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Browse > Home / Basketball / SEC Basketball Preview: Tennessee Volunteers

SEC Basketball Preview: Tennessee Volunteers

November 12, 2009

University of Tennessee Volunteers

By Porkchop

Head Coach: Bruce Pearl (98-37 in 4 seasons)
2008 Record: 19-11

Although the Volunteers finished last season with a 19-11 record, it wasn’t nearly the successful season that Tennessee fans, players, or coaches expected, or have become accustomed to recently. Heading into the 2009-2010 season expectations are high, though the roster is largely unchanged from last season. The renewed optimism stems from the fact that Pearl and staff feel that they have a team this season that is a year older, and hopefully wiser. It’s all about the chemistry this season in Knoxville. The talent is not in question, but the team has to prove that it can play together as a single, efficient unit.

Speaking of talent, Tennessee brings back a couple of 1000-point club members in Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism. Smith, a senior this season is the team’s top returning scorer from last year (averaged 17.4 ppg), and has led the Volunteers in assists for each of the past two seasons. The senior swing man was named to the Southeastern Conference Preseason First Team entering the season.

A lot of the point production in the paint will come from the senior center Chism. As a junior he managed a healthy 13.7 points per game, to go along with his 8 boards. Chism was named to the All-SEC Second Team in the preseason.

The rest of the starters look to be J.P. Prince (9.9 ppg/4.2 rpg) in the low post, with Bobby Maze (8.2 ppg) and Scotty Hopson (9.2 ppg) in the backcourt.

One player that will not be contributing this year is sophomore forward Emmanuel Negedu. Negedu suffered an arrest in September, but not the kind you think. A cardiac arrest. Negedu will remain on scholarship, but will not play this season. As a freshman, Negedu averaged over 7 minutes a game last year.

Hoping to get some of those minutes will be players like Melvin Goins and Josh Tabb. Tabb was the team’s backup at point guard last season, but will likely have to slide to a win position to see meaningful action this season, as JUCO-transfer Goins in the plan-B at that position.

With the SEC being a little down, and the non-con schedule filled with all the usual cannon fodder, Tennessee should easily surpass their 19 wins from 2008. The key to a huge season will be handling divisional foes Kentucky and Florida in conference, and dodging potential pot holes near the city of Memphis. The January 10th home game against Kansas could provide us with a telling barometer as to the state of the 2009 Volunteers.

Tennessee should finish the 2009 regular season at, or near the top of the Eastern division standings. If they do finish first in the East it will mark the fifth-consecutive season that the Vols have unseated Kentucky for the top spot. Their current streak of 4 in a row is a record, as no one has done that to the Wildcats in the 76-year history of the Southeastern Conference.

Written by psychoejoe · Filed Under Basketball 
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