Let's take a look at the individual numbers from the disappointing, frustrating, and sickening overtime loss to Tennessee.
Kevin Durant 26 pts (10/22), 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover in 33 min
For Durant this was only an average game. Like the team, his first half was much stronger than his second. He was attacking the rim and calling for the ball in the first half. With the frenetic pace in the second, Durant didn't get the necessary touches in the half court. He also found himself into foul trouble and sat for a big portion of Tennessee's run in the second. That said, it was KD who made the runner to send the game into overtime.
Durant must do a better of staying out of foul trouble and improving his shot selection. We can't afford to have him sit on the bench or simply get lost. The Texas guards also need to do a better job of getting him the ball near the low block. He took a terrible shot toward the end of regulation and another in OT. Neither took time off the clock and both led to fast break opportunities for the Vols. We want KD to have the ball but the shot selection and clock awareness must improve. For the game Durant was 0/5 from three.
DJ Augustin 20 pts (6/9), 4 assists, 13 assists, and 7 turnovers in 37 min
DJ is a gamer. He continues to impress with his poise, ball handling, and shot selection from the point guard spot. Augustin once again found ways to attack the basket in the half court and in transition. The seven turnovers are slightly alarming but at least three or four came on inbounds passes. At 5'10", Augustin is probably not the best Horn to trigger the inbounds pass. He couldn't see over the much taller Vol defenders all game. I understand why Barnes put Augustin in that position: he is our best passer and can easily get the ball back against the full court pressure. But it wasn't working, and we never adjusted. In a class of stellar freshman point guards, DJ has been the best in the nation so far this season.
Damion James 7 pts (3/8), 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 blocks in 40 min
Much like the LSU game, James was an absolute beast on the boards. Damion played all but five minutes and continued to contribute even after picking up his fourth foul. He also kept his cool after picking up a questionable foul and then an even more questionable technical in the second. His still hasn't shown soft hands on offense but we can't really ask for much more from him on defense or on the glass.
Justin Mason 15 pts (4/10), 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover in 26 min
Mason was superb on both ends of the floor when he was out there. Unfortunately, two questionable foul calls in the second sent him to the bench with lots of time left in the game. You can't fault the effort though. Mason hit three three-pointers during our first half dominance, was a perfect 4/4 from the line, and played solid defense.
AJ Abrams 17 pts (6/18), 2 rebounds in 32 minutes
This was not one of Abrams' finest performances. Yes, he made some critical threes late in regulation and in overtime but really played poorly before that. On defense, his man to man defense seems to be regressing not improving. On offense, his shot selection late in the game was awful. The driving lay up than rimmed out cost the Horns the opportunity to run valuable time off the clock. He also jacked up unnecessary and forced threes in overtime. Last, he got in foul trouble forcing Barnes to use JD Lewis for long stretches.
Connor Atchley 6 pts (1/1), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover in 15 min
I have been one of the biggest Atchley doubters but he has really come on lately. Connor was active and physical in this one. He still has his moments that leave fans shaking their heads but they are come much less often. Other than fouling out in less than a half of action, I find no faults with his production or energy.
JD Lewis 9 pts (2/3), 4 rebounds, 1 assist in 19 min
There was some good and some bad here. Lewis finally entered the game and knocked down a few threes which are supposed to be his specialty. He was also active on the boards and played some decent minutes for foul prone Abrams. However, his defense was not good. He was beaten by Lofton multiple times on simple back cuts or back screens. I would still prefer Lewis only in a very limited number of circumstances and certainly not for 19 minutes.
Matt Hill 1 pt (0/0), 3 rebounds in 14 min
Hill was mainly a non factor. He battled hard on the boards but wasn't able to convert either of his two offensive rebounds into points. Hill still looks a year away from being a big time contributor.
--AW--