#LOCKDOWN /// TENNESSEE DEFENSIVE NOTES “They just dug, scratched and clawed ... they played harder than we did.” - Jim Calhoun, Jan. 21, 2012
TENNESSEE’S DEFENSE: LAST THREE GAMES Game Tennessee State The Citadel USC Upstate 3-GAME AVG.
Points FG Pct. 3FG Pct. Turnovers Allowed Defense Defense Forced Blocks Defl. Steals 67 .435 .200 12 7 16 7 60 .345 .444 13 6 15 8 65 .455 .286 10 1 9 6 64.0 .412 .310 11.7 4.7 13.3 7.0
QUICK DEFENSIVE NOTES
¢ UT's opponents suffered through six scoreless droughts of at least six minutes last season (Vanderbilt 6:47, Virginia 6:41, Georgetown 6:23, Kennesaw State 6:20, Oakland 6:10, Xavier 6:01). ¢ The Vols held No. 8 Florida to 58 points on Feb. 26. That tied for the Gators' lowest point total of the season. UT also limited the high-powered Florida offense to 26 second-half points and just four made 3-pointers in the game. ¢ Tennessee held No. 23 Ole Miss (who, at the time, ranked third nationally in scoring with 82.4 ppg) without a field goal for a span of 9:59 Jan. 24 in Oxford. ¢ Tennessee held Alabama without a field goal for a span of 7:38 in the Tide's home gym on Jan. 12. ¢ The Vols held Xavier without a field goal for a span of 10:16 during the second half of UT's win. ¢ The 19 turnovers UT forced vs. Xavier were the most forced by the Vols during the Martin era. ¢ Tennessee held 20th-ranked Georgetown without a field goal for the final 10:17 of the first half on Nov. 30. The Hoyas also were held scoreless for the final 4:09 of regulation.
SACRIFICING THE BODY FOR THE TEAM
¢ As a team, Tennessee took 52 charges last year (1.6 per game). ¢ 11 different Vols drew charges last season. ¢ This season, Tennessee has drawn just one charge through three games. Given the changes in how officials are instructed to make the block/ charge call, this decline was to be expected.
TIME’S UP!
¢ Tennessee has forced one 5-second call this season (at Xavier). ¢ The Vols have forced one shot-clock violation thus far (vs. The Citadel). ¢ Tennessee’s half-court defense caused 11 shotclock violations last season.
BACKCOURT BLOCK PARTY
¢ The players on Tennessee’s roster combine to boast 227 blocks. ¢ Interestingly, more than 66 percent of those blocks (150 of 227) are by guards. ¢ The Vols’ backcourt blocks leaders are senior Jordan McRae and junior Josh Richardson, who own 65 and 45 career blocks, respectively. ¢ Tennessee’s guards accounted for 55.4 percent of the team’s blocked shots last year (72 of 130).
ACTIVE HANDS
¢ The Vols track the number of pass deflections they record every game. They average 13.3 deflections per game this season. ¢ Tennessee has had at least 10 deflections in all but one of its games this season. ¢ Those who attend a Tennessee basketball game in person are sure to hear Cuonzo Martin’s repetitive yell of, “Haaands!” whenever the Vols are on defense.
MARTIN HAS HISTORY WITH DEFENSIVE STOPPERS
¢ During Cuonzo Martin’s assistant/associate head coaching tenure at Purdue from 2000-08, the Boilermakers produced three Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honorees. ¢ Guard Kenneth Lowe won the award in both 2003 and 2004, and guard Chris Kramer captured the honor in 2008. ¢ And in 2011, which was Martin’s third and final season as head coach at Missouri State, he coached Jermaine Mallett to a spot on the MVC All-Defense Team.
PROS WHO KNOW...
Jeffery Taylor - 10 pts (3/3/12)
Andre Drummond - 6 pts (1/21/12)
Bradley Beal - 9 pts, 5 TOs (1/7/12)
MARTIN-ERA BESTS Opponents’ Points Total
Georgetown 37 11/30/12 in Washington, D.C. Virginia 46 12/5/12 in Charlottesville Vanderbilt 46 2/13/13 in Nashville
Opponents’ FG Pct.
Oakland .286 Auburn .304 South Carolina .319
11/26/12 in Knoxville 1/28/12 in Knoxville 2/25/12 in Columbia
Opponents’ 3FG Pct. Kentucky Georgia Xavier Virginia Oakland
.100 1/31/12 in Lexington .105 1/18/12 in Athens .125 12/29/12 in Knoxville .125 12/5/12 in Charlottesville .125 11/26/12 in Knoxville
Opponents’ Turnovers Xavier Arkansas Middle Tenn.
Blocks
Xavier Auburn Seven times
Steals
at LSU Arkansas Seven times
19 18 17
12/29/12 in Knoxville 2/15/12 in Knoxville 3/19/12 in Knoxville
9 8 7
12/29/12 in Knoxville 1/28/12 in Knoxville
10 10 8
2/29/12 in Baton Rouge 2/15/12 in Knoxville
Opponents’ Longest Scoreless Droughts Virginia Georgetown Florida Kennesaw St.
6.41 12/5/12 in Charlottesville 6:23 11/30/12 in Washington, D.C. 6:23 2/11/12 in Gainesville 6:20 11/9/12 in Knoxville
NOTE: Martin’s Vols have put together 13 spans during which opponents have been held scoreless for longer than five minutes (six last season).
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