Vols basketball getting ‘deadly’ lineup back
KNOXVILLE — Grant Williams took three dribbles at the top of the key late in Tennessee’s win against Florida on Saturday.
They led to exactly what Vols coach Rick Barnes wanted: The junior forward isolated to make a play either for himself or pass to a teammate as he pushed into the post.
“There were four guys that have the ability to make a shot,” Barnes said. “If it’s not a wide-open shot, they have the ability to go get one.”
Barnes rolled out a small lineup to close Tennessee’s 78-67 win at Florida with guards Jordan Bone, Jordan Bowden and Lamonte Turner pairing with forwards Admiral Schofield and Williams.
It’s a familiar look for the Vols – a three-guard cast that provides plenty of versatility – but one that only recently became possible with Turner’s return against Georgia on Jan. 5.
“I’m not sure we would have won any of these games in the league,” Barnes said. “His presence, the fact we have been able to play three guards. Last year, that’s how we closed most games.”
No. 3 Tennessee (14-1, 3-0 SEC) is getting back to that trend before facing Arkansas (10-5, 1-2) on Tuesday (6 p.m. CT, ESPN2).
And its effective nature was on display Saturday. The three-guard lineup grouped with Williams for the final 9:58 against the Gators. Center Kyle Alexander spent a brief spell in the lineup before forward John Fulkerson spent a long stretch on the floor with Schofield in foul trouble.
It had brief bumps – a string of turnovers as Florida took the lead. But it flipped the game with Bowden’s 12 consecutive points and the defense limiting Florida to only four field goals in the final 10 minutes.
“It makes us better in transition,” Bowden said. “And we can switch four on the defensive end. It really helps us when you’ve got three guards out there who know what to do with the ball.”
The best lineup – the one Barnes referenced using to close games last year – played the final 2:07 after Schofield returned. The Vols closed the game on a 9-2 run.
“It’s very deadly,” Schofield said. “I think as teams start scouting, they will start to see that us five on the floor, we can all score the ball. Once that happens, especially if you start doubling Grant, you’re just leaving shooters open. It’s just a matter of knocking the shot down or making the right pass.
“With that lineup on the floor, I think it’s very deadly.”
The crucial play headed by Williams was perfect evidence.
Williams took the ball at the top of the key as his teammates settled in around the floor. Williams had Schofield in the far corner and Bowden in the close corner. He had Bone on the wing to his left and Turner on the right wing.
He bumped into Florida’s Keith Stone as Dontay Bassett helped into the paint, leaving Schofield open in the corner.
The senior swished the 3-pointer, pushing Tennessee ahead by five with 41.3 seconds to play.
Barnes stressed after the game and again Monday the pass could have gone to any of the four options on the floor. He said the Vols have plays designed for that lineup, while he credited it with getting “it done for us at the end” against Florida.
That’s the benefit of Turner’s return after missing nine of the first 12 games because of shoulder issues.
“I’m very excited we got Lamonte back because now we can throw that lineup out at any time and really get it going on offense, scoring the ball and shooting the ball and whatever we want to do,” Schofield said.
Turner has played 29 minutes in each of the past two games after playing 15 in his first game back against Georgia. He’s averaging 9.0 points per game in those three.
He still has to get back to 100 percent in-game conditioning, Barnes said Monday, but the effects of his return already are being felt.
“I think Lamonte, defensively, I think we are going to get better defensively because of having him out there,” Barnes said.