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Nichols: No. 16 Tennessee continues love-hate relationship with itself in loss to LSU

The Vols are searching for consistency in the same way that a dog hunts for a bone. But with senior-based problems, Tennessee’s issues won’t stop until its upperclassmen restart.

Jake Nichols

Remember four years ago, when the FBI used a wiretap to catch LSU coach Will Wade’s mention of a “strong-a** offer” to then-recruit Javonte Smart?

What about when that report took the shape of the Tigers’ coach, bubbling to the surface in the form of impermissible benefits allegations last August?

Former Tennessee player Jacob Fleschman likely recalled both as he aired his grievances on Twitter Saturday.

Before going into anything else in this column, let’s first acknowledge how corrupt college athletics can be.

Let’s reiterate how the NCAA, which makes billions of dollars off its athletes every year, has continued to condemn the idea of paying anyone in a college jersey. Meanwhile, that same organization has seemingly turned the other cheek for fraudulent basketball programs like LSU and North Carolina, as well as blatantly dishonest football programs like Alabama and Georgia.

Tennessee, meanwhile, could be buried under recruiting allegations, even with a seemingly positive start under new football coach Josh Heupel. Former coach Jeremy Pruitt, on the other hand, has found an escape route to the NFL after stringing his learned “methods” from Athens to Tuscaloosa to Knoxville. In other terms, Pruitt dug the Vols’ gridiron grave, then he and the players he paid jumped out in time to avoid any dirt.

But for Tennessee basketball, the Vols keep shoveling themselves into a hole (albeit legally, as far as we know), only to accept the compost that comes with it.

That was certainly the case Saturday, as No. 16 Tennessee faced LSU in Baton Rouge.

Given this column’s earlier discussion, pitting coaches like aptly-nicknamed  “Deacon” Rick Barnes against the FBI-investigated Wade could set fans up for a perceived battle between good and evil.

This isn’t to say Barnes has never done anything wrong in recruiting. There just isn’t any record to prove it either way.

There is proof for Wade, though, and the fact that he’s still coaching marks the difference.

To that end, Tennessee would have gotten some extra vindication by coming out with a win on Saturday, especially since the Vols looked to snap a two-game losing skid in Baton Rouge.

And UT’s setup could not have been better. The Vols glided into the Bayou on Friday night, propelled not by a fan boat, but by four wins in their last five games.

But instead of picking up a much-needed victory, Tennessee fell back into the smelly, algae-covered muck of inconsistency.

LSU 78, No. 16 Tennessee 65.

The Vols had several chances to storm back, as they rebounded from two double-digit deficits. When it could have kicked down the door mentioned in Thursday’s column, Tennessee impaled itself with an unloving arrow for an early Valentine’s Day massacre. 

The sharpshooters in question? John Fulkerson, Yves Pons and no mental toughness down the stretch.

Pons, the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year, has been battling a knee injury that appeared to hamper him the entire afternoon. Still, if Tennessee’s coaches put him on the court, those same coaches had to believe that Pons could make a positive impact. But the Frenchman only turned in three points and four rebounds with one block, as his presence (or lack thereof) gave LSU an early Mardi Gras gift. 

Fulkerson, a preseason All-SEC pick, wasn’t much better. After coming off the bench to break a 49-game starting streak, he managed just four points on 2-of-5 shooting, with five rebounds and an assist.

UT’s mental toughness became a factor when it came back, only to falter. To begin the first 20 minutes, the Tigers jumped out to a 10-5 lead. The Vols responded to tie the score at 12, and the teams continued battling until LSU reached a seven-point advantage, 21-14. 

Like the 2007 SEC Championship football game (that score looked familiar, right?), Tennessee just couldn’t keep up the pace. The Vols went 8:51 without a field goal at one point in the first half, and they finished the period with a 9-of-31 clip overall.

Eventually, the Tigers stretched their lead to 28-16, then 31-21. But, with a Keon Johnson 3-pointer and a layup from Fulkerson, the Vols closed the gap to a manageable 31-26 at the break.

The second half started much smoother, as two Josiah-Jordan James free-throws brought the Vols within three. James finished the game with nine points, a rebound and an assist, marking another solid performance despite a sprained left wrist that was braced during interviews.

LSU answered James’s charity stripe effort with a layup, but Johnson responded with a vigorous slam that, at this point, has almost become a game-by-game expectation.

Johnson had 10 points, three rebounds and two steals on Saturday but gave up a team-high five turnovers, a rarity for the freshman.

Jaden Springer added a dunk shortly after Johnson’s, and, all of a sudden, Tennessee was within one at 33-32.

Springer finished the night with a team-high 21 points, marking his third-straight appearance with 20 or more. He also had seven assists and tied James with six rebounds.

A 4-0 LSU run ensued after the slam, but Santiago Vescovi kept the Vols involved with a 3-pointer to maintain a one-point game. Vescovi finished the night with 13 points and only two turnovers, a stark contrast to his turnover-prone debut against the Tigers last year.

A 10-2 run put the Tigers up 46-37. Still, like a clingy ex, the Vols roared back again, only to have the door slammed in their faces.

Springer launched a 3-pointer that brought Tennessee back within four, 50-46. At a point when they should have clamped down, Vols gave up a 6-0 run from Javonte Smart (the “strong-a** offer” wiretap recruit). That put LSU at a 10-point advantage that UT couldn’t overcome.

LSU’s lead stretched to 13, and it even ballooned to 17 before balancing out for the final margin.

Smart finished with 20 points, while Cameron Thomas led the Tigers with 25, 18 in the second half.

“You have to give him credit, he got his numbers,” Barnes said of Thomas. “He’s a tough guy to guard who’s very aggressive, and he’s going to seek his shots out. So, you have to give him credit, and that’s in his DNA. He’s an offensive, aggressive player that has a variety of things he does.”

In contrast, the Vols’ own guards were doomed — but only because they tried to carry a load meant for more than one position, which features a heavy dose of underclassmen.

Throughout the afternoon, Johnson and Springer tried to slice and spin into the lane. Most attempts proved futile, as the Tigers’ defense shut down any efforts to drive into their teeth.

“We told them that you’re not going to be able to drive and spin, because people are going to come do that,” Barnes said. “It took us to long time to adjust with that, but we still need more from other players.”

In this case, “other players” basically translates to “older players.” And Tennessee cannot survive if its seniors continue to be a liability.

“I would say the inconsistency is coming from our older players, and that’s the disappointing thing,” Barnes said. “We shouldn’t be putting the pressure on the younger guys to do what they’ve been trying to do for us. They’re talented players, but we still need balance.”

Still, that balance won’t come without a mental switch, at least for Pons and Fulkerson.

“I can’t imagine there’s something physically wrong with them with as much time as Garrett, Chad, and our staff spends on trying to do everything we can physically to help with their bodies,” said Barnes. “Every day, all day long how hard those guys work to do everything that I think you can possibly do to help guys recover. So, I would have to think that it’s probably mental, and I do think this game is four times more mental than it is physical.

“It also gets back to DNA,” he added. “You’ve got to understand that you’re going to have to compete every single night at a very high level, and if you’re not going to do that I think you’re going to struggle. If you’re not on edge and you don’t understand that every possession matters, you’re not going to get consistency. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing offense or defense.”

The struggles go far deeper than Saturday for Fulky, too, as the Kingsport native has been in a funk for the majority of this season. 

Last year, Fulkerson put the Vols on his back. Now, Tennessee desperately needs him, and the clock is ticking.

“We’re never going to quit on him,” Barnes said. “We’ve seen him do it. I’ve seen guys go through it for whatever reason, but I’ve also seen guys just flip it around and turn the switch on. That won’t happen though unless it comes from within. He owes it to his teammates, and we owe to each other to get guys that are going to be productive. Anytime you start doubting yourself and get back on your heels, you’re not going to be a factor. You won’t be able to be aggressive, because when doubt creeps in, it freezes you. I think some of that has happened with him.”

“We need Fulky to get his mojo back,” added James. “We know it’s gonna happen sooner or later. We just need it sooner than later. We need him to be Fulky.”

Whether his response comes from mojo or un-freezing, Fulkerson’s rapid rebound is essential.

So, too, is someone to take the reins when all looks lost — a ”dog,” if you will, to play nastily when needed. Given their recent surge, that duty has fallen to Springer and Johnson. But they can’t do it forever, not at such a young age.

“If you want to use the word ‘dog,’ you need some dogs that are just going to bite you,” said Barnes. “You need some junkyard dogs regardless of how the game is going, they are going to bite. They aren’t going to bark; they’re going to bite. There are a lot of guys that bark with no bite. You need those dogs if you got them.”

By the way Barnes was talking — flipping a switch, rediscovering aggressiveness — it sounds like that “dog” is Fulkerson. Or, it could be.

That mindset might also fit James, whose endearing personality could handle an occasional snarl.

“We don't have much more time to keep talking about it,” James said. “We want to win a National Championship. Our maturity level has to take a step forward if we want to get it turned around.”

But to reach that maturity and pull a pivotal U-turn, Tennessee first has to locate a myriad of items.

Consistency, toughness and the knowledge of what’s expected when a senior takes the floor are certainly on the list.

“That’s as bad of a feeling as a coach is just that, ‘What are we going to get today?’,” Barnes said. “Guys can have some tough games, but it’s not guys just having tough games, we are still searching for that consistency from some key guys.”

Forrest Gump might offer similar analysis: that Tennessee is “like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get.”

What a terrifying thought as March creeps closer.

Valentine’s Day references aside, the Vols have to be able to count on every single guy in their huddle at some point. If they can, they’ll play to the 3-seed (no. 11 overall) that they earned on Saturday, as the committee revealed its top 16 teams for the NCAA Tournament.

But if Tennessee doesn’t change something fast, then seeding won’t matter. The Vols will end up burying themselves, anyway.

And with a roster this talented, that would be almost as shameful as what Will Wade has done at LSU.

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Jake Nichols
JAKE NICHOLS