KNOXVILLE - The Tennessee basketball Volunteers stumble into Southeastern Conference play Saturday, losers of three of their past four games, when they host LSU at noon at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The matchup of 8-4 teams will be televised by ESPNU, with the Vols' radio broadcast on 102.3 FM in the Chattanooga area.
It's been an interesting season so far for the Vols. They started off hot, winners of seven of eight games. Then their offense cooled off and they took a major hit when senior guard Lamonte Turner announced he would have season-ending surgery on his left shoulder in an attempt to repair thoracic outlet syndrome. That left the Vols with just eight scholarship players.
They earned a bit of a reprieve with the midseason signing of point guard Santiago Vescovi, who received official word Friday from the NCAA Clearinghouse that he is eligible to play this semester.
But what now? The Times Free Press looks at five intriguing storylines heading into SEC play:
1. Will Vescovi be able to help? The original plan was for him to sit out the rest of the season and practice with the team, but Turner's announcement coupled with the Vols having a week between games has given the coaching staff a chance to get the 6-foot-2 Uruguayan by way of Australia acclimated to some degree. From the start he should provide some "flash" moments as opponents currently have no video of him playing with the Vols, but there undoubtedly will be an adjustment period for him through at least a few games. If he can be a consistent performer during the final eight to 10 games of SEC play, that will be big come conference tournament time.
Santiago Vescovi / Contributed photo2. Can James settle in? Josiah-Jordan James certainly didn't look as if he was fully comfortable in his first game as the full-time point guard in the Vols' 68-48 loss to Wisconsin last Saturday, but he will improve. It's easy to say he can't be much worse, and you'd be right, but for a freshman stepping into a role he hadn't spent any time in right in the middle of the season, it was a tough spot for James. Much like Vescovi, there will be an adjustment period for James as he suddenly becomes a focal point of opposing defenses. But in time he'll be fine, just like Vescovi.
3. Can Bowden get free? Throughout his Tennessee career, senior Jordan Bowden never really has been a focal point of opposing scouting reports. That hasn't been the case this season - and that was with Turner, the team's playmaker. But as opponents realized that Turner's thoracic outlet syndrome wouldn't allow him to shoot, they quit guarding him on the perimeter, which made it harder for Turner to create for Bowden. Now more will be asked of Bowden to be able to create his own shot and get to the basket, but some of that responsibility will also lie on the shoulders of James and fellow freshman Davonte Gaines, the two other players on the roster who are capable of attacking the basket and creating for others.
4. Can they rely on defense? Entering the season, it appeared Tennessee's best chance at being successful would hinge on its ability to defend, and then rely on Turner offensively to create. In two of the losses - to Florida State and Memphis - Tennessee gave itself a chance by defending and rebounding. But Cincinnati's Bearcats shot 56% from the floor, which is still a season high. Wisconsin shot just 44% from the field but made 11 3-pointers in the 20-point win. Most teams are developed by January as far as their rotations and patterns and how comfortable the players feel on the court together. Tennessee is back in October mode, so this collection of players will have to figure out how they can be successful, and that's largely going to be on defense while they figure out their offense.
5. What's the new ceiling? This writer never had high expectations for this team. Competing for an NCAA tournament bid but sweating out the selection show appeared most likely with a roster that didn't threaten opponents with its offense. That could still be the case, but it will take about 12 more wins and possibly an SEC tournament win or two to sneak in. And even that is going to rely on so much (the in-season development of a young roster, the defense, perhaps some luck), which is why anything above an NIT bid would put Rick Barnes in SEC coach of the year territory.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.