How little is Barnes using Vols’ bench?
KNOXVILLE — Rick Barnes offered the reality of Tennessee basketball’s postseason chances Saturday.
“All we have left is that postseason,” Barnes said. “That is our only chance. Are we capable of beating anybody in the league? We are.”
Tennessee will have to run through the SEC Tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season after its 85-63 loss to No. 15 Auburn on Saturday. The Vols (17-14) are the No. 8 seed and will face No. 9-seeded Alabama (16-15) on Thursday (noon CT, SEC Network) at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Barnes stressed it will take a “team effort” from the Vols to make a run through the conference tournament.
It starts with Tennessee’s bench, which has been lightly used in the past five games.
“We are not playing many guys, and that is one of my regrets,” Barnes said. “I wish I would get those other guys in the game more.”
The numbers
Tennessee’s core five of Jordan Bowden, John Fulkerson, Josiah-jordan James, Yves Pons and Santiago Vescovi has played 77.8% of available minutes in 18 SEC games. James missed four games with a groin injury.
In the five games since James returned, the numbers have skewed more toward the starters. Pons (93.5%) and Bowden (93%) are playing the heaviest minutes, while Fulkerson is playing 82.3% of the time.
Tennessee’s bench has played only 15.7% of available minutes – an average of barely 31 minutes of 200 possible minutes per game – in the past five outings.
The backup post duo of Olivier Nkamhoua and Uros Plavsic has played 8.8% of minutes assuming a two-big lineup. Drew Pember has not played in four games and is in concussion protocol.
In the second half of those five games, the numbers slide even more toward the starters.
Tennessee’s bench has played only 10.9% of the available minutes – an average of less than 11 minutes of a potential 100 per game.
Here is a game-by-game look at the past five games:
Feb. 22 at Auburn
Overall: Starters played 74.1% of minutes
Second half: Starters played 82% of minutes
Context: Fulkerson picked up his second foul with 17:06 to play in the first half and sat until the second half. Vescovi was in constant foul trouble and was on the bench for more than 20 minutes.
Given the play of the backup guards Davonte Gaines and Jalen Johnson as well as the foul trouble, Tennessee’s bench got its most significant action in the past five games despite UT blowing a 17-point lead.
Feb. 26 at Arkansas
Overall: Starters played 80.5% of minutes
Second half: Starters played 86.2% of minutes
Context: Fulkerson’s minutes dipped against the Razorbacks.
Gaines was highly effective for the second straight game and got the most playing time off the bench. Tennessee trailed big but came back well in the second half behind Pons, as four starters played at least 17 second-half minutes.
Feb. 29 against Florida
Overall: Starters played 93.8% of minutes
Second half: Starters played 99.4% of minutes
Context: The second half was shocking as Tennessee let a 19-point lead slip to one.
Barnes rode his starters throughout, playing four starters for all 20 minutes despite Florida turning up its aggressiveness and coming back. Plavsic was the only bench player to see time, but he was on the court for 34 seconds.
“I just didn’t feel like it was fair to put somebody in there that hadn’t been in the game at that time because it was a high-level game at that time,” Barnes said of not using his bench in the final four minutes.
March 3 at Kentucky
Overall: Starters played 88.3% of minutes
Second half: Starters played 95.2% of minutes
Context: For the second straight game, Tennessee used only one bench player in the second half. Barnes kept four starters in for all 20 minutes as the
Vols came back from 17 down to win.
Johnson got the only second-half bench run in place of Vescovi, who was hounded by Kentucky’s Ashton Hagans and had a tough night. Johnson was key in Tennessee’s comeback.
James had extended time on the bench because of first-half foul trouble but was great in the second. Nkamhoua did not play, and Plavsic picked up two quick fouls.
March 7 against Auburn
Overall: Starters played 85% of minutes
Second half: Starters played 82.7% of minutes
Context: Tennessee’s blowout loss against Auburn was the only time in the past five games the starters played less in the second half than the first.
James played only nine second-half minutes on an ineffective afternoon. Johnson received the only notable bench time with 23 minutes played.
Gaines, Nkamhoua and Plavsic played in the final 90 seconds. Barnes said UT’S bench did not play much because the Vols fell behind early.
“I feel that I should have gotten some of those guys in there because when guys aren’t playing well, those other guys deserve a chance,” he said.