Assistant coach Gregg Polinsky talks Tennessee basketball, previews LSU game

Everything Tennessee basketball assistant coach Gregg Polinsky said on Thursday before practice at Pratt Pavilion, as the ninth-ranked Vols (15-3, 5-1 SEC) prepare to face LSU (12-6, 1-5) on Saturday (4 p.m. Eastern Time; TV: ESPN) at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge:

The uptick in foul calls the last few Tennessee games

“I think the thing that we realize and you guys realize kind of, any kind of sport, is that the rules of officiating are based off of how that game is being called on that day or night. I think we have to do a better job of adjusting to early on how we see the level of physicality. What is going on? What is going to be allowed on that day and that doesn’t mean something illegal or something dirty. That is not how we go about our business but can we be a little more physical or can we not. I think us becoming a little bit smarter in that area is something we’re still working on and coach preaches about us being a little bit smarter, more disciplined with our aggressiveness.”

What it says about this Tennessee team to bounce back in game like they did at Mississippi State

“I think a resiliency. I think it’s, I smile because in my time being here which tenure of a year, now year and a half, I think it was for Coach Barnes and our team one of our proudest moments in terms of what you said. We struggled. We didn’t give in. The thing about what I’ve exhibited over the years of championship or high level, quality teams is they hang in there. They’re persistent, they’re resistant, they don’t give in, especially defensively and on the backboard until they find their rhythm on offense. Then all of a sudden it looks wonderful. Everybody said, man y’all played great in the second half. Well we played well, but we played just as hard in the first half defensively. We just didn’t make shots. We just weren’t fluid with the basketball and had too many turnovers. When you make shots and take care of the basketball everybody thinks you play great. Sometimes you just shoot great and everyone equates that to playing great. That’s not always the case. I think in the second half of this game we did both pretty well.”

How they work to get guys like Olivier Nkamhoua’s confidence back after struggling a few games

“I think with some of that, especially with a senior, and a guy with the level of experience O has, Olivier, it’s more talking that anything else of showing him. Whether it’s via video, here are the things you were doing well. Here’s what you’re doing now. Let’s get back to this guy. That’s who you are. Most the time with a guy like Olivier when he had like one rebound in 39 minutes and then he goes out there the other night and gets nine in 27, I believe. He’s the first to know, he feels terrible about it. I think identifying it and telling them that the mark, over my time again, of a very good player— which Olivier has demonstrated at times— is level of consistency. That’s where you build trust amongst your coaches and amongst your teammates.”

Zakai Zeigler playing 40 minutes and saying he could play more

“You know, there are guys, and (strength coach) Garrett (Medenwald) could attest to this more … but I think he and Santi are two guys that are in really elite cardio condition. They can (play 40 minutes). I think Zakai was also smart. He knew he was going to play 40 minutes. You don’t like to use this expressions. Generally guys that pick possessions where they’re really going to compete are guys that kind of leave you in the dust. But with Zakai, the way he guards, you let him pick his possessions and play cat and mouse. He’s smart with it. He also knew going 40 minutes that, hey, I’m going to have to pick my possessions in this game. With Mississippi State you know the strength of that team is scoring in the paint. You have to do a great job of containing the basketball. So that allowed us to back up our defense a little bit.”

Tennessee needing that kind of performance from Julian Phillips more often, where he plays with an attacking mindset

“Part of that is us (as coaches) and part of that is Julian. We have a part in that and so does he. I think coach has asked that of him all year. Hey Ju, we need you to help us separate. We need you, when you’re playing at a high level. The one thing that he has done, and I’m really proud of him, he goes to the offensive glass, man. We talked about that earlier in the year. From the wing position, you’re going to be able to win on the glass. Of all the things, like the great move coming from left to right, in the second half across the bench, that’s a big-time play. It works on any level. But the thing that was most impressive is Julian continuing to go to the backboard. You think about how he kept us in the game in some tough times. So how do we keep doing that? I think it’s just talking to him. We talked to him yesterday, he came walking through the office. We talked a little bit and I think our coaches do a great job of saying, ‘Hey Ju, we need you to play at a high level. We need you to be aggressive. We need you to take open shots.’ Then our team’s responsibility is to go retrieve it. So relax, do your thing.”

Up Next: No. 9 Tennessee at LSU, Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN

Freddie Dilione being here for a week and the plan getting him involved at Tennessee’s practice on Thursday

“I think with Freddie, he’ll join our scout team. It’s great to have him here. I know football has done this for years, right? Bringing guys in in January and redshirting them and letting them learn the system. More than that, him just understanding the level of intensity, what the responsibilities are to be a Tennessee Vol. I don’t mean that in a corny way, but I mean that in a proud way. I think Freddie is bright enough. He has done his part at every level. And I think for us, it’s just watching him through this maturation process over the next however many months. But we’re really excited to have him here. He’s a high-level talent.”

What Tennessee has seen from LSU on film

“The fact that Matt (McMahon) has been able to go in there and, I think he added what, 12, 13 new players to his roster. That is so hard to do. And to get those guys to play. I know they’ve struggled here the last couple games, but they’ve also played at Alabama, arguably the most talented team there will be, that we’ll see this year, and Auburn is playing really well. But I think over the course of the season, particularly until they got into SEC play, his team has played at a high level. They’ve been competitive. I think that’s all you can ask of a team in their first year.”

LSU’s KJ Williams 

“Very versatile. KJ is a kid that not only can beat you on the block, but can step out and shoot the three. So we’re going to have to do a great job. We always talk about our bigs and we have great confidence in them playing like guards on the perimeter, playing like bigs in the paint.”