Tennessee basketball suffered its second straight loss on the young season Tuesday night, playing poorly in a 62-60 upset loss at Syracuse. The Vols’ offense played by far their worst game of the season while they couldn’t get key stops late.
Here’s three quick takeaways on a bad loss.
Tennessee’s Offense Played Its Worst Game Of The Season
Tennessee had most been good on the offensive end of the court through the first eight games of the season. But in their first true road game of the season, the Vols’ offense struggled badly and turned in their worst performance of the season.
It starts with stars Ja’Kobi Gilllespie and Nate Ament. Gillespie was solid but not at his best. Syracuse ran him off the three-point line, limiting him to just three attempts beyond the arc. Gillespie did a good job adjusting, getting to the basket on his way to 10 points while also dishing out seven assists.
Ament’s struggles were far more dramatic. He got to the foul line where he made six-of-eight attempts, but he only made two shots from the field and scored 11 points. Ament was a too tentative and did not have the aggression the Vols want from him. He also dished out just two assists while turning it over seven times.
That duo is going to have a major affect on Tennessee’s offense every night out, but others struggled too. Felix Okpara and Cade Phillips were both bad on that end. The Vols were sloppy with the basketball, turning it over 17 times and Tennessee was good but not great on the offensive glass against a bad defensive rebounding team.
Tennessee’s 60 points was 17 fewer than its previous low this season. The Vols scored an abysmal 0.896 points per possession.
Jaylen Carey Carries Tennessee
One of the biggest positives from Tennessee’s week at Players Era was the play of Vanderbilt transfer Jaylen Carey. Consistency has been an issue for Carey early this season but he followed it up with another strong performance at Syracuse.
In fact, the Vols’ only consistent offense in the first half came from Carey. Tennessee missed its first seven shots from the field and didn’t get one to fall until Carey’s first shot attempt. That trend continued through much of the first half. In the game’s first 13 minutes, Carey scored 10 points on five-of-seven shooting from the field. The rest of Tennessee’s team had six points on two-of-14 shooting from the field.
Then in the second half Carey stepped up again. The Vols fell behind 44-35 early in the second half. Carey then scored eight points over a three minute stretch as Tennessee used a 16-6 run to reclaim the lead.
Carey finished the game with 22 points and also made an impact on the glass where he grabbed nine rebounds. He scored most by using his physicality to get to his spots while turning on his left shoulder and scoring.
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Tennessee Could Not Get The Stops It Needed Late
Tennessee’s defense was better than it was last week which was not shocking giving Syracuse’s offensive struggles this season. The Vols defense was a huge part of the comeback effort in the second half. But late in the game, Tennessee could not get the stops it needed to earn the win.
With Tennessee leading by one with three minutes left, Syracuse guard JJ Starling drilled a three-pointer and hit a midrange jump shot on consecutive possessions to take control of the game.
Then with the game tied in the final seconds, Tennessee had a defensive breakdown forcing them to foul William Kyle III at the basket. Kyle hit one of two free throws to take the lead and then got a stop to secure the win. Tennessee’s defense was better, but a critical breakdown in a moment like that was inexcusable.
Up Next
Tennessee basketball ends a five-game stretch away from home with a matchup against Illinois on Saturday night in Nashville. Tipoff from Bridgestone Arena is at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN is broadcasting the game.
