The Tennessee Volunteers used tenacious defense to control Friday's 78-68 win over Villanova and become the 2010 Preseason NIT champions.
Both teams came into the game with unblemished records and were ranked in the top 25, Tennessee at No. 24, Villanova at No. 7. The Volunteers improved to 5-0 on the season and beat Villanova for the first time ever. The Wildcats fell to 5-1.
This game might not have been pretty for either team, but toughness played a big part in offensive struggles at both ends of the court. In fact, at some points during the game, play was somewhat ugly. and Villanova were really struggling out there, battling hard against stout defenses, and really wanting to win this contest.
The championship game of this preseason tournament had all of the feel of a March basketball game. Players left nothing out on the court and it was just as likely to see bodies diving on the ground as it was to see them flying above the rim.
Villanova is supposed to shine in the backcourt, and you only have to look back one game to see that. Against UCLA, guards Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes and Maalik Wayns combined for 61 points. The trio was only able to muster 25 points against the Volunteers, and all three fouled out of the championship game.
Villanova shot just 34 percent, making 20 of 58 shots. Part of the problem was rhythm, but mostly the Wildcats were shut down by an incredible defensive performance by Tennessee.
The Volunteers played very physically against the Villanova guards early on, and they took away the area underneath the basket. By cutting down driving angles and closing the lanes, Villanova was forced to shoot from the perimeter, and that proved fatal.
Tennessee also killed any sort of transition game for Villanova. With a style of play that features lots of guard play, the Wildcats need to be able to run at times and score without setting into an offense. The Volunteers did a tremendous job forcing Villanova into a half-court scheme, and then they made them fight for every basket they got -- sometimes allowing Villanova to score only on their third of fourth opportunities after scrapping around under the basket.
Tennessee didn't have the same troubles on offense, as they were lead by guard Scotty Hopson and his 18 points. Hopson was later named tournament Most Valuable Player.
Three other Volunteers contributed in double digits on Friday. Junior guard Cameron Tatum showed flashes of incredible athleticism, scoring 17 points while freshman Tobias Harris flirted with a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
In a homecoming of sorts -- the game was played in Madison Square Garden -- senior forward Brian Williams scored 12 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Williams entered the game averaging just five points per game. Williams is a native of The Bronx.
Tennessee has been criticized all year about their lack of point guard play, and with the absence of freshman Trae Golden, matters could have gotten truly bad.
Senior point guard Melvin Goins actually shined, and almost single-handedly controlled the final three minutes of the game.
Goins finished with nine points, four rebounds, assists and steals. His leadership on defense was a big reason why Tennessee was able to shut down the guard play of Villanova. Goins played nearly flawless basketball and showed that worries about his experience levels are nothing to note in big-game situations.
On the flip side, Villanova's troubles in transition will be a topic of deep debate this season. If the Wildcats can't find ways to produce transition opportunities more frequently, teams will trouble them with slow-down defenses.
The emergence of sophomore center Mouphtaou Yarou, who added 15 points and five rebounds on Friday, will help ease Villanova from a guard-only strike force to a more rounded offense. But he still has a lot to learn, even though he's relatively mature for his experience level.
While the loss by Villanova raises multiple questions in a negative way, Tennessee's win causes concern for conference foes. Tennessee remains the only SEC East team without a loss, and now they have a huge win over a marquee opponent.
This is just the exact type of momentum Volunteer head coach Bruce Pearl is looking to build upon.
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