Deadline Decisions: Who were the losers?

Yesterday was the (ridiculously early) end to the testing the waters period for players with college eligibility remaining. Here is the full list of players that have decided to keep their names in or pull their names out of draft contention.

Who were this year's deadline losers?

Texas: The Longhorns were as brutalized as anyone in the past decade by early entry. Jordan Hamilton announced his intentions to remain in the NBA Draft a while back. Speculation about Tristan Thompson having hired an agent as gone on for nearly a month. And now, it is official that Cory Joseph will be headed to the NBA as well. That means that the Longhorns return ... J'Covan Brown and Alexis Wangmene? Texas went from a top five team to potentially missing out on the NCAA Tournament.


Tennessee: Over the weekend, both Tobias Harris and Scotty Hopson confirmed their intentions of remaining in the NBA Draft. For Harris, it wasn't much of a surprise. Most believed he was destined to be a one-and-done player since the time that he was in high school. It was a bit different for Hopson. He has the talent and the potential to be a lottery pick, but he was simply never able to put it (or keep it) all together while at Tennessee. Even with Bruce Pearl gone, Tennessee had a chance to be good with Cuonzo Martin coaching those two. With Harris and Hopson gone, things will be interesting in Knoxville. There are some interesting players -- Renaldo Wooldridge, Jeronne Maymon, Trae Golden, Cam Tatum, etc.

Michigan: The Wolverines suffered a pretty big blow when Darius Morris decided to keep his name in the draft. It looks like a good decision for now; Morris should sneak into the back end of the first round. That said, with Morris back, Michigan had a chance to be a top 10-15 team next season. With the amount of youth on that roster, John Beilein should still have a pretty good team in Ann Arbor. But Morris was one of those players that made everyone around him better. It will be interesting to see just how good players like Jordan Morgan and Tim Hardaway Jr are without him.

Butler: Its tough to say anything negative about Butler in this situation. Shelvin Mack was instrumental in getting the Bulldogs into back to back national title games. Keeping him around for three seasons is a win in this day and age. That said, losing him for next season will hurt. Matt Howard, Shawn Vanzant, and Zack Hahn are also gone, which means that the Bulldogs will be left with a lot of young players. It will be interesting to see how guys like Chase Stigall and Chrishawn Hopkins develop in the back court. If Khyle Marshall lives up to his potential next season, Butler should once again compete for the Horizon league title.

Maryland: Jordan Williams decision to enter the NBA Draft not only left the Terps devoid of any kind of experience (or talent) along their front line, it is also feasible to think that it caused Gary Williams to retire and could cost them a couple of talented recruits in Sterling Gibbs and Nick Faust. This story is far from complete, but its not to think that, when all is said and done, Williams' departure may have the most damaging long-term effects.

Pac-10:

• The decision by Jeremy Green to remain in the NBA Draft seems, on the surface, to be about more than just his draft prospects, because those don't appear to be all that good. Green was put on academic suspension for this summer, and while it didn't effect his eligibility as a player, it may have on his decision to remain in the draft -- he was back home in Austin, TX, the last few weeks. This may actually be a win for Stanford. Led by Dwight Powell and Anthony Brown, they have a talented sophomore class. They weren't going to be a tournament team this season anyway, and Green is a volume shooter that didn't make those around him better. Could this speed up the development of Johnny Dawkins' young talent?


• Washington State had the potential to be a major player in the Pac-10 race next season, but with Klay Thompson finally deciding to follow DeAngelo Casto out the door, the Cougars are left with Faisal Aden and Reggie Moore ... and not much else.

• It is well known what UCLA lost -- Tyler Honeycutt and Malcolm Lee both are gone -- but this is not new news.

Terrence Jennings: Louisville should be fine without Jennings. They are solidly stocked with back court talent, and Gorgui Dieng proved to be a more than capable shot blocker and rebounder in his time as a freshman. Throw in the returns of Rakeem Buckles and Jared Swopshire, and Louisville is going to be a top 10-15 team. Jennings, however, has a ways to go before he is an NBA player. He's got the size, the strength, and the athleticism, but NBA big men needs post moves. Jennings doesn't have a move -- singluar -- let alone moves -- plural.

Boston College: BC was going to be a loser this off-season regardless of what happened with Reggie Jackson. They lost eight seniors to graduation. But with Jackson gone, BC's leading returning scorer is not Danny Rubin, also known as walk-on Danny Rubin.

Minnesota: Minnesota is an interesting case for next season. They've had as much roster turnover as anyone in the country the last two years -- Colton Iverson, Trevor Mbakwe, Royce White, Devoe Joseph, Al Nolen. With Ralph Sampson keeping his name in the draft, they lose a front-court scoring threat and now two-thirds of their massive front line from a year ago. But with Mbakwe, Nolen (whoops, he graduted), Rodney Williams, and Austin Hollins all returning, there is still quite a bit of ability at Tubby Smith's disposal. (UPDATE: He may be returning.)

Notre Dame: The Irish could be in trouble next season. Yes, Mike Brey is staying in South Bend, but with Ben Hansbrough and Ty Nash graduating and now Carleton Scott remaining in the draft, the Irish are going to be left with a very thin roster. Eric Atkins looked promising as a point guard as a freshman, and Tim Abromaitis and Scott Martin return, but there is not much beyond that. Scott's versatility as a shooter, rebounder, and shot blocker will truly be missed.
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90% of basketball is the flow: An inside look at the best hairdos in college hoops

No sport allows the viewing public to focus on the face and head of players as much as basketball does.

Think about it: Hockey, football, baseball and lacrosse all require helmets. Even water polo and wrestling requires some sort of head-gear. Soccer is played on a field that's damn-near a quarter-mile long. Nobody watches tennis or bowling. But in basketball, viewers can see every part of a players face.

Why do I bring this up?

Well, only because the college basketball landscape features some of the most interesting hairdos in the entire sports world.

Is this list completely unnecessary? Absolutely. Is it a waste of time? Probably. But does it make you a better, more knowledgeable college basketball fan? Hell-yes it does.

If you are interested to see who made last year's list. Here ya go: Part 1, Part 2.

Mike Bruesewitz - Wisconsin

I know what you're thinking: "When the hell did Wisconsin offer Carrot Top a scholarship?" Mike "Ravishing Red" Breueswitz is setting the Midwest ablaze with his heart, hustle and hair. There's the "Bruesewitz hair-cam" and even red wigs for sale at the Badgers team store.


Bruesewitz hasn't always donned the flaming mop-top. Up until this season he has sported a more conservative crew-cut, but was inspired by his older brother to let his hair down.


The Bruiser's head of hair is about as unique, and red, as any head of hair in the country.


Dwight Buycks - Marquette

I love Dwight Buycks. I'll admit it, and I have no shame in doing so. Just look at this dude, and try to tell me you don't at least admire his swagger.


What I like the most about Buyck's hairdo, which I have coined "the buyck tread", is that he mixes it up. After all, versatility is key in any sport. You have to keep people on their toes, and that's exactly what Buycks is doing.


Rotnei Clarke - Arkansas

I'll forgive him for the egregious misspelling of his first name for now, because my man Rotnei is repping the "brohawk" to the max. Clarke is arguably one of the best pure-shooters in the country. But he also seems to follows the golden rule of all sports "You have to look good in order to play good".


I'm not exactly sure how the "brohawk" stays intact during games, but I'll save that for another post. Maybe we should ask Gary Parrish, he probably knows the answer:



Honorable Mention: Cade Davis, Oklahoma


Andre Coimbra - Central Michigan

How in-the-world do you play with something like this?


I just don't understand how somebody can play a close-quarters-game like basketball with such spacious hair. If I had to play against him, I'd get rather frustrated. Plus you have to wonder whether all that hair gets in the way of his brain processing information. I mean, why would somebody from Rio de Janeiro want to spend four years in Central Michigan?


Jae Crowder - Marquette

He's got locks similar to Morehead State's Kenny Faried. There is something ferocious about Crowder's look. Maybe it's his size, after all, he's just 6'6, but his upper body is stacked, and when he gets fired up, he looks like some sort of wild animal.


I would not want to fight for a rebound against hair like this.

Honorable Mention: Kenny Faried, Morehead State, Nick Mason, Arkansas


Marcus Denmon - Missouri


This is the cornrow'd version of "lettuce". Demon's cornrows are well manicured and well maintained. His hairdo is similar to what teammate Michael Dixon rocked last season. There is no denying that Denmon has been on fire this season, and there's no denying that his hairdo is pretty fresh.

Honorable Mention: Marvell Waithe, Arkansas, Aaron Brown, Temple


Tyrone Garland - Virginia Tech

You may be surprised to know that Garland is the 3rd leading scorer in Philadelphia Public School history, only one spot behind Wilt Chamberlain. But that's about all that garland and "The Big Dipper" have in common. The freshman guard may have the most unique set of hair follicles in the ACC. What really makes his hairdo interesting is the headband. We've seen many players with dreads as long as Garland's but that headband keeps it under control.


What I also love about Garland is that he's versatile. He's gone with dreads, straight cornrows, designed cornrows and even a Katt-Williams-esque flat-iron approach.

Honorable Mention: Steve Tchiengang, Vanderbilt


Aloysius Henry - UNC-Greensboro

Henry is in a hair-class of his own. I mean, what exactly is that? Is it a mini-fro? Is a gheri-curl? Are they tiny dreads?


Whatever it is, I am certain that it is pretty cool. The six-ten native of the Windward Islands definitely has that Caribbean-style of flow going on. I really can't emphasize how much I like this 'do.


Scotty Hopson - Tennessee

Nobody rocks the high-top fade harder then Hopson. He's been repping the "Fresh Prince" all-season-long and it doesn't look like it's going anywhere.


I've always been a big fan of this hairdo, and I love to see somebody represent it this thoroughly. I only wish he would continue to grow it out until Kid'n'Play have to sue for stealing their likeness.

Honorable Mention: Norris Cole, Cleveland State, Anthony Jones, Baylor, Ryan Evans, Wisconsin


Jordair Jett - Saint Louis

Awesome name? Yup. Awesome head of hair? Yup yup.


But seriously, I think this might be too much hair for one head. It looks like he doesn't even know what to do with all those dreads. It's like a messy ball of extension-cords. Your mom will tell you to unravel them and put them away, but you just can't get them untangled. So what do you do? You bunch them up as tightly as possible and wedge them into a cupboard hoping they will stay put. At least for the sake of opposing players, Jett seems to have his follicles under control.


Skylar McBee - Tennessee

The loveable Volunteer walk-on captured the hearts of hoops fans everywhere last season with his game-clinching 3-pointer against top-ranked Kansas. But now McBee captures the hearts of pre-teen girls everywhere with his homage to Justin Beiber.


I call it "the McBeeiber".

Honorable Mention: John Shurna, Northwestern


Jesse Perry - Arizona

And the winner for "Biggest head of hair in College Basketball" goes to..... Seriously, look at that. It's some amalgamation of dreadlocks and cornrows. Whatever it is, it's way too much. Imagine going for a rebound against him? It looks like that thing could drop you like a bad habit. Its one thing to have to box out a guy with long dreads that might whip you in the eye or neck, but it's another thing to get knocked out by somebody's dreadlocks.


Imagine how strong his neck muscles must be for having to hold up that much weight all the time?


Cory Remekun - St. Louis

That is no ordinary afro.


It's a mullet-inspired pseudo-hi-top=fade-meets-afro-slash-frohawk. Sure it looks like kind of normal from afar but at the proper angle, you can tell this hairdo is one of a kind. It's almost like a rhombus-shaped afro. I'm not sure if that's what Remekun was going for, but that's what he got, and it's pretty cool. (A big H/T to @MattSebek for the twitpic)


Stephen Roundtree - Oral Roberts

If I could grow hair like this, I totally would. Its kind-of like the gheri-curl of our generation, and I love it.


It also kind-of looks like one of those goofy snowboarding hats you see people wearing because they think it's hip and cool but everybody else knows that it's totally lame.


Donald Sims - Appalachian State

In Sims' four years at Appalachian State he has amassed a plethora of awards, achievements, records, and career-bests. But as for his hair, I'm not really sure what to say.


The only "best-of" or "all-hair" team Sims' qualifies for is the "All-over-the-place" squad. Sims' hair is even more confusing in person. It's not exactly an afro, but it's not exactly a gheri-curl or curly-locks either. So in conclusion, I'm not sure what exactly is going on upstairs with Sims, but at least it deserves recognition.


Sai'Quon Stone - Southern Mississippi

Here we have another Double-gold-winning head of hair (All-Name-Teamer/All-Hair-Teamer). Stone subscribes to the Stanley Robinson School of hair-care: If you got it, flaunt it.


Sai'Quon will rock cornrows one game, dreads the next, a different type of cornrows after that, followed-up by a combination of dreads and cornrows. Like I stated earlier, versatility is key. You gotta keep the people alls wanting more, and I think Sai'Quon knows this. I mean, why else would he subject head scalp to such bizarre designs?


Jeron Trotman - Centenary

Centenary has not one a single game this season and will probably finish the season without one. I can't imagine they have too many fans at their home games. But if you want to sell a bad product, you have to spruce it up a bit, and that's exactly what Trotman has done with his head.


I mean, this is probably the only time this year you've seen a picture of a Centenary player, so Trotman's work is already paying off.

Honorable Mention: Moussa Camara, Binghamton


Mike Wilder - UC-Irvine

Last, but certainly not least, is last season's winner of the "Donald Trump Award for Most Outstanding Head of Hair", Mike Wilder. I'm rarely at a loss for words, but it's easy to forget what I'm talking about when I gaze at his super-mega-afro-crag.



If UC-Irvine hasn't started selling "Mike Wilder afro wigs" at home games, somebody in the marketing department needs to be fired.

So there you have it. An in-depth look at some of the best hairdos in college hoops this season. But my work isn't done. I know there are dome-pieces out there I haven't seen yet. If you have noticed a bizarre hairdo, or if something catches your eye during a game, hit up @BIAHtheTrizzle or email us at contactBIAH@gmail.com
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POSTERIZED: Yo, Scotty Hopson has got hops, son!

Scotty Hopson has more to his game than just the hi-top fade.

South Carolina freshman Brian Richardson had to find out the hard way:



This dunk catapults Hopson into the running for "Poster-dunk of the year" and possibly "Dunk of the Year"

But for now, just embrace it.

(UPDATE: If you even slightly questioned whether or not this could be a candidate for "Dunk of the Year", take a gander at this photo:)



But was it as good as one of these?:

POSTERIZED - Justin Brownlee, St. John's
POSTERIZED - Tyrone Johnson
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Terrence Ross, Washington
POSTERIZED - Justin Tubbs, East Tennessee State
POSTERIZED - Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
POSTERIZED - Andre Roberson, Colorado
POSTERIZED - Durrell Summers, Michigan State
POSTERIZED - Phillip McDonald, New Mexico
POSTERIZED - Kyle Kuric, Louisville
POSTERIZED - Anthony Nelson, Niagara
POSTERIZED - Cory Joseph, Texas
POSTERIZED - Will Sheehey, Indiana
POSTERIZED - Tom Pritchard, Indiana
POSTERIZED - Shay Shine, High Point
POSTERIZED - John Holland, Boston
POSTERIZED - Keith Gabriel, VMI
POSTERIZED - Travis McKie, Wake Forest
POSTERIZED - Jefferson Mason, Minnesota State (D-II)
POSTERIZED - Tyler Johnson, Fresno State
POSTERIZED - Justin Williams, UNC-Ashville
POSTERIZED - Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Hollis Thompson, Georgetown
POSTERIZED - Darnell Wilks, Cincinnati
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette
POSTERIZED - Darrius Garrett, Richmond
POSTERIZED - Travis Cohn, Jacksonville
POSTERIZED - Ramon Galloway, South Carolina
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Justin Tubbs, East Tennessee State
POSTERIZED - John Williams, UNC-Ashville
POSTERIZED - Kevin Smith, Richmond
POSTERIZED - Mitchell Watt, Buffalo
POSTERIZED - Chandler Parsons, Florida
POSTERIZED - Kenny Gabriel, Auburn
POSTERIZED - Paris Horne, St. John's
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Laurence Bowers, Missouri
POSTERIZED - Drew Gordon, New Mexico
POSTERIZED - Tony Mitchell, Alabama
POSTERIZED - Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt
POSTERIZED - LaMarcus Reed, UT-Arlington
POSTERIZED - Marcus Morris, Kansas
POSTERIZED - Jared Cunningham, Oregon State
POSTERIZED - Langston Morris-Walker
POSTERIZED - Chris Wright and Juwan Staten, Dayton
POSTERIZED - D.J Stephens, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Reeves Nelson, UCLA
POSTERIZED - Kendall Marshall and John Henson, UNC
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Joe Jackson, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Shay Shine, High Point
POSTERIZED - Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
POSTERIZED - Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion
POSTERIZED - CJ Fair, Syracuse
POSTERIZED - LeBryan Nash
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Marcus Jordan, Central Florida
POSTERIZED - Lorenzo Brown, NC State
POSTERIZED - Tai Wesley, Utah State
POSTERIZED - Trent Lockett, Arizona State, and Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Brandon Paul, Illinois
POSTERIZED - Jordan Hamilton, Texas
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Tennessee gets upset again

Last weekend, Tennessee was the team everyone was talking about after they knocked off Pitt.

Are they the best team in the SEC? Are they a Final Four contender? Can they be a No. 1 seed?

This weekend, the same will likely be true, although for a very different reason.

For the second time this week, Tennessee was knocked off by an unranked opponent. On Tuesday, it was Oakland, and experienced, tested mid-major with an NBA prospect playing center. That loss could have been written off. The Vols came in with a big head and were taken down by an opponent that simply wanted it more.

It happens.

Lesson learned, right?

Wrong. On Friday night, Tennessee was knocked off by Charlotte 49-48. The same Charlotte team that was 4-6 on the season heading into the game. The same Charlotte team that was smacked by Davidson their last time out. The same Charlotte team that just had their leading scorer dismissed.

Charlotte packed in their defense, daring Tennessee to fire away from three. Tennessee did, and while they didn't necessarily take bad shots, they didn't make them. The Vols were 2-17 from three on the night, missing their first twelve. They shot just 34.9% from the floor and only managed to get to the free throw line seven times, making just two.

The Vols appear to be a team still finding themselves. Scotty Hopson has proven to be as consistently inconsistent as he's been his entire career. Melvin Goins had two points and no assists in 27 minutes as the starting point guard. Is this a three point shooting team? A team that runs through their bigs? If Hopson and Goins aren't capable of being leaders for this team -- and let's be clear, you aren't being a leader if you are the No. 7 team in the country and getting upset in back-to-back games -- the Vols are in trouble.

Perhaps even worse is that this team, with so many question marks after these last two games, will be losing their head coach for their first eight SEC games.

Welcome back to earth, Tennessee.
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Scotty Hopson leads Tennessee to a big win over Pitt

Back in November, right after Tennessee had finished off then-No. 7 Villanova in the finals of the preseason NIT, we wrote about Scottie Hopson.

Our opinion?

If Tennessee wants to be among the elite teams this season, they need Scotty Hopson to develop into the star that he is has the potential to be.

Saturday afternoon against No. 3 Pitt, Hopson lived up to that potential.

The 6'7" Tennessee small forward scored 27 points, including 14 in a 28-14 Tennessee run to open the game, as the Vols knocked off Pitt on the road 83-76. The final score doesn't do justice to Tennessee's manhandling of the Panthers. The Vols were up by double digits for essentially the entire second half, eventually building their lead up to 21 points midway through the half.

Tennessee was terrific. Melvin Goins made a very good argument for being included in the discussion for the best on ball defender in the country by taking Ashton Gibbs out of the game. Tennessee actually outrebounded Pitt, who is hands down the best rebounding team in the country. The Vols knocked down seemingly every open look they got. And they did all of it on the road. This game, which was part of the SEC/Big East Invitational, was played at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh. Its not the Panthers usual home arena (in fact, only three college basketball games have ever been played there, and Hopson currently holds the single game scoring record), but all you had to do was scan the crowd to see who was the home team.

It was an impressive performance, to say the least.

But Hopson was the star.

He sparked the Vols early run that put them up 14 in the first half. He hit a number of huge jumpers that helped to hold off the Panthers as they made a run to cut the lead to eight. He attacked the rim early and often, and it opened up space for him to get good looks from three. He shot 10-13 from the floor and 3-3 from deep.

I said it after the Preseason NIT, and I'll say it again here now -- when Hopson is aggressively attacking the rim, he is one of the best players in the country.

He proved that today.
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Scotty Hopson needs to be the star for Tennessee

NEW YORK - With all due respect to Tobias Harris, Scotty Hopson was the most important recruit that Bruce Pearl has landed at Tennessee.

Hopson was a top 10 player in the class of 2008. He was a McDonald's all-american. He grew up in Kentucky. Every coach in the country wants a player like that.

And he ended up with Bruce Pearl in Knoxville, an up-and-coming coach at an up-and-coming program. Hopson's signing legitimized Pearl's ability as a recruiter. We had already known his ability as a coach, but being a great coach will only get you so far. Great coaches that coach the most talented players are the ones that hang banners.

On Friday night, Tennessee hung their first banner under Bruce Pearl. The Volunteers used a suffocating defense and a balanced offensive attack to knock off Villanova 78-68 in the finals of the Preseason NIT.


The win was a team effort, but the star was none other than Hopson.

The 6'6" wing finished with 18 points for the second straight night, adding three assists and playing a huge role in the struggles of the vaunted Villanova back court.

"I thought Scotty did a great job on Corey Fisher," Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl said after the game. "Scotty's length bothered Corey. And Scotty stayed down and Corey wasn't getting some of the shots he had been getting, he wasn't getting to the rim."

This came a night after Hopson posted a double-double, going for 18 points and 11 rebounds, in a 77-72 win over VCU.

It was enough to earn Hopson Most Outstanding Player for the tournament.

Its been a long time coming for Hopson. The last two seasons, the uber-talented junior has been forced to play what amounted to a supporting role. As a freshman, it was Tyler Smith's team. As a sophomore, Smith's midseason dismissal provided an avenue for Wayne Chism to take over. As a result, Hopson is now the only member of the class of 2008's top ten recruits still in college.

"I haven't had one of these since high school," Hopson said of the MVP award. "I'm definitely feeling good right now. But I have to put this behind me, go on to the next day, and play basketball."

The knock on Hopson throughout his career has almost always been his passiveness. He was too willing to let the game come to him, too willing to settle for a jumper, too willing to allow others to take the big shot or carry the team through a tough stretch. He had his moments, but the general consensus coming into the season was that Hopson had lottery pick potential but the aggressiveness of a three point specialist.

More than anything, this week helped to change that belief.

Its obvious in talking to him that Hopson has had it drilled into his head that this is his team, that he needs to be a leader. And its starting to show through on the court.

"That is what they expect from me," Hopson said of his teammates after the game. "Coach wants me to attack. I can't be nonchalant. Stay in attack mode all the time. I had a couple of opportunities and I wanted to take advantage and be aggressive."

"That's my game," he continued. "I'm a slasher. I get to the basket. I just have the ability to shoot it."

Against VCU, the Volunteers were getting killed on the glass in the first half. So Hopson attacked the glass, finishing with 11 rebounds. It was his aggressiveness off the dribble and three straight buckets to open the second half that allowed Tennessee to build a double digit cushion. It was his driving layup with five minutes left that countered a VCU run that had cut the Vol lead to two points.

On Friday, Tennessee had built their lead to as much as ten in the first half, but an early second half run by Villanova gave the Wildcats the lead back. Hopson, who was once again quiet in the first half, was the guy that gave the Volunteers to momentum back. He drove to the rim and scored – not settling for jumpers like he did in the first half – or penetrated and found an open teammate when he drew an extra defender.

He did this while playing aggressive, fundamental defense in both games.

"Last night, [Scotty] had 11 rebounds," Pearl said. "Tonight he didn't rebound but he had three assists and one turnover and he played great defense against one of the best guards in the country."

The biggest question mark for Tennessee coming into the season was whether or not Hopson could become a go to scorer. Size was never an issue – between Brian Williams, Tobias Harris, and John Fields, Tennessee has as good of a front line as you will find in the SEC.

Melvin Goins has proved to be a terrific defensive point guard and a solid senior facilitator while Trae Golden has provided a nice change of pace as a player maker.

On the perimeter, Cameron Tatum, Skyler McBee, and Jordan McRae provide a nice blend of youth, experience, athleticism, and shooting. On the defensive end, this team has held every opponent to less than 36% shooting.

And while four starters from last season are gone, there is still plenty of experience on this roster.

"We're not a young team, we're a new team," Pearl said. "I've learned as much about this team in the last five games as any. Four starters. I have some senior guys that were back ups."

"Those guys are all starters now."

The only thing that was missing was a go to scorer, a guy that Bruce Pearl can rely upon when his team desperately needs a bucket. A guy that is willing and capable of scoring when isolated.

Right now, it looks like Hopson is that guy.
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