In Tennessee's two most recent Saturday night games, the Volunteers have scored 80 and 82 points during double-digit victories against the college basketball blue-blood tandem of Kansas and Kentucky.
The past two midweek games have been drastically different, as the Vols have split games against Mississippi State and Ole Miss by scores of 56-53 and 52-50.
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said Monday that the transition game that erupted in Rupp Arena is something he and his staff have been working on for weeks. Freshman guards Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer combined for 50 points against the Wildcats, and Barnes is hopeful that a faster offense will not take anything from a defense that has been mostly stout all season.
"I know that it can, but I thought we were getting through screens really well the other night," Barnes said. "We came up with some of those scores when we got deflections and could get out and run. I don't think there has to be a big drop off. I really don't. We've got some guys who aren't playing that could help us offensively, but to your point, they would probably give up more points on the defensive end, and we're not going to do that.
"We're not going to have a guy who can make a positive effect on one end but is a detriment on the other end. The nights that we've struggled defensively, we've probably struggled even more offensively."
The Vols (13-4, 6-4 SEC) dropped from No. 11 to No. 16 in Monday's latest Associated Press poll and will next play Wednesday night, when they host Georgia (12-6, 5-6). Barnes credits the improving Bulldogs for being strong in transition and expects them to attempt to stem Tennessee's sudden success in that same area.
Tennessee defeated Kentucky with senior forward John Fulkerson playing just 10 minutes due to foul problems, but Barnes believes all hands must be on deck for his squad to be at its best.
"If people don't think that we need John Fulkerson and Yves Pons to do what we know that they're capable of doing, then they are mistaken," Barnes said. "We have to have everybody, and I think that's what is the best part of this team. We've got five or six guys on a given night who can do some damage on the offensive end and five, six or seven we have confidence in on the defensive end."
SEC opt-out?
Tennessee has been comfortably in the NCAA tournament projections all season and likely needs just a couple more regular-season wins to clinch a bid. Barnes was asked if the Vols were a lock for the 68-team extravaganza that is taking place entirely in Indiana this year, would he consider opting them out of the Southeastern Conference tournament.
"We have a contract to have an SEC tournament," he said. "We have a contract in Nashville for the building, and we have a TV contract, so unless something happens that would give us the right to void that contract, we would honor the contract. Now, I don't know how many games we would be able to make up between now and the end of the year or if everybody will have the same amount of games.
"I would like to think that if we can get everybody to 20 to 22 games that it would be a successful run for us, and I think the SEC tournament would give us a chance to evaluate where we are."
Johnson honored
The SEC on Monday recognized Johnson as its Freshman of the Week for averaging 19.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists in games last week against Ole Miss and Kentucky. He had a plus-7.0 assist-to-turnover ratio in those two contests.
In Rupp Arena on Saturday night, Johnson tallied a season-high 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting and made 9-of-11 attempts from the free-throw line.
"There is not a spot on the floor where I don't think he's effective," Barnes said. "He can do a lot of different things and play a lot of different ways."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.