SEC: Can Tennessee Become A Legitimate Contender?

The biggest lesson that Tennessee Vols coach Donnie Tyndall should preach to his team this year is one of the Navy’s fundamental core principles, “Give 100 percent of your effort to your team.” It was only fitting that Tyndall’s Vols began their year playing against the No. 15 VCU Rams at Navy in the Veterans Classic.

This rudimentary idea is what his Vols team should believe in since they have talent across their roster. If the Tennessee Vols want to make their second straight NCAA tournament they need to get coached hard and understand that this year everyone needs to contribute, and it’s all hands on deck effort.

In their game against VCU the Vols fought hard even though they were not on the same level as VCU. The Vols ended up losing the game 84-69, but more importantly they played with a lot of hustle and effort.

At one point the Vols played with so much effort they were even called for a foul in the middle of a scrum making a play on the ball. That’s giving 100 percent of your effort to your team, that’s an encouraging sign from a team that has seven underclassmen.

Nov 14, 2014; Annapolis, MD, USA; VCU Rams guard Terry Larrier (22) dives to keep the ball away from Tennessee Volunteers guard Brandon Lopez (33) and forward Dominic Woodson (55) at United States Naval Academy Alumni Hall. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports /

Even though the Vols lost their matchup against VCU it shouldn’t deter their future dreams of NCAA success. The Vols came into this game as the underdog, not VCU. The Rams are the 15th best team in the nation and will move up higher in the rankings before the year is over.

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One of the biggest takeaways moving forward is that the Vols should consider playing multiple guards at the same time. The Vols started point guard Kevin Punter and he played well finishing the game with eight points, seven assists, two steals and only two turnovers. Punter had a great game to say the least.

In addition to Punter’s wonderful play, the best Vols best player, Josh Richardson, already looks like he’s in midseason mode. Richardson’s final season will be stellar and will bring a lot of excitement to Vols fans.

In spite of his problems with personal fouls (he fouled out), Richardson filled up the stats sheet scoring 17 points, grabbing six rebounds, dishing two assists, getting one steal and having three blocks.

Known for his efficient scoring, Richardson finished the game shooting 6-of-13 from the field, a pretty solid all-around performance.

Mar 28, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA;Tennessee Volunteers guard Josh Richardson (1) shoots against against the Michigan Wolverines in the first half in the semifinals of the midwest regional of the 2014 NCAA Mens Basketball Championship tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

There are two reasons why Vols fans shouldn’t get too discouraged that Richardson fouled out in the opening game of the year. One reason is because of the defense that VCU plays. Their style of defense is ferocious and it’s something a team has to get adjusted to during games.

The young Vols at time looked like they got overmatched. The reason VCU looked so good early in the game was because of the “Havoc” defense that they play. Coach Shaka Smart uses a full court pressure set to simply create havoc on his opponents.

His style of defense is the reason VCU has made it to a Final Four during his tenure, as well as four straight NCAA tournament appearances.

Secondly, the last reason Vols fans shouldn’t get discouraged with Richardson’s fouling out is because it opened up a new door for other players. In a way Richardson fouling out of the game was a good thing since we got to see who else would step up for the Vols in his absence.

Nov 14, 2014; Annapolis, MD, USA; VCU Rams guard Treveon Graham (21) leads a fast break in front of Tennessee Volunteers guard Detrick Mostella (15) at United States Naval Academy Alumni Hall. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports /

More than often, there will be times when the Vols are going to play without Richardson and this was only a taste of what to expect. One of the players that shined in Richardson’s absence was freshman guard Detrick Mostella. Off of the bench the freshman tied a team high in points with Richardson by scoring 17 points.

Moving forward, Mostella has already shown that he’s one of the players to keep an eye on.

What this loss showed isn’t that the Vols are a bad team, it showed that they are a team with a lot of potential to grow into. When Coach Tyndall figures out the style of play that these Vols are going to run during the year, this team is going to become a lot better later than they are now.

With this talent on the roster students should flock in to see the Vols play this season.

Maybe they can make their home games look as epic as their stadiums on game day.

Next: College Basketball Rankings: How Does The SEC Stack Up?