KNOXVILLE - Despite not having an available player taller than 6-foot-9, the Tennessee Volunteers' success early this basketball season has been largely tied to their interior roster.
Even as "small" as it is.
The 19th-ranked Vols (7-1), who host No. 13 Memphis (8-1) at 3 p.m. Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena, are where they are in part due to the efforts of junior forwards John Fulkerson and Yves Pons as well as the continuing improvement of 6-8 freshman Olivier Nkamhoua.
The thought entering the season was that the Vols would go only as far as senior guards Jordan Bowden and Lamonte Turner would take them. That theory has proven to have some merit: Bowden is the team's leading scorer at 13.9 points per game and has shot 43% from 3-point range, while Turner is right behind him at 13.8 points and leads in assists with 7.6 per contest.
While that duo has been the most consistently productive on offense, it's been obvious the Vols' overall success this season will hinge on their defense. For all the doom and gloom that came from not receiving an NCAA waiver making 7-foot-1 Arizona State transfer Uros Plavsic eligible this season, the Vols and coach Rick Barnes have done well with the available inside players. While the aforementioned trio has handled most of the load, Drew Pember (6-9) and even fellow freshman Josiah-Jordan James - a 6-6 guard - have helped out.
Through eight games, only two players have led Tennessee in plus-minus rating (how many points better or worse than an opponent a team is when a given player is on the court): juniors Fulkerson (6-9) and Pons (6-6). For the season, Pons is a team-best plus-118 in 267 minutes on the court. Fulkerson, known primarily for his hustle and effort, although his offense is rapidly improving, is right behind him at plus-113 in 216 minutes.
Also, while he has not started, Nkamhoua is plus-46 despite averaging only 16.1 minutes per contest.
The Vols have outscored opponents a combined 570-447, making them plus-123 overall.
Tennessee forward John Fulkerson tries to steal the ball from UTC guard David Jean-Baptiste on Nov. 25 in Knoxville. / AP photo by Wade PayneWhy have they been so effective? Because they have embraced their roles, Barnes said.
"Some nights it's going to be falling for them, some night it's not," he said this week. "But can they impact the game even when they're not making shots? That's a big key. We don't want them to put all their thought process into thinking they play well all because of shot making. Because you can affect the game in a lot of different ways. It's really hard to young guys to realize that, but the older guys, they do understand that."
Pons has averaged 12.6 points per game on 54% shooting from the field and 36% from 3-point range this season, but it's his work on the other end of the court - with averages of 5.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks - that has been the key. Barnes said Tuesday that he didn't think there's a"better defender in the country than Yves Pons when he's locked in," due to his ability to guard any position. Fulkerson's height and defensive prowess also fit the Vols' objectives, and Barnes recently referred to Nkamhoua as a player who "alone can change our team with the ability he has."
If this were the 1990s or the early 2000s, Tennessee might be in trouble due to its lack of height. Now, though, teams that compete for championships don't necessarily have post players as much as versatile athletes who create mismatches.
Looking back at the past couple of national champions, neither Virginia (2019) nor Villanova (2018) had a real threat in the post. The Vols can be competitive with what they have on the roster, and after losing four starters from a 31-win team that advanced to the Sweet 16, that's all that can be asked for this season.
Long and athletic, Tennessee has the all-important defensive versatility, due to all those previously mentioned plus freshman Davonte Gaines (6-7) and junior Jalen Johnson (6-6).
So while the Vols have a couple of guards in Bowden and Turner who can put a game away, it's going to be contingent on everyone else to keep them in it.
"The glue guys, the guy who gets the rebounds and stuff like that, don't really get that much praise in high school, but in college, those are the things that affect winning," Turner said recently. "Those are the things college coaches look for."
And so far, they've passed (almost) every test.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.