Not much was expected from Tennessee this year. The media picked the Vols to finish 11th out of 12 SEC teams. If we are honest with ourselves, most of us probably didn’t think Cuonzo Martin’s team would do much better. However, with the toughness on display against Duke on Monday afternoon, it is safe to say that Martin is turning this team around much quicker than expected.
A quick glance at the box score indicates that the Vols led the rebounding edge by one. Looking at more advanced statistics, Tennessee had a defensive rebounding percentage of 75%. “We did a good job,” Martin said on his team’s rebounding effort. “Our bigs did a good job of rebounding and our guards got in there and grabbed a few rebounds.”
Sometimes, there are several ways to look at a game’s box score. Tennessee was shooting just under 50% (26 of 53) from beyond the arc coming into this game. Duke limited the Vols to 0 of 8 from three-point range. Coming in, Martin’s team was shooting just over 53% (61 of 115) from the field. The Blue Devils held the Vols to just 41% shooting on the day. Give credit to Duke where credit is due. They executed their gameplan and won the game. However, on the bright side, consider that Duke shut down Tennessee’s offensive gameplan, and the Volunteers still managed to hang in this game. UT even held a five-point lead late in the first half. That is credit to Tennessee’s toughness and never say die attitude. And that attitude comes from the coaching staff.
The Vols opened practice in October wearing 10-pound weight vests. “I think it’s a plus for our guys,” Martin said. “It’s about getting that mental edge.” Martin’s identity has been stamped all over this Tennessee squad. The Vols aren’t coming out just to compete. They are playing to win. It is that attitude that is exactly why the Vols hung with the sixth-ranked team in the country. And it is exactly why the Vols will do better than expected in the SEC too.
“We’re the University of Tennessee, we’re not backing down against any opponent,” Martin said. “It’s just a matter of who you’re playing. I tell the guys all the time, the only thing that changes is the name on the front of the jersey. Other than that we approach them all the same.” Martin’s approach with the Volunteers should leave the SEC looking out for the team with Tennessee on the front of their jerseys. And while the SEC is searching for Tennessee, don’t look for them at the bottom of the conference.