It was a different Tennessee locker room in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday afternoon.
For the first time in February, UT coach Cuonzo Martin had to address the losing team after Alabama handed the Vols a 62-50 defeat before a sold-out Coleman Coliseum crowd.
“It was a case where they were down about the loss,” Martin said Sunday night. “But no more down than other games we’ve lost.
“It wasn’t a case of this being the end of the world.”
Tennessee dropped to 14-12 overall and 6-6 in the SEC, but with four games left in the regular season and the league tournament fast approaching, there’s still a light at the end of the tunnel.
Martin said he’s not concerned how others outside of his team view his team’s postseason hopes; he looks at how hard his players are working and sees a bright future for men’s basketball in Knoxville.
The Vols, who remain knotted in a four-way tie for fourth in the league even after having their four-game win streak snapped, will try to get back on track at 7 p.m. Wednesday (TV: CSS) at Thompson-Boling Arena against Ole Miss (15-11, 5-7).
“I tell our guys, you play and compete — you don’t worry about the scoreboard,” Martin said. “We came up short Saturday, and we didn’t play as well as we were capable of playing against a hungry team.
“So now we come back to practice, we regroup, and we get ready for the next one.”
Home Sweet Home: The Vols have won 10 of their past 11 in Thompson-Boling Arena and rank sixth in the nation in attendance behind Wisconsin.
UT is shooting 36 percent from beyond the 3-point line on the season, hitting a respectable 38 percent at home.
The Vols made 39 percent of their 3-point shots on the neutral floor of the EA Sports Maui Classic from Nov. 21-23, but it has been a bumpy road: UT is making only 31 percent of its shots in opponents’ gyms; 30 percent as an SEC visitor.
Skylar McBee is 13-of-29 (44.8 percent) shooting the 3-pointer in home SEC games, Jordan McRae is 9-of-22 (40.9 percent) and Josh Richardson had made four of six 3-point attempts in Thompson-Boling Arena in SEC home games.
While McBee is coming off an 0-for-6 effort shooting the three at Alabama, he was 4-of-7 shooting beyond the arc in his previous three games.
Senior Cam Tatum went 0-for-5 shooting the three at Alabama, making him 0-for-12 in SEC road games. Tatum, however, is 9-of-29 (31 percent) shooting the three in SEC home games, including sinking three of his past eight at home.
Golden Assessment: Trae Golden gave a number of reasons why the Tide outclassed the Vols.
“Turnovers; we turned the ball over three or four times in a row, we weren’t knocking shots down at all, it was a rough night,” said Golden, who committed six of the Vols’ 17 turnovers in Tuscaloosa. “They were making good plays, their defensive was effective and they were beating us off the dribble.
“I didn’t do a really good job of controlling the team tonight. We got across half court and were shooting quick shots and turning the ball over,” he said. “We have to pick up our defense and rebounding and taking care of the ball. We had 17 turnovers, and that’s not gonna win us any big games.”
Freshman wall?: UT forward Jarnell Stokes said his two early fouls at Alabama were “dumb,” and he indicated he would do some soul-searching after his eight-point, eight-rebound outing.
“I’m not as aggressive as I was,” said Stokes, who has scored in double figures in just one of his past five games. “I’m not making the plays I was early on; I’ve got to figure it out.”
