Boughter: Blown leads making life harder than it needs to be for the Vols

Second half inconsistencies continue to plague Tennessee down the stretch, making it much harder than it should be for the Vols. Jacob Boughter explains why.

No lead is safe if you’re the Tennessee Volunteers.

Time and time again this season, the Vols have blown secondhalf leads and gotten themselves into terrible situations when they should be coasting to easy wins.

There was the game against Vanderbilt, where the team committed three turnovers in the final minute of the game as their 12-point lead became a two-point lead in under 60 seconds. 

Sure, the Vols still won that game, but it shouldn’t have had to come down to Jordan Bowden free throws with seconds left.

There was Saturday’s game against Florida, where Tennessee led by 19 points with 12 minutes left to play. Ten minutes later, Tennessee led the Gators 55-54. 

And sure, the Vols still won that game, but it shouldn’t have had to come down to John Fulkerson hitting a miracle three-pointer to keep the Vols in the lead.

Of course, there was last week’s game against Auburn, where Tennessee led by 17 points before immediately giving up an 18-0 run to the Tigers. 

And sure, the Vols still won that game… except, no, they didn’t, losing by seven points in a game that effectively ended any hope Tennessee had of receiving an at-large big to the NCAA Tournament.

Time and time again, this Tennessee team shows that they can always make an easy win into a tough one. Sometimes, it’s aforementioned miscues: along with the aforementioned mistakes against Vanderbilt, Tennessee committed a whopping 24 turnovers at Auburn that played a huge role in the Tigers’ comeback.

Tennessee has struggled to deal with opponent’s full-courtpressing in recent games, as Vanderbilt, Auburn, and Florida all have created havoc in the backcourt to spark their big runs. 

After Saturday’s game, head coach Rick Barnes said that he told Tennessee’s guards to calm down and to stop throwing risky passes after committing some key turnovers against the Gators.

"I just told our guards to quit messing around with the ball and to get across half-court as fast as you can," Barnes said.

Other times, turnovers aren’t the main problem – free throws are. Against Florida, Tennessee shot a ghastly 54% from the charity stripe. Fulkerson missed the front end of two one-and-ones during Florida’s run, leaving points on the table while the Gators capitalized.

Hopefully, as Tennessee’s young team matures and improves with age, these mistakes will stop happening. 

Every member of this year’s team, except for Bowden and Lamonte Turner, will be back next season to play with five-star recruits Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson. The Vols will be alright.

But that’s only if they can hold on to a lead.