Tennessee basketball turned in its performance of the season on Tuesday night, falling to Syracuse 62-60 in the ACC-SEC Challenge. The Vols played sloppy basketball throughout the game but still had a chance to pull it off in the final minutes but could not get it done.
Here’s some morning after thoughts on a bad loss.
More From RTI: Everything Rick Barnes Said After Tennessee Basketball’s Loss At Syracuse
The Turnovers Were A Major Step Back
In Tennessee’s five buy games to begin the season, turnovers were a major issue for the Vols. But Tennessee went to Vegas and turned it over single-digit times against Houston and Kansas. Leaving Vegas, it felt like Tennessee was turning a corner and that maybe the early season issues were more about a lack of focus against lesser competition.
But the turnovers returned in horrible fashion against Syracuse. Tennessee turned it over 17 times and on 25% of its possessions. The Vols simply are not good enough defensively to overcome that level of sloppiness on the road.
If there’s any good news on the turnover front, it’s that point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie turned it over just two times while dishing out seven assists.
Tennessee’s Starting Front Court Was Terrible
Tennessee was down JP Estrella due to a right ankle injury. Against Syracuse, it should not have been a major issue with the Vols’ front court depth. But Felix Okpara and Cade Phillips were both terrible against the Orange.
Okpara totaled two points on six shots while grabbing six rebounds. Phillips did not score and grabbed one rebound. The two were a combined -21 while on the court.
Collectively, it was the worst game the duo have played in their Tennessee career. Because of that, I’m not long term worried about their performance. But it was a major reason why the Vols lost at Syracuse.
Jaylen Carey Stacks Another Strong Performance
Jaylen Carey was a revelation for Tennessee in Las Vegas. But consistency has been an issue for Carey in his career and early this season. That’s what made it so encouraging that Carey took it to a whole new level against Syracuse.
The junior power forward totaled a career-high 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting while grabbing a game-high nine rebounds. Frankly, Carey was the only reason that Tennessee was in the game. Carey and freshman big man DeWayne Brown were a combined +17 while on the court.
Tennessee’s Two-Guard Rotation Is Taking Shape
Tennessee wanted to find some separation at the two-guard and they’re starting to do just that. Bishop Boswell continues to play well though his zero rebounds and zero assists against Syracuse will certainly draw Rick Barnes ire. Still, his defense was stout which is what Barnes is looking for at the two-guard spot.
Behind Boswell, Amaree Abram is separating himself from the pack. He hit a pair of triples against Syracuse as he continues to shoot the ball well from deep and play solid defense.
There’s another side to the separation. Ethan Burg has played very poorly against Syracuse and has now played poorly in two of Tennessee’s three real games. Amari Evans and Troy Henderson have gotten a little bit of run against high-level competition but it does not feel like they’re ready for a serious role just yet.
Tennessee Needs More From Nate Ament
Nate Ament was bad against Syracuse. He made just two field goals on his way to 11 points. He grabbed six rebounds but turned it over seven times while dishing out just two assists. Through three games against top line competition, Ament is averaging 13.3 points on 24% shooting from the field. He’s done some good things on the glass and the turnovers were not a major issue until the Syracuse game.
Tennessee is asking a lot out of Ament and they need him to play better on the offensive end. Barnes noted postgame that “it’s a process” and that Ament has the right mindset. It’s not shocking to see Ament struggle early in his first test of big time college basketball.
But Tennessee needs to expedite Ament’s growing process. The five-star freshman is a huge part of what Tennessee is trying to do. They won’t reach their goals this season without him playing like an All-Conference contributor. In the short term, they don’t need perfection but do need more production and better efficiency.
