think you can go back to the first game because they scored pretty easy on us and we obviously wanted to play much better. We were motivated and wanted to come in and prove that we are a much better team than we were at our place. We made some shots early and they had good shots too, but they just missed them. I think that helped."
(On how far the team has come defensively)
"A big key is our number of turnovers. We only had five tonight and if you go back earlier in the year we were turning the ball over little bit more and teams would score pretty quickly on us. Tonight we only gave up two points off turnovers. When we can get back and play five-on-five defense and get Luke (Kornet) down the court to protect the rim it instantly makes our defense much better."
(On guard Riley LaChance’s improvement)
"He has really bought into his role. He is such a great shooter and it kind of hurts me to see him only get two 3-point attempts because he is such a good 3-point shooter, but then four rebounds, seven assists and two steals and a great play by him at the end. He is becoming a well-rounded player for us and they pressured him the whole second half and he did a great job getting us into offense. He had a great pace and kept our team under control."
(On double-teaming Tennessee)
"We didn’t think that would be a deciding factor in the game. We know their bigs are really skilled and athletic and long and pass out of it. So when Luke (Kornet) can go down there and be 7-1 and long, he does a really great job of moving his feet. Sometimes nothing really happens except the ball got out and reversed around the other side. Luke is such a presence we try to use him every way we can."
(On how the team is playing and if they are playing well enough for the NCAA Tournament)
"This is definitely the best we played. I think we can continue to play better. I think what we have done lately gives us some great opportunities down the stretch to hopefully put ourselves into the tournament."
(On the remainder of their schedule)
"We have been looking at just one game at a time and our main focus is getting better as a team and executing better and trying to execute better and get where we play with consistency. That has been really encouraging through this three game stretch. We have really been consistent on defense and moving the ball."
Vanderbilt forward Luke Kornet
(On the difference in their defense in the last few games)
"I think we have been playing some pretty solid man-to-man defense. I think helping each other in our intensity and if someone gets beat to recover. I thought we had some pretty good first-shot defense for the most part, and making sure that they are always shooting the ball over our hand. That is the goal for any defense. Just to lower the percentage on any shots that they are trying to take. I think I did a good job on making most of the looks a little tougher than usual."
(On being able to weather Tennessee’s late push)
"We did a great job. They definitely made that push. We had some guys step up and hit some big shots. I feel like we have been in that position so many times that we don’t really lose our heads or anything like that and keep pretty steady throughout the game, whether we just made a 10-point run or they just made a 10-point run. They kind of let them loose on the offensive boards a little bit. We did a little bit better job after that little run they had of finishing possessions. We had some guys make big shots and make free throws. Those are just the things that you have to do on the road."
(On the opening play)
"It definitely is great when you can start the game off on a 2-0 lead. I think we just came out of the gate hot like that. Sometimes in games when you just struggle to score early, it takes a lot of work to take the lid off of the basket and be able to get that first basket. I really just kind of pushed us to go forward. Whenever we can get a stop and get in a transition, it opens up offense for us. I think it definitely did today."
(On the motivation coming into tonight’s game)
"When we are at our place, I definitely got upset and frustrated and wanted to get back at them today. After how they played at our place, they really shot the ball well that game. It felt like every single time it left their hands it was going in the basket. I think for us being able to go out and make a stance like we did defensively today is something that we take pride in knowing that we have become a better team since we have played them the first time."
(On why they have become a better man-to-man team)
"I think we have been on a cohesive defensively and being together all on the same page. I know it has gotten better at the rotations of us double-teaming the post. I think we have all taken pride and gotten better as a man defense. I think we definitely got better since maybe a month ago."
