What Rick Barnes is concerned about with Tennessee basketball before March Madness
Zakai Zeigler had no choice.
The Tennessee basketball guard heaved a 3-pointer from the SEC logo at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. It landed feebly in the hands of Mississippi State forward Tolu Smith and nowhere near the rim as the shot clock blared.
Zeigler's shot wasn't the issue. The shot Jordan Gainey did not take was. Gainey passed up an open 3-pointer with five seconds on the shot clock and no defender within 10 feet, leading to Zeigler's heave. It was one of the many instances of Tennessee declining a good shot Friday and, yes, coach Rick Barnes is concerned by it.
"You got to take the shots," Barnes said. "You got to take them."
Barnes has talked about a reluctance to shoot, at times, for Tennessee's players this season. He talked about it again after top-seeded UT (24-8) was upset by ninth-seeded Mississippi State 73-56 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. He'll be talking about it with his team once again before the NCAA Tournament begins and it's do-or-done time.
How not taking open shots is hurting Tennessee basketball
Mississippi State's Cameron Matthews had his back turned when Gainey caught a crosscourt pass from Jahmai Mashack. Matthews was at the elbow when Gainey set his feet and lined up the shot.
He pump-faked instead and tried to drive, but Matthews had regained position by then. He passed to Zeigler, who had to hoist a desperate shot at the end of the shot clock.
"Early in the year, when we were turning the ball over, it's because we were turning down shots, trying to do other things," Barnes said. "Normally, we get a high volume of quality shots."
The shot-clock violation was UT's third straight turnover in a streak of four during a miserable first 10 minutes against the Bulldogs. Barnes spoke in an interview on ESPN during the under-12 media timeout about missed opportunities to shoot that led to worse shots and turnovers. Senior Santiago Vescovi, who has been on the receiving end of the "shoot it" message the most, passed up one. So did Zeigler, which led to a difficult layup instead.
Barnes stressed spacing in his postgame remarks and how the correct spacing will keep UT's offense going. Taking good shots with correct spacing leads to rebounding opportunities and more shots. UT fell into the opposite pattern Friday, turning down shots, and making everything harder.
How Dalton Knecht factors into Tennessee basketball taking shots
Dalton Knecht is understandably the focus of opposing scouting reports. The SEC player of the year averaged 25.5 points in conference play, taking all the focus off his teammates while still managing to score at a crazy clip.
"Because of that, some other guys are going to get opportunities and they have to shoot the ball," Barnes said.
Barnes did say that Knecht can still do a better job with his shot selection after he went 4-for-17 shooting and 2-for-9 on 3-pointers. The Vols coach also noted players passing up shots can make it look like everything is being put on Knecht. He felt even more of the weight falls on Zeigler.
"Everything ends up to be like an avalanche hitting him because he's so competitive," Barnes said.
WHAT NOW? Tennessee basketball got punked before March Madness. Is it time to panic?
Knecht and Zeigler are Tennessee's leading scorers for a reason. They're not only the best scorers but also the most willing scorers − and most willing shooters. Those facts are unlikely to change in the NCAA Tournament.
But Tennessee still needs more willingness from other players. That remains the case after 32 games, the latest of which had Barnes concerned once again with a hesitation to shoot.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Rick Barnes' concern with Tennessee basketball before March Madness
