KNOXVILLE - In nine games spanning nearly a month, Tennessee freshman Grant Williams scored at least 17 points six times, including 25 and 30.
In two games last week, the undersized forward totaled 19 points.
Not surprisingly, the Volunteers lost both games to Vanderbilt and South Carolina.
Tennessee's issues at point guard certainly didn't help Williams any, but Vols coach Rick Barnes on Monday outlined some other factors plaguing the rookie in games when he struggles.
"I think Grant's problem is he's getting too emotional about officiating," Barnes said. "I told him during the game I wanted him to stop talking to the officials, because that's not his problem. He got called for three fouls, and they're all block-out fouls where he wasn't trying to block anybody out. He was just pushing them out of the way.
"That's not making the kind of effort you need to make physically to get yourself in position to rebound the ball."
Williams, Tennessee's leading scorer in Southeastern Conference play with 13.9 points a game, recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds against Vanderbilt, but he shot 3-of-12 from the field.
His eight points late in the first half helped Tennessee rally from 18 down to a 38-30 halftime deficit at South Carolina, but in the second half Williams scored zero points, took just one shot, grabbed only one rebound and was called for three fouls.
The two disappointing performances came on the heels of a 25-point game against Missouri, which came a week after he scored 30 points for a second time this season in a close loss to Georgia.
"It goes back again that he's got to be focused," Barnes said, "and I thought he lost his focus once he had a couple of games where he scored a lot of points, where he got away from rebounding and playing hard and doing the things that he needs to do. That's again another learning block for him.
"He's got to realize that what you did yesterday is over and done with, and you've got to keep moving forward. He's played enough basketball now to know that you can't let negative emotion get the best of you. You can't go down that highway, because if you do, it's hard to get back."
The only Tennessee player not to struggle in the 27-point loss at South Carolina was Robert Hubbs III, and he scored a team-high 16 points and accounted for seven of the Vols' 18 field goals roughly 24 hours after having his knee drained for the second time in recent weeks.
Barnes called it a "brave" performance by the senior.
"I'm really proud of Robert Hubbs," he said. "He had to have some more work done on his knee on Friday, and for him to do what he did Saturday, it's something to be proud of. He fought it. I thought that he played his heart out trying to do what he was trying to do Saturday.
"I'd heard so much about him coming here, that he didn't play hard or he didn't do this or do that. But I can tell you what he's done this year, and I know what he's gone through physically, he cares a great deal. What he had to have done Friday and then go out and play the way he did Saturday, again, I can't say enough about him."
While Hubbs should be able to play at LSU on Wednesday night, freshman guard Jordan Bowden (illness) appears doubtful to play after meeting with his doctor Monday afternoon.
Williams, meanwhile, will be looking to get back on track against the SEC's last-placed team.
"Grant's learning that, too, that's it's a little bit more difficult when people start really game-planning for you," Barnes said. "That's where he's got to keep his emotions in check and understand that he's got to get better. The harder people play against you, the harder you have to learn to play, and he still hasn't learned to get over that hump yet."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.