When Tennessee dropped its nationally televised basketball exhibition to Duke in late October, senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and freshman forward Nate Ament combined on 10-of-40 shooting.
That was a stat sheet dynamic 11th-year Volunteers coach Rick Barnes wanted to change.
Yet in last Saturday night’s 75-62 loss to Illinois in Nashville, the tandem of Gillespie and Ament went 10-of-34 from the floor.
“We need more balance,” Barnes said in a news conference following Tennessee’s third straight setback. “That’s a glaring stat. They went 10-for-34 with five turnovers, so that’s 10-for-39, but our post guys have to score some of those baskets, too.”
The inside trio of Jaylen Carey, J.P. Estrella and Felix Okpara combined on just 6-of-17 shots against the Fighting Illini.
Tennessee is getting the chance to regroup and evaluate this week, as the Vols have a 10-day gap between the loss to Illinois and next Tuesday’s showdown with No. 11 Louisville inside the Food City Center. The Vols are 7-3 and ranked No. 20, with their biggest achievement being their 76-73 topping of No. 3 Houston on Nov. 25 at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.
What followed was an 81-76 loss to Kansas in Las Vegas, a 62-60 setback at Syracuse in the ACC/SEC Challenge and the double-digit loss to the No. 14 Illini, which was aided by Tennessee’s 8-of-18 showing at the free-throw line. Adding to the recent frustration is the fact the Jayhawks and Orange beat the Vols without their leading scorers.
“It’s concerning when you don’t play the way you practice,” Barnes said. “You don’t want surprises, but right now we are who we are. We’re inconsistent. We’ve had Ja’Kobi struggle three games in a row, and we’ve had Nate struggle three games in a row. We need those guys, but when they’re not doing it, we need the other guys. We need those 2-point baskets, and we need those free throws.
“They know what they’re supposed to do, but they’re not doing it. Some guys play the game, and other guys know how to work the game. We’re not at that position yet with all five guys understanding how to work the game. Some guys are playing with no point of focus.”
The three-game skid is the first for Tennessee since November 2023, when the Vols lost their last two Maui Classic contests to Purdue and Kansas and then fell at North Carolina during the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge.
Gillespie leads Tennessee with 32.0 minutes and 17.3 points per game, with the transfer from Maryland shooting 41.3% from the floor. Ament, the highest-rated signee in Vols history, has averaged 28.2 minutes and 16.3 points while shooting 37.4%.
“It’s all new for Nate, and he’s getting game-planned for like he’s never been game-planned before,” Barnes said. “He’s learning how to play defense on the perimeter for the first time in his life. Teams are obviously getting him in switch situations or backing him down, but that’s all part of his growth process.
“He’ll figure it out. He’s such a good kid, and he’s so unselfish.”
This gap between games will be Tennessee’s longest of the season. The Vols announced Monday afternoon that junior forward Cade Phillips is having to undergo shoulder surgery and will be shelved for the remainder of the winter, so this gives them time to adjust to that situation.
Yet 10 days could get a little long, too.
“I would rather be playing,” Barnes said. “We’re good in practice, but I can stop them in practice. I can’t stop the games. We don’t get 10 timeouts, but we’ve got to play how we practice. I know every game takes on its own personality, and we haven’t been able to adjust to that.
“We have not been our best in November or December, but we’ve got a chance to be a good basketball team. We’ve already proven that. It’s nothing that can’t be fixed. We’ve just got to get some guys confident.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.