Mississippi State Exposes Tennessee's Deficiencies In SEC Tournament Loss | Rocky Top Insider

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Rick Barnes’ face dropped into his hands as Dashawn Davis intercepted a lazy Dalton Knecht pass. Davis missed the transition layup but Shawn Jones was there for the put back dunk as the first half expired.

The disastrous sequence gave Mississippi State a 38-19 halftime lead on its way to a 73-56 victory as Tennessee basketball fell flat on its face in its final NCAA Tournament tune up. The final 10 seconds of the first half exemplified multiple of Tennessee’s biggest deficiencies on an afternoon that Mississippi State exposed every concern about the Vols entering the NCAA Tournament.

“Mississippi State exposed us in a lot of ways,” senior Josiah-Jordan James said postgame. “We weren’t ourselves today.”

Tennessee was its worst self on Friday, but Mississippi State didn’t expose any weakness we haven’t yet seen this season.

Begin with another slow start. Tennessee struggled in the game’s opening minutes again. The Vols have now started slow in six of their eight losses this season as well as a number of wins. If it’s not a trend it’s at least a commonality in games Tennessee struggles.

“We just didn’t have the energy or the mindset we needed to,” James said. “It showed out there in the first 20 minutes and that team that was out there for the first 20 minutes wasn’t us. … I can’t put my finger on it. It was just a lack of energy throughout and we can’t win games like that.”

Not every poor first half has been the same but Tennessee losing its poise and abandoning its defensive game plan and principles has showed up multiple times. That’s worrisome for a Tennessee team that plays almost exclusively veterans.

“We got away from really our defense being in gaps, trying to shrink the court,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “That’s how we play. But we got away from that.”

Having talented post scorers has been the best way to crack the code against Tennessee’s stout defense all year and Mississippi State exposed it for the second time this season. Star center Tolu Smith did most the damage in the first meeting but he wasn’t alone on Friday.

The Bulldogs combined to shoot 19-of-25 on layups with Smith, Cameron Matthews and D.J. Jeffries combining for 34 points on 12-of-15 shooting from the field. Tennessee’s Jonas Aidoo is elite at defending the rim against driving guards but his slender frame makes him susceptible to stronger post players getting to their spots effectively.

More From RTI: Everything Rick Barnes Said Following Tennessee’s Loss Against Mississippi State

And Tobe Awaka, the lone underclassmen consistently in the rotation, is Aidoo’s only true backup and has been inconsistent throughout the season.

“The one thing that they did (the same in the two games), the physicality inside,” Barnes said.

Knecht’s late first half turnover was his worst play in his worst game in over two months. The SEC Player of the Year scored just 14 points on four-of-17 shooting from the field and turned the ball over three times.

It’s a fine line between getting one of the nation’s best players an abundance of shots and not being overly dependent on him. But Tennessee’s offense is at its best when everyone is involved with a Knecht takeover serving as the safety blanket when others are struggling.

As of late, Tennessee’s become more-and-more dependent on Knecht. With the Vols shooting eight-of-33 (24%) from three-point range, the Vols didn’t play well around their superstar and the bottom fell out for the offense when he struggled.

Which leads into the looming big question around Tennessee basketball, Rick Barnes and March. Bad shooting performances in big games has been a common season ender. Awaka saying that Tennessee was “over anxious” just contributes to that concern.

Deviating from its defensive game plan and missing their first six perimeter shots made Tennessee look like a team that was over anxious. That’s perhaps the worst thing Tennessee could be next week when the NCAA Tournament begins.

But the positive on a doom-and-gloom afternoon is that Tennessee has won a lot of games and been really good with those same deficiencies all season. And the Vols’ disappointing loss will be forgotten with a deep run in the NCAA Tournament the same way a SEC Tournament Title would be forgotten with a quick NCAA Tournament exit.

“I’ve had teams many years that I’ve been blessed to do this, playing well at the end of the year, didn’t do well in the NCAA tournament,” Barnes said. “I’ve had a couple teams that were limping a little bit, ended up having great runs.”

Look no further than the last two years when Tennessee won the SEC Tournament only to lose in the Round of 32 before limping into the NCAA Tournament and making a run to the Sweet 16. These Vols hope that trend continues this season.