Tennessee gets dominated by Mississippi State, exits SEC Tournament early

The Tennessee Volunteers were dominated by the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Friday in Nashville. The Vols not only had the most talented player on the court, but they also had a hefty home-court advantage. None of that mattered, however, because the team never got off the bus. The Bulldogs ended up winning 73-56, and it could’ve been much worse.

The Vols had one of the most pitiful shooting displays you’ll ever see. The team shot just 30.6% from the field and just 24.2% from three. That is miserable, and you’d have a hard time beating a D-III team with that performance.

From the jump, the Vols looked slow and lethargic. Nobody was ready to play, including the star players and fifth-year seniors. Speaking of fifth-year seniors, I am done making excuses for Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James. At first, I was one of the people who thought that the game plan had just evolved to not need those two to score. However, that’s not the case. Even when Vescovi and James DO shoot, they rarely connect. I’m not sure how fifth-year seniors just completely forget how to play offense, I’ve never seen anything like it.

I still hope that the Vols can turn it around and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. However, it’s hard for me to believe that this team will string together several wins against quality opponents. This Vols’ team struggles with physicality and dominant big men, and the team will undoubtedly run into teams that fit both of those categories in the tournament.

The Mississippi State loss is embarrassing for sure. A long run in March will make up for it, though.