KNOXVILLE – The up-and-down nature of Tennessee’s men’s basketball season went to unimaginable lengths last week.
While on their way to the SEC tournament in Nashville, the Vols stopped in Cookeville. Their purpose was to support the middle Tennessee city, which had been heavily impacted by a tornado in the overnight hours of March 3. The uplifting gesture involved posing for pictures, signing autographs and mingling with the locals. The Vols also dispensed a generous supply of t-shirts, wristbands, mini-basketballs and posters.
Two days later, Tennessee and the rest of the league were sent home after the conference, following the lead of professional sports leagues, canceled the tournament because of the threat of the coronavirus.
The NCAA tournament and all other postseason events eventually fell victim as well, ending the season on a down note.
For Tennessee, the end, to some extent, summed up the middle and the beginning of the previous four-plus months. Here are some other ups and downs that characterized UT’s season:
John Fulkerson and Jordan Bowden: Fulkerson blossomed during SEC play and tied Bowden for the team scoring lead, averaging 13.7 points per game. The redshirt junior forward also led the team in rebounding (5.9 per game) and field goal accuracy (61.2 percent). He set new career scoring highs five times, capping the upgrades with 27 points in helping the Vols erase a 17-point second half deficit at Kentucky on March 3.
Bowden reached his scoring average in a different manner. The senior guard’s 38.3 percent shooting from the field was the lowest accuracy since his freshman season. In conference play, he shot a chilly 23.2 percent on 3-pointers.
The season’s premature conclusion ended a six-game stretch in which Bowden had found a scoring groove, averaging 17 points per game.
Lamonte Turner and Santiago Vescovi: Tennessee lost Turner right before Christmas break. The redshirt senior guard announced that he was ending his collegiate career because of persistent shoulder pain caused by Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. His departure deprived the Vols of their unquestioned leader and the lone remaining starter from the previous season’s Sweet 16 team.
Vescovi, a freshman point guard from Uruguay, arrived after Christmas and became a starter. In his first game, he scored 18 points against LSU and committed nine turnovers.
He averaged 10.7 points, 3.6 assists and 3.5 turnovers for 19 games.
Hard to imagine UT being up to a 17-14 record (9-9 in the SEC) without Vescovi’s performance in both acclimating on the fly and replacing Turner.
Plavsic/team depth: The Vols frontcourt, depleted by graduation and transfers, got a boost when 7-foot redshirt freshman Uros Plavsic finally was cleared to play on Jan. 14.
Despite scoring 16 points against Mississippi State, Plavsic averaged just 2.6 points and 0.9 rebounds in 16 games.
For that matter, no Vols reserve player averaged more than 3.5 points or 15.7 minutes per game. The Vols went as far as the starters could take them.
Road and home splits: Two of Tennessee’s most dramatic victories came away from Thompson-Boling Arena. Along with the comeback win at Kentucky, the Vols also erased a 15-point deficit in winning at Alabama on Feb. 4.
Conversely, Tennessee’s 31-game home win streak ended with a 51-47 loss to Memphis on Dec. 14. The Vols lost half of their final 12 home games. By comparison, the Vols had lost just two games at the arena the previous two seasons.
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Dan Fleser is a 1980 graduate of the University of Missouri who covered University of Tennessee athletics for the Knoxville News Sentinel from 1988-2019. He may be reached at danfleser3@gmail.com