Film Session: Tennessee vs. Vandy

A film review of the 1st half of Tennessee vs. Vandy

I decided to hop back into the lab to watch the Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt game from Saturday. I took a detailed look at the first half, closely watching the film to identify any tendencies and strategies used by both teams. I finished with a brief overview of the second half and long-term outlooks for both teams. Enjoy!

1st Half:

19:30 - Tennessee playing with energy on defense, but their sets are missing a ton of movement offensively. Lots of standing around early.

18:45 - Tennessee not cutting with a purpose, weak off-ball screens are delaying their offense from getting started. Vandy not doing anything special defensively; just playing hard.

17:05 - Felix Okpara was active and able to set good screen and roll action. Set a nice pick and roll early outside NBA 3 range and got all the way to the bucket on the roll for the oop. Nice feel from Zakai Zeigler to get deep into the paint and wait for the double team to free up Okpara for the easy slam.

15:45 - Vandy settling for, and making, some tough shots. Good movement in the offense but Tennessee's defense forcing some difficult looks.

14:53 - Vandy trying to force it at the rim but Tennessee too good at protecting the rim.

13:58 - Vandy finally gets a good look from three, but miss. Extra effort on offensive board forces a foul so they can retain possession. Neither team feels like they have a grasp for what style this game will be.

12:04 - Great set by Vandy, with Devin McGlockton setting an elevator screen for Tyler Nickel (37% 3pt shooter). Tennessee freaks out, leaving McGlockton open in the paint. Nickel finds him rolling to the bucket, resulting in a foul. Good action.

11:40 - Better response by Vandy on this possession. Same look for the Zeigler/Okpara pick and roll. Zeigler throws the lob, but backside help forces an errant pass leading to a Vandy turnover.

10:40 - Not so much here. They are overly concerned with ball penetration and collapse too early. Tennessee runs a simple backside switch leaving Jahmai Mashack open for an easy floater. Shot quality much higher for Tennessee at this point in the game (21-13, UT)

9:52 - Bit of a scramble drill at both ends. Vandy gathers an errant pass, which gets a Vol out of position, for a layup. A loose ball on the other end results in a foul and side out for Tennessee. Leads to a block from Vandy and runout, with a tough floater going in. Vandy winning the messy possessions.

7:10 - Again, Vandy bailed out. This time Jason Edwards gets fouled on a three point attempt, despite not having a great look. Tennessee closed out too far ento the landing zone.

6:27 - Tennessee seemed overly concerned with Jason Edwards ball penetration. Leads to a swing, and getting caught out of position by Chris Manon, who drives, misses a layup but gets a putback.

5:22 - A couple of sloppy possessions by UT. They play a little loose with the ball on one possession, and the next two possessions feel like they are just trying to get up some shots. Some of the more contested possessions they have had all game. Vandy not playing amazingly beautiful offensive basketball, but they are getting to the line and pounding it inside to take the lead on Tennessee.

4:51 - Whistles on both ends results in 4 free throws (2 by each team). Vols miss theirs. Vandy hits 1. Messy play. Better options available on both ends, both ends bailed out on fouls (calls were legit, defense was not).

3:13 - Stagnant offense on both ends. Leads to some bad shots by both teams. Forcing it. Consider this a lull in the worst sense of the word.

2:56 - Out of the media timeout, Vandy gets some penetration from Edwards, who hits a tough euro step layup. Again, Vandy making tough shots and Tennessee missing some open ones to start the first half.

2:41 - Vandy blitzes a Tennessee pick-and-roll at the top, forcing a dribble pick up. Then, Igor Milicic gets caught trying to create on the perimeter and walks. Feels like Tennessee gave up too quickly on any action moving toward the bucket. Also, pretty stagnant off-the-ball movement for them offensively.

1:51 - Edwards comes back down and hits another difficult runner in the lane. Tennessee finally attacks downhill and gets to the free throw line. They are really getting stumped with what to do offensively if their first ball action gets stalled out. Vandy up 35-30.

1:36 - Tennessee switches a pick and roll and leads to a Carr mismatch on Chaz Lanier, who gets bullied under the hoop. Too much for Lanier to handle down low, and no weak side help ever game. 7 point Vandy lead.

1st Half Summary

In the first half of the basketball game, Tennessee exhibited strong defensive energy but struggled offensively with a lack of movement and purpose in their sets. Early on, their offense was stagnant, marked by weak off-ball screens and a tendency to stand around, which was stymied by Vanderbilt’s defense, who simply played with effort. However, Felix Okpara's active play and successful pick-and-roll with Zakai Zeigler offered some bright spots for Tennessee. Vanderbilt, on the other hand, made some tough shots and showed good movement, but Tennessee's defense forced difficult looks, particularly at the rim. Despite some good moments, both teams experienced periods of sloppy and stagnant play, often settling for tough shots. Vandy capitalized on loose play and fouls, gaining a lead by getting to the free-throw line and making difficult shots. Tennessee showed signs of offensive confusion when initial actions stalled, as Vandy's defensive efforts disrupted their rhythm. By the break, Vandy had established a 6-point lead, largely due to their effectiveness in messy possessions and ability to exploit mismatches.

Second Half and Long-Term Outlook

The second half was a continuation of the first for the first 16 minutes or so, but Tennessee finally put on the gas towards the end of the game. They have the ability and talent to cut deficits, force difficult shots and go on a run. However, it wasn't enough. They didn't attack offensively and seemed timid, overall. Vandy will be a tough out this year and deserve credit for the win. However, Tennessee played poorly and inconsistently. If that continues to be a trend, they will find themselves closer to the number 5 spot in the top 5 of the SEC.