Tennessee assistant coach: Vols are at their best with Jahmai Mashack on the floor

Forget Chaz Lanier’s eight 3-pointers, Jordan Gainey’s 10 points in the final six minutes, Zakai Zeigler’s block or his game-clinching three with 21.1 seconds left. The two biggest plays in Tennessee 77-69 win at Texas A&M on Saturday, according to assistant coach Rod Clark, were a pair of Jahmai Mashack tip-ins.

The first one tied the game at 40-all with 15:27 left. The second one provided the go-ahead points, putting the Vols up for good with 6:56 left. 

“The first thing I said to Coach (Barnes) when we got back off the floor, back in the locker room,” Clark said before practice Monday morning at Food City Center, “I said the two biggest plays were his tip-ins. And our staff, we all agreed.”

The tip-ins were the only shots Mashack made in the win at Reed Arena in College Station, finishing with seven points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal in his 29 minutes.  

“Those were huge,” Clark said. “Those were his two baskets.”

Up Next: No. 5 Tennessee at LSU, Tuesday, 9 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Clark had another point to make, too. Tennessee’s best lineups include Mashack on the floor, regardless of what the analytics say.

“I see some of the stuff on social media where guys (are saying) our best lineups are this,” Clark said, “and Jahmai Mashack does this offensively and all this other stuff. 

“And I get it, like analytics can say a lot of things, but when you’re in the heat of the battle and you’re in these games, to say that we’re better when Jahmai Mashack is not on the floor is kind of — I hate to use this word — but stupid. It just kind of is.”

The analytics say — and have said for much of the season — that Tennessee’s offensive numbers are significantly better with Gainey on the floor. The sixth man for the Vols this season is the team’s fourth-leading scorer, averaging 10.7 points per game off the bench.

Mashack, who has started all 27 games this season, averages just 5.7 points per game but is considered one of the best perimeter defenders in college basketball. 

But it’s not an either/or proposition for Tennessee. The Vols closed the Texas A&M game with Mashack and Gainey both on the floor, alongside Zeigler, Lanier and Felix Okpara.

Igor Milicic picked up his third and fourth fouls just nine seconds apart in the second half Saturday, checking out after the fourth foul and not returning to the game. 

Tennessee went 7-for-12 from the field over the final nine minutes. Gainey scored on a layup, two 3-pointers and two foul shots in the final 6:12 to help the Vols hold on. 

“We finished the game with four guards on the floor,” Clark said, “and we were playing a massive, huge team. And (Mashack is) at the four and we’re just fine defensively. And he’s on the floor obviously to win the game. 

“So, not to insult anybody that has their opinions, because it’s nothing wrong with that, but yeah, that’s not accurate.”

Zeigler, Gainey, Lanier, Mashack and Okpara is Tennessee’s third-most frequent lineup over the past five games, at 12.1% according to KenPom. 

Zeigler, Gainey, Lanier, Milicic and Okpara is the most used, at 20.2%, ahead of the Tennessee’s starting five of Zeigler, Lanier, Mashack, Milicic and Okpara at 18.7%, the group that has started 26 of 27 games this season.

‘Obviously, we want to get better with the start of games’

Clark also acknowledged Tennessee’s need to get off to faster starts. 

Texas A&M led by nine points after the first eight minutes Saturday. Tennessee trailed Vanderbilt by 16 points in the first half last Saturday at Food City Center before rallying to win 81-75. 

The Vols were down nine in the first half in the 75-64 loss at Kentucky on February 11 and trailed Missouri by nine in the first half at home on February 5. 

“Obviously, we want to get better with the start of games,” Clark said, “understand how to come out with the right approach. Having the same aggression early in halves that we do late in halves. We want to kind of start putting those things together. We want to be locked in defensively and put together full games.”

Time is running out to put those full games together.

No. 5 Tennessee (22-5, 9-5 SEC) is down just four regular-season games left, starting with another road game at LSU (14-13, 3-11) on Tuesday (9 p.m. Eastern Time, SEC Network).

The Vols host No. 6 Alabama on Saturday, go to Ole Miss next week and host South Carolina in the regular-season finale on March 8.

“Right now is the time of year where just having good halves is not really good enough,” Clark said, “because if you go into the wrong game, just have one good half, it could get you sent home as we keep going for these couple weeks.”