Busting Brackets
Fansided

Tennessee Basketball: Vols’ 2022-23 team defense is in historic territory

By Cooper Watson

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - JANUARY 14: Head coach Rick Barnes of the Tennessee Volunteers stands on the court before their game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 14, 2023 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - JANUARY 14: Head coach Rick Barnes of the Tennessee Volunteers stands on the court before their game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 14, 2023 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
Tennessee Basketball (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
Tennessee Basketball (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images) /

What exactly makes Tennessee’s defense so dominant?

AdjDE is calculated by Ken Pomeroy using a formula that adjusts for the level of competition. Raw defensive efficiency (RawDE) is the actual number of points per 100 possessions that a team has allowed. Tennessee also leads in that category with a RawDE of 80.4. Houston is No. 2 at 85.4. Since 1997, no team has finished with a RawDE below 84. Tennessee is on pace to shatter that record.

The Vols are also No. 1 in AdjDE on barrttorvik.com and No. 1 in defensive BPR on EvanMiya.com. The latter also tracks an interesting stat which he calls “Kill Shots.” Essentially, this is when a team goes on a double-digit scoring run. Tennessee ranks in the top 10 for Kill Shots and Kill Shots allowed, meaning they frequently go on huge runs but surrender very few. To emphasize the latter point, the Vols have only given up three Kill Shots all season. This is a team that can pull away from you in an instant but is incredibly difficult to pull away from.

What exactly makes Tennessee’s defense so dominant? Aside from being well-coached and physically imposing, they understand the importance of guarding the 3-point line in the modern game.

The Vols are holding their opponents to 22% shooting from 3 this season which is, as you probably already guessed, the top mark in the nation and nearly five percentage points ahead of the second-place team. Since 1997, no team has held its opponents under 25% shooting from deep. Once again, Tennessee’s defense is not just in the vicinity of prior great defenses but is on pace to form its own tier at the top.

In addition to guarding the 3 better than any team in the country, the Vols do an excellent job of rebounding and forcing turnovers, ranking in the top 20 nationally in both categories. Winning basketball games become much easier when you limit teams to one shot, get multiple second-chance opportunities for yourself on the offensive glass, and force more than 15 turnovers a game.

Home/Tennessee Volunteers