Josiah-Jordan James: Vols feel they've 'been disrespected all year'

Tennessee wasn’t on the screen for long before the upset pick was already in. As the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament’s East Region, college basketball analyst Seth Davis said he didn’t like the Vols’ chances against No. 13 Louisiana in the first round in Orlando Thursday night.

In fact, the Ragin’ Cajuns was his pick just minutes removed from the bracket being revealed on Selection Sunday.

“Tennessee (is) overseeded because of their record,” Davis said during the selection show on CBS, “but they don’t have their point guard in Zakai Zeigler.”

Zeigler went down with a torn ACL three minutes into Tennessee’s win over Arkansas on February 28 at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Vols were already limping toward the postseason at the time, having lost five of its previous eight games.

After starting 18-3 and moving up to No. 2 in the rankings on January 30, Tennessee is 5-7 over its previous 13 games. 

Josiah-Jordan James: ‘We have all the motivation we need’

Anyone doubting the Vols after the last six weeks is nothing new, though. Josiah-Jordan James said on Monday he felt like it’s been happening since November.

“We have all the motivation we need,” James said. “We feel like we’ve been disrespected all year. Granted, we’ve had some tough losses but we don’t really listen to the outside noise. We have all the fuel, all the motivation we need because we know we have to go down there and get the job done.”

Tennessee earned its No. 4 seed with wins over two No. 1 seeds, Alabama and Kansas, and another win over a No. 2 seed in Texas. The Vols also have wins over No. 8 seeds Arkansas and Maryland and No. 9 Auburn.

The Vols, ranked No. 2 at the time, lost at Florida 67-54 on February 1, the start of the skid toward March. There were back-to-back buzzer-beater losses against Vanderbilt and Missouri, then losses at Kentucky and Texas A&M. The regular-season ended with a loss at Auburn and Missouri sent Tennessee home from the SEC Tournament in the quarterfinal round on Friday.

Injuries have played their part in the inconsistencies throughout the season.

James missed 12 games this season, eight due to knee soreness and four due to a left ankle sprain. Julian Phillips missed four games with a hip injury. Santiago Vescovi missed three games with a shoulder injury. Tyreke Key missed two games with an ankle issue and another game due to illness.

James admitted that many believe the Vols are doubted “for good reason.” But he still feels otherwise.

“When we’re at our best,” he said, “I feel like we’re the best team in the country, but it’s just being able to stay consistent in that. We haven’t done that all year, but we know when we play at our best, we play together, it’s really tough to beat us.”

Up Next: Vols vs. Louisiana, Thursday, 9:40 p.m. ET, CBS

The goal for Tennessee is to be tough to beat for two games this week, with the mindset in Orlando being to win a four-team tournament and then worry about the next one. 

It starts Thursday when the Vols (23-10), the tournament’s No. 14 overall seed, face No. 13 Louisiana (26-7), the Sun Belt champion and No. 54 overall seed. It’s a 9:40 p.m. Eastern Time start on CBS at Amway Center in Orlando.

“We have to be locked in,” James said. “We know Louisiana is a really, really talented team. They got three really key, good guys that could play at any level. They have a great team but those three guys in specific, especially Jordan Brown — he’s transferred around a little bit but he’s a former McDonald’s All-American. 

“He’s showed he can get the job done. So we just have to be locked in defensively and play as a unit both offensively and defensively.”

The Vols remain confident, like they have been all season, that they can do what they need to do — even if no one else believes in them.

“I know that everyone’s will to win is at a high level,” James said, “and I just have ultimate faith in my teammates. I know our coaches have ultimate faith in us. It’s not going to be easy, but I really see us doing big things down in the tournament.”