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Tennessee Basketball: 3 keys to beating Wright State

By Daniel Benjamin

KNOXVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 21: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers looks to the basket against Deaundrae Ballard #24 of the Florida Gators in the second half of a game at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 21, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 62-57. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 21: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers looks to the basket against Deaundrae Ballard #24 of the Florida Gators in the second half of a game at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 21, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 62-57. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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ST LOUIS, MO – MARCH 11: Grant Williams
ST LOUIS, MO – MARCH 11: Grant Williams /

The Vols must get the ball inside

Consistency on offense is Tennessee’s biggest weakness. Which could be a huge problem for the Vols considering that they are facing a stout defensive team in Wright State.  The Raiders rank 27th in the country in scoring defense, giving up 65.7 points a contest. They are also 54th in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.com.

One of the big reasons that Wright State is so strong on the defensively is because of their size up front. Specifically, 6-foot-9, 275 pound, center Loudon Love. Love is an excellent rim protector, although he is not really a shot-blocker, as he is quite nimble on his feet and does a good job walling up.  According to Sports Reference, the Raiders are seven to eight points better per 100 possessions with Love on the floor.

Wright State also starts 6-foot-11 junior center Parker Ernsthausen. Ernsthausen is not as strong defensively as Love, but he is two inches taller than any Vols’ player other than reserve big man Kyle Alexander.

Here is the thing, the Vols are not the most efficient teams on the offensive end. The Vols have averaged fewer than 0.97 points per possession in five of their last eight games. As a result, they have only topped their season average of 74.3 points a game twice during this stretch.

Tennessee is a below average shooting team, knocking down 43.9% of its shots. The national average is 46.7% from the field.

However, their top two scorers do a lot of their work on the interior. Williams, who produces nearly 16 points a game, nets nearly half of his points from post-ups. The burly 6-foot-7 sophomore forward also hits the offensive boards hard and is able to barrel his way to the foul line. Williams averages 6.2 free throw attempts a game, making 4.8 (76.7%).

Williams has led UT in scoring on 12 occasions. He has scored in double figures in 27 of 32 games, including topping the 20-point plateau in eight games. Williams’ best game offensively came against Vanderbilt (Jan. 9) where he poured in a career-high 37 points on 12 of 20 shooting from the field.

Admiral Schofield can score inside and out. While he does a lot of his scoring from beyond the arc, he does score on drives and on post-ups occasionally. He has scored 20 or more points seven times, including in four of his last six games.

Alexander, who averages 5.6 points a game, has shown the capability to score on occasion as he is very efficient. He is shooting nearly 68% from the field and has scored in double figures seven times. So, it may be too wise to get the junior center a few touches as well as he has shown the ability to draw fouls.

Not only will getting the ball inside help the Vols’ become more efficient, it could cause Love to foul. UT averages over 21 free throw attempts a game.

Also, by establishing Williams on the inside will likely free up the Vols’ three-point shooters. While the Vols’ are overly accurate shooters they do average 7.8 triples a game at a 38.4% clip –which is the 42nd highest three-point percentage in the nation.

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