KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 23/25 Tennessee (17-5, 7-2 SEC) will play its second straight top-10 opponent, as No. 8/8 Mississippi State (20-3, 8-1 SEC) comes to Knoxville for a 6:30 p.m. ET encounter on Thursday at Thompson-Boling Arena.

This will mark the 44th meeting in a series that began in 1986, with Tennessee leading 37-6. The Lady Vols will try to snap a three-game losing streak to the Bulldogs as well as a three-game home court skid to MSU.

Thursday’s match-up will offer a tussle between the SEC’s second-place team, Mississippi State, and the Lady Vols, who stand alone in third place a game ahead of Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU and Texas A&M.

The battle with the Bulldogs marks the only home game for Tennessee in a four-game stretch that included trips to Vanderbilt and No. 1/2 South Carolina as well as an upcoming journey to #RV/RV LSU on Feb. 13. The Lady Vols do enjoy their only off date this weekend before heading to Baton Rouge next week.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

• Thursday’s game will be televised by the SEC Network with Courtney Lyle (PxP), Carolyn Peck (Analyst) and LVFL Andraya Carter (Reporter) handling the call.
• The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network radio stations and by audio stream, with Mickey Dearstone calling the action for the 21st season and Bobby Rader serving as the studio host.
• A link to the live audio stream can be found on each game’s Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol schedule on UTSports.com.
• For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click on the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on Vol Network Affiliates in the black bar at the top of the page.
• Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
• SECN+ games are online broadcasts and are available only on WatchESPN via computers, smartphones and tablets.
• All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) and the SEC Network will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.

GAME PROMOTIONS/INFO.

• Gates open at 5:30 p.m. ET on Thursday. Tickets start at just $5. Purchase yours today at AllVols.com.
• There is free parking & shuttle service available from UT’s Ag Campus. Shuttles begin two hours prior to tip-off.
• Join the Lady Vols for the fourth annual StrongHer TogetHer event! The $15 package includes one ticket to the Lady Vols vs. Mississippi State game, a StrongHer TogetHer t-shirt, a $5 concession voucher for the game, a Definite Dozen puzzle and access to a pregame event at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, which includes an autograph session with different female student-athletes.
• Rolla Bolla will provide halftime entertainment.
• Want to be the Jr.Vol of the Game? Sign up for the Jr.Vol Club today and get the chance to see yourself on the video board. Members also receive free Jr.Vol swag, tickets to games for all sports and exclusive Jr.Vol events.
• Come High-Five the Lady Vols. Kids 12 & younger can pick up a wristband at the Fan HQ table on the concourse to participate in the pregame High-Five Tunnel. Wristbands are limited. To purchase discounted group tickets and reserve wristbands for your team, call 865-946-7000.
• You can be a part of the Lady Vols’ electric introductions. Make sure to download our light show app courtesy of Coca Cola. The “Hoops Hype” app is available free of charge from the Apple Store or the Google Play Store.

THE ROAD LEADING UP TO THIS

• Tennessee enters Thursday having won six of its last eight games and nine of its last 12.
• UT had won six straight SEC contests before falling on Sunday at No. 1/2 South Carolina, 69-48. UT is now 3-2 in league road contests.
• Rennia Davis is averaging 23.3 points per game over her last three, shooting 46.9 percent (23-49) from the field and 95.5 (21-22) at the charity stripe.
• Jazmine Massengill is averaging 9.0 ppg. and shooting 60.0 percent over the last three games.
• Mississippi State comes to Knoxville on the heels of a 67-53 home triumph over Georgia on Monday night at Humphrey Coliseum.
• The Bulldogs have won four in a row and 12 of 13 since dropping back-to-back decisions to No. 3/3 Stanford and West Virginia on Nov. 30 and Dec. 8, respectively.
• MSU suffered its only conference loss at No. 1/2 South Carolina on Jan. 20, 81-79.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

• Tennessee is in the midst of a four-game swing where it plays three of four away from home.
• After hosting Mississippi State, though, the Lady Vols do have an open date on Feb. 9 before the trip to Baton Rouge on Feb. 13.
• UT also is in the middle of a grueling run that includes playing at #3/5 UConn on Jan. 23, vs. #RV/RV LSU on Jan. 26, at Vanderbilt on Jan. 30, at #1/2 South Carolina on Feb. 2, vs. No. 8/8 Mississippi State on Feb. 6, at #RV/RV LSU on Feb. 13, vs. #16/16 Texas A&M on Feb. 16 and at #25/RV Arkansas on Feb. 20.
• Mississippi State returns to Starkville and will play host to Texas A&M on Sunday.

LEST WE FORGET

• The Lady Vols are 17-5 overall, 7-2 in the SEC, third in the SEC standings and ranked No. 23/25 nationally.
• Tennessee did not begin the season in either the AP or USA TODAY Coaches polls.
• UT was picked sixth by the media and seventh by the coaches in the 2019 SEC Preseason Polls.
• The Lady Vols returned only two starters and six total letterwinners from last season’s squad.
• Six of UT’s 12 players this season had never played in this program before.
• All 12 (now 11) active players had never played for first-year head coach Kellie Harper before.
• AFTER all of the preseason picks were made, one of UT’s two returning starters, Zaay Green, was lost for the season after two games due to a torn ACL.
• With Green’s season-ending injury, Tennessee has lost five of its top six players from a year ago.

RECAPPING OUR LAST CONTEST

• The No. 22/22 Lady Vols couldn’t overcome the high-powered offense of No. 1/2 South Carolina, falling 69-48 in Colonial Life Arena on Sunday afternoon.
• Tennessee (17-5, 7-2 SEC) was led by junior Rennia Davis, who posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Tamari Key blocked a career-high nine shots to set a new Lady Vol freshman single-game record.
• Zia Cooke led USC (21-1, 8-1 SEC) with 20 points. Destanni Henderson and Aliyah Boston were also in double figures, finishing with 12 and 10, respectively.

NOTES FROM THE USC GAME

• Serious Shot Swatting: Freshman Tamari Key blocked a career-high nine shots against USC, a figure that places her at second among UT’s single-game leaders (Kelley Cain holds the record with 12) and sets the single-game record among freshmen. She broke the previous mark of seven set by Cain and Candace Parker. Key’s season total now stands at 70, which is good for seventh place on UT’s all-time single-season list after only 22 games.
• Double-Double Davis: With 18 points and 10 rebounds against USC, junior Rennia Davis recorded her eighth double-double of the season and the 26th of her career. She ranks 11th all-time in career double-doubles among Lady Vols.
• Put Kasi On The Line: Junior Kasiyahna Kushkituah went four of four from the free-throw line on Sunday. She has now hit 14 of 16 free throws in SEC play for an 87.5 percentage. That’s an increase of nearly 40 percent over her career tally of .478. UT finished 11 of 12 from the free throw line for 91.7 percent, marking its second-best day of the season.
• Defense A Bright Spot: USC entered the game averaging 88.8 ppg. and shooting 49.3 percent in conference games. Tennessee held the Gamecocks to just 69 points on 37.7 percent shooting on the day. UT also limited South Carolina to 30 points in the paint after it entered averaging 44.5 per contest.

UT-MSU SERIES NOTES

• This marks the 44th meeting between the Lady Vols and Mississippi State, with UT possessing a 37-6 record in the series.
• Tennessee won the first 36 games in the series, dropped three straight to the Bulldogs and then won one in Starkville before dropping the last three contests.
• UT is 16-2 vs. MSU in Knoxville, 17-2 vs. in Starkville and 4-2 at neutral sites.
• State has a 1-0 record in overtime games between these programs, winning a 65-63 affair in Starkville on Jan. 29, 2016.
• UT and MSU have met six times in the SEC Tournament, with the Lady Vols owning a 4-2 record.
• Including this game, MSU has been the higher ranked team in the past eight games, entering this one with a 6-1 edge over UT.
• This will mark Kellie Harper‘s first meeting with Mississippi State as a head coach.
• Harper was 5-0 as a Lady Vol player vs. MSU from 1995-96 to 1998-99
• Tennessee’s last victory over the Bulldogs came when unranked UT triumphed on #3/2 MSU’s 2017 senior day, 82-64, with Jaime Nared registering a career-high 30 points to lead the Big Orange siege.
• Tennessee suffered its first-ever loss to the Bulldogs on Jan. 28, 2016, when #13/13 MSU came from 12-down in the fourth quarter to force OT and defeat the #19/23 Lady Vols in Starkville, 65-63.
• In the 2012 matchup in Starkville, won by Tennessee, 57-41, UT scored its (then) fewest points in the series, while State posted its second-lowest total.

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE

• The Bulldogs returned three starters and seven total letterwinners from last season’s squad that finished 33-3 overall and 15-1 in the SEC en route to SEC regular season and tournament titles and an NCAA Elite Eight showing.
• MSU, which was picked third in the 2019 preseason coaches and media polls, is led by the trio of Jordan Danberry (13.6 ppg.), Rickea Jackson (13.5 ppg.) and Jessika Carter (13.4 ppg., 9.2 rpg.).

RECAPPING MSU’S LAST GAME

• Behind another career night from Rickea Jackson, eighth-ranked Mississippi State cruised to a 67-53 victory against Georgia Monday night to cap its three-game home stretch at Humphrey Coliseum.
• Jackson posted her second-consecutive game with 20 points, going off for a career-best 24 on 8-of-16 shooting to go along with two rebounds, two blocks, two steals and an assist. The performance marked her fourth 20-point effort during SEC play, surpassing Victoria Vivians for the most by a freshman Bulldog under Vic Schaefer.
• Jessika Carter had another solid performance, notching her eighth double-double of the season behind 15 points and 11 boards.

THE LAST TIME WE MET STATE

• The Lady Vols led by six after the first quarter but couldn’t hold on against a top-seeded Mississippi State team that shot 61.5 percent in the second half, falling in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, 83-68, on March 8, 2019.
• Sophomore Rennia Davis tallied 16 points and eight rebounds for the Lady Vols, and senior Meme Jackson was also in double figures with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
• The No. 5/5 Bulldogs (28-2) were led by a trio of seniors with Anriel Howard pouring in 26 points, Jazzmun Holmes finishing with 16 and Teaira McCowan turning in a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

LAST TIME WE PLAYED IN KNOXVILLE

• Mercedes Russell recorded 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting, but No. 6/7 Tennessee was unable to overcome a 13-point halftime deficit in a 71-52 loss to No. 3/3 Mississippi State on Jan. 21, 2018, at Thompson-Boling Arena.
• Russell showed off her range against MSU, scoring 10 of her 16 points off jumpers. In the first half, she was a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor. Over the last three games Russell had a field goal percentage of .760.
• Jaime Nared added 12 points for the Lady Vols (16-3, 4-2 SEC), while Victoria Vivians led the Bulldogs (20-0, 6-0 SEC) with 24 points and nine rebounds. Teaira McCowan chipped in 12 points and 18 boards for MSU.

UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee junior forward Rennia Davis has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List.

The 6-foot-2 native of Jacksonville, Fla., has advanced from the preseason list, to the midseason list, to the late season list after a stellar first 22 games of the 2019-20 campaign. This marks her first appearance as a late season candidate for the Wooden Award, which is given to the most outstanding player in women’s college basketball.

Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on their performances during the first half of the 2019-20 season, the list is comprised of 20 student-athletes who are currently the front-runners for the sport’s most prestigious honor and the John R. Wooden Award All American Team®.

The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2020 John R. Wooden Award Women’s Player of the Year presented by Wendy’s. Players not chosen to the preseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ late season list, and the National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award.

Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2020 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy’s during the ESPN College Basketball Awards on Friday, April 10, 2020.

Davis is averaging a career-best 18.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest to lead the Lady Vols, ranking second and sixth, respectively, among SEC players. In conference action, she has averaged 20.4 points and 7.8 rebounds, ranking second among all league players in scoring and seventh in rebounding.

The UT standout is shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 80.7 percent from the free throw line in all games to rank ninth and second, respectively, in the conference. In SEC play, she is hitting field goals at a 53-percent clip to rank fifth among her peers and is second at the charity stripe with an 82.9 percentage.

Davis leads the team in three-pointers with 27 buckets from long range and is second in steals (48) and third in assists (48).

Davis, who has led a young Tennessee squad to a 17-5 record and No. 23 national ranking thus far, has scored in double figures in 20 straight games and in 21 of 22 contests this season. Including last year, she has hit 10 or more points in 34 of her past 35 starts. She has registered five 20-point games so far in 2019-20, moving into a tie for ninth on UT’s career list with 12 games of scoring 20 or more.

She also has tallied eight double-double efforts thus far and would move into the top 10 all-time for Lady Vol juniors with just one more. She currently ranks 11th in career double-doubles with 26 during her third year on Rocky Top and is third among active SEC players in that category.

Earlier this season, Davis reached the 1,000-point scoring plateau, becoming the 46th Lady Vol to reach that milestone. She has since climbed to No. 32 on the list with 1,257 points through the South Carolina game.

Davis and her teammates will face No. 8 Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday in a contest televised by the SEC Network and carried by the Lady Vol Radio Network.

Here’s a complete look at the Wooden Late Season Top 25:
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina (6-5, Fr., F)
Chennedy Carter, Texas A&M (5-7, Jr., G)
Kaila Charles, Maryland (6-1, Sr., G.)
Lauren Cox, Baylor (6-4, Sr., F)
Elissa Cunane, NC State (6-5, So., C)
Crystal Dangerfield, UConn (5-5, Sr., G)
Rennia Davis, Tennessee (6-2, Jr., G/F)
Chelsea Dungee, Arkansas (5-11, Jr., G)
Dana Evans, Louisville (5-6, Jr., G)
Kiah Gillespie, Florida State (6-2, Jr., F)
Tyasha Harris, South Carolina (5-10, Sr., G)
Ruthy Hebard, Oregon (6-4, Sr., F)
Rhyne Howard, Kentucky (6-2, So., G)
Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon (5-11, Sr., G)
Aari McDonald, Arizona (5-6, Jr., G)
Michaela Onyenwere, UCLA (6-0, Jr., F)
Ali Patberg, Indiana (5-11, Jr., G)
Mikayla Pivec, Oregon State (5-10, Sr. G)
Satou Sabally, Oregon (6-4, Jr., F)
Megan Walker, UConn (6-1, Jr. F)

UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the 11th straight year, Tennessee football was represented in the Super Bowl, as VFLs Dustin Colquitt and Emmanuel Moseley faced off in Super Bowl LIV Sunday in Miami.

Colquitt and the Chiefs came out on top of Moseley and the 49ers, 31-20. Colquitt, who suited up for the Vols from 2001-04, served as a game captain and punted twice for an average of 50 yards per punt, pinning one inside the 20-yard line.

For San Francisco, Moseley recorded five tackles and broke up one pass.

With the Chiefs’ win, Colquitt became the 48th former Vol to win a Super Bowl. His and Moseley’s appearances were the 92nd and 93rd by VFLs in Super Bowl history, while 72 different NFL Vols have played in at least one Super Bowl.

Colquitt joined his father, Craig, and brother, Britton, as Super Bowl champions. Craig won two rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1978 and 1979, while Britton won in 2016 with the Denver Broncos.

UT Athletics

On if Josiah-Jordan James will play against Alabama and what the team misses when he doesn’t play:
“It’s day-to-day right now. We didn’t do anything other than scrub the game out yesterday, and we did some things in the weight room, just getting our bodies back. I just saw Chad a little bit ago, and he said he would go out and do a little bit. We won’t do much today, but it’s just a day-to-day thing to see how he responds to it. He had really hoped to try to play last game, but he just couldn’t do it. We’ll see how these couple days off have helped him. What we miss is, he’s a guy that rebounds the ball well for us, he comes down from his position and he does that. Defensively, there’s a lot of things that we miss with him not being out there. Certainly, his physicality and the way he can go help us rebound and that’s where we’ve been hurt some lately.”

On what is the most difficult part of Uros Plavsic and Santiago Vescovi getting acquainted to playing:
“I think they’re both in different situations. To be quite honest with you, it’s pretty impressive when you think about what Santiago has been able to do in a month and a couple of weeks. It’s really amazing, but I do think from his point of view, he is adjusting. I think he’s understanding the game more, I think he’s starting to figure out more and more of as a team what we need him to do and how we need him to play. He’s moving the ball better; he is really starting to get an idea of what we’re trying to do overall from every position. Uros is simply, he’s played five games now I think, five or six games, his is experience and just getting out there. Again, those guys didn’t have a chance to play any of the games that we played earlier in the year, so they’re learning at a time when it’s a very difficult time to learn that. But, the only way they’re going to learn it, is that they’re going to have to play through mistakes, and we’re going to have to let them play through some of those mistakes.”

On how much the sense of urgency has risen and how much it impacts a young roster:
“I don’t think we’re really that much different than everybody else right now. When you look at the league and where we are, there’s a sense of urgency for everyone in the league and I think we all realize that. This is the month where things start separating. But, probably the most important part of that question is with a young group of guys that have never been through it. It’s something they’re going to have to experience, and what they’re going to realize as they continue to go through this, is just how difficult it is to win basketball games this time of year. That’s something where we’re going to have to keep grinding, we’re going to have to keep working, and find a way to break through. But, again, I think every team this time of year, we’re all trying to continue to figure it out and see what we can do as we head down the home stretch.”

On what has allowed Jalen Johnson to settle in and progress:
“One, Jalen does know what we’re doing. He does understand the scheme, and I think him getting out there and playing, he’s getting more comfortable too, and the fact is, he’s been so much better in practice where he’s one of those guys that is starting to understand that, as much as anything. I think he’s also been able to understand where his weaknesses are and how he has to work each day to try and get better with them. He’s still working to understand a lot of things from the team defensive standpoint. He and ticket (Davonte Gaines) both were in a tough situation where they were the ones down low really not helping our post players the other night when they were getting the ball on the side. That was new for both of those guys, even though we had talked about it, executing it is another thing. The fact is, he’s still learning a lot too, as you said with the extended minutes that he’s getting. But, one thing that we know, he’s laying it out there, he wants to win, and he’s wanting to do the things that he thinks that can help us win.”

On Alabama’s backcourt and Nate Oats:
“I think he’s got his system implemented where they are one of the fastest teams in the country. Their guards are some of their leading rebounders. They get the ball and go with it. They have a number of guys that can turn it into a one-man fast break if they need too. They are going to shoot 30-plus threes. If you look at the shot chart on them, it’s either a three or they try to get the ball to the basket for shots at the rim. They really drive it hard. They know what they are looking for. I mean they are fast. On a bad day for them, they are making like nine threes. They are going to continue to shoot them, and they are going to come at you hard, they are going to come at you fast and quick. Transition defense is a big part of any game, but it’s going to be very important in this game.”

On players that have not played extended minutes:
“We got beat Saturday by a team that played well. We were disappointed in our defensive effort. It’s not a matter of hitting a wall, it’s a matter of understanding how hard it is to win at this level. You have a couple guys that are in roles that they have never played before. Jordan Bowden and John Fulkerson are in roles that they have never been in. Some young guys are going through it for the first time and some older guys are going through new rules for the first time. Fulky (John Fulkerson), for whatever reason wasn’t feeling well and it showed up in the way he played. He wasn’t a factor on either end. My concern isn’t about hitting a wall; my concern is more that we continue to have the idea that we have to get better. We have to understand that we have to play really hard basketball for 40 minutes. When the intensity level of the game goes up, we are going to have to bring it up. That is one of the hardest things for a young team to understand. You could tell when Mississippi State came out, they did exactly what Coach Oliver told them to do in terms of approaching the second half. And we didn’t answer the way we should have. We have to believe our older guys can do that, but they can’t do it themselves. It’s a mindset about understanding when you have to raise your intensity. You like to think you’re playing at a high level all the time, which most of the time you are, but when it gets down to those certain phases of the game where the other team is making a push or getting in rhythm, you have to be ready to answer that.”

On if he’s surprised about the inexperience of the team deep into the season:
“Not really, not with what has happened to our team. I just mentioned Santiago (Vescovi). He’s a guy that’s been out there. Josiah (James) missed early season practice. Lamonte (Turner) was there, he’s not there anymore. I think when you have three guys that have played important roles, I’m not surprised. I really want to look at it from a reality standpoint. We have had so many times where we have had to start over and do different things. With that said, I do feel like we are moving in the right direction with what we have now. That’s the one area where I feel we should cut down on. We should have more familiarity now with more guys getting the time they’re getting and rotations being what they might be. With all that’s happened with Lamonte, Josiah’s injury, and Santi coming in those guys are the main ball handlers.”

On if Alabama is tough to defend:
“Yeah, when you’ve got a lot of guys you’ve got to defend behind the 3-point line, open up the court, they move the ball well, they really do a nice job of moving the ball and attacking that way. I think any time you’re playing against a team that they can put three or four guys out there that can go for big numbers, it’s a concern.”

On breaking the tendency of ball-watching:
“Well, it is a habit you have to break. I can assure you; Jordan Bone had to break it, Jordan Bowden had to break it when they were younger. All those guys went through it. They’re freshman and they’re going through it. We tell them going in that if we talked to our team, if we were playing against us, areas that we would look at attacking guys individually. We have a lot of respect for the coaches that we coach against that they are going to look at the same thing that we look at and say, ‘we can take advantage of that.’ But sometimes it takes a player getting burnt a couple times to learn. You hope it’s only once but you hope it’s not any, sometimes until they put their hand on the fire and get burned they’re not going to think about it as much. We did have some guys doing that. There is no question about that. We have to get better with it and as individuals we have to get better.”

On if will Uros Plavsic stay in the starting lineup with Josiah-Jordan James out:
“No, we will probably go the same way we went the other night.”

On if he does anything different for the international guys:
“No, I don’t think of any of it in terms of international guys. We don’t. They’re here because we think they’re good players and they can help us get where we want to go with our program. We want him to be more aggressive, we want him to be more physical, we want him to rebound better, we want him to be a shot blocker. And again, he’s waited a year and a half to play. He’s played five or six games. But he’s been here a year and a half in the United States wanting to play. I do think his first time out he was a little nervous, but he’s starting to settle in. We’re not going to coach him any different than we have. Our expectations for him are probably higher than what he has for himself right now, and that won’t change and it won’t change for any of our guys because we think we have guys that we know they work hard and when we play we expect a lot from them. I could even say at times, I don’t want to say he’s ball-watching as much as he’s not getting himself in position on ball screens, where he’s two steps back or not where he needs to be. But again, that’s game-experience. He’s out there, and again, you get burned a few times and we’ll see how long it takes for him to figure it out.”

On the issue of rebounding the last few games:
“Some of it is that we are playing against teams that put an emphasis on that and sometimes rebounding can be skewed too in terms of how you look at high-possession games or low-possession games. The fact is, when we rebound well, we have to do it as a group. What we get, and again, it goes back to younger guys, mostly, where they just turn and watch the ball and walk underneath the basket. They allow balls to bounce over their head as opposed to checking to see if their man is coming and sometimes you have to step in front of him to create some space but you have to go get the ball. You just turn and start running to the rim you are going to give up rebounds and we do that too much right now. It’s mostly young guys, it really is. We’ve got a free throw line situation the other night and John Fulkerson let the guy spin by him and go get the ball. Those are the ones that are tough because these older guys have played enough to know the importance of rebounding.”

On what makes Coleman Coliseum a tough place to play:
“I don’t really know how to fully answer that. They have good players and they’ve had good coaches. I don’t know how to answer that. It doesn’t make sense. There isn’t a tougher environment than the one we went into at Kansas. I think it’s focus. I think when you’re on the road and things go against you, you’ve got to let it go. You’ve got to get on to the next play. Young teams normally don’t do that and young players normally don’t do that. I think you witnessed it last night in the Super Bowl. Everyone talked about how good the quarterback for Kansas City was, yet the entire broadcast Troy Aikman was saying how poorly he was playing. But, when he was walking to the sideline Andy Reid kept telling him to trust his eyes and his arm. He ended up turning it around and a lot of that comes from experience and talent. So, I think when you go on the road you have to have the ability to do that. When the crowd gets going and gets behind their team can you stay focused, can you trust what you’re doing, what you’ve practiced and trust your teammates. That what we showed our guys yesterday. When Mississippi State started coming out and making shots, did we get open shots? Yes, but when you miss them and there aren’t guys in position to get a second or third chance and they get run out and get easy baskets it can knock you back unless you’re mentally tough enough. That’s what these guys are still learning about how the ebs and flows of a game can quickly shift on you.”

On what the Vols do in practice to prep for close games:
“We have our special situation stuff. LSU’s staff doesn’t do anything that any other coach doesn’t do. All coaches have things that they work on. When you have a group of older guys you can move a lot quicker in a lot of areas. When you have a young group of guys I can sit here and tell you there are thousands of things we’d like to have already done, but we can’t because we’re still trying to implement basic things. But, when you have a lineup that’s changed as much as ours has there’s a lot of things we’d like to do that we can’t. I think every team is different and I think all coaches know what they want to get done. You also need to have players that can execute it and make shots for you when things happen.”

On challenges for younger guys in the post to learn in games in comparison to the guards:
“I think it’s the same. If you go back and look at how Santiago’s had to handle people coming after him, hard pressure and double teaming him. Uros made a few nice plays and all at once they sent a guard on top of him. If he continues to score down there he’ll have to learn how to play against more physicality. What he hasn’t figured out is knowing where he wants to get his space on the floor. He’s just content to just run down to a spot with no purpose. Guards can do that to on the perimeter. They can play with no purpose in terms of what are we trying to do and where should I put the ball? That is where I think we’ve gotten better. We’re starting to look for the things we’re supposed to be looking for. Again, if Uros continues to score he’ll have to do learn to deal with double teams and that sort of thing. Mississippi State did it once to try to get it out of his hands.”

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