Barnes Worries: Vols Passing Up Open Shots

As the NCAA Tournament approaches, Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes has one major concern - his players are passing up too many open shot opportunities.

In their SEC Tournament quarterfinal loss to Mississippi State, Barnes saw multiple instances where his players declined to take open looks from three-point range. Instead of letting it fly with an open shot, they pump-faked, drove into traffic, and eventually turned the ball over.

“You got to take the shots,” Barnes lamented after the 73-56 upset loss. “You got to take them.”

It’s been an issue that has plagued the Vols at times this season. Early on, Barnes pointed to players turning down open jumpers as a key reason for Tennessee’s high turnover numbers. Without someone willing to pull the trigger on open looks, the offensive spacing tightens up, passing lanes get clogged, and turnovers become inevitable.

“Normally, we get a high volume of quality shots,” said Barnes. “When we were turning the ball over, it’s because we were turning down shots, trying to do other things.”

Against an aggressive Mississippi State defense geared to stop SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht (4-17 FG), the Vols’ other players had plenty of daylight looks but failed to take advantage. Jahmai Mashack swung the ball to Jordan Gainey for an open triple, but Gainey opted to pump fake and put the ball on the deck instead, leading to a desperation heave from Zakai Zeigler as the shot clock expired.

“Some other guys are going to get opportunities and they have to shoot the ball,” Barnes said, referring to the attention opposing defenses give Knecht.

While Knecht himself could probably improve his shot selection at times, Barnes made it clear the onus is on Zeigler and Tennessee’s supporting cast to have a shooter’s mentality. Too often against the Bulldogs, the Vols made the offense grind to a halt by over-dribbling or passing up makeable looks.

With the NCAA Tournament just days away, Barnes knows his message has to get through before it’s win-or-go-home time. Tenacious defense and rebounding can only take you so far in March - you have to be willing to pull the trigger when the opportunity presents itself.

“Because of that, some other guys are going to get opportunities and they have to shoot the ball,” Barnes reiterated.

The Vols have the talent and experience to make a run in the Big Dance. But Barnes’ concerns about their shot selection could ultimately determine whether they dance for a few more weeks or get kicked off the floor early.