Jahmai Mashack says Tennessee needs a new mentality: 'We're the underdogs. No matter what.'

Rick Barnes didn’t recognize the Tennessee basketball team that showed up in the first half against Mississippi State. The one that shot 20.6%, went 2-for-18 from the 3-point line and had nine turnovers on the way to a 38-19 halftime deficit. 

“I haven’t seen that team all year, even including practice,” Barnes said during his postgame press conference.

The second half wasn’t any better in the 73-56 loss. Mississippi State led by as many as 23 points while bouncing the No. 1-seed Vols in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. 

It was the kind of humbling loss that, according to junior guard Jahmai Mashack, has to change Tennessee’s mentality moving forward. Most importantly, the shift has to happen before the Vols get to the first round of the NCAA Tournament next week.

Another slow start could be a fatal one. 

“To be the team we want to be, that starts in the first half … you have to have energy, come in like we’re the underdog,” Mashack said. “That’s the mindset, that’s going to be the point the rest of the season, we’re the underdogs. No matter what.” 

Tennessee projected to be a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament

When Mashack says no matter what, he means it. 

Tennessee (24-8) likely saw its hope for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament dashed by failing to show up against Mississippi State. But the Vols on Selection Sunday should still be a No. 2 seed in the bracket for just the fourth time in program history, matched up against a No. 15 seed. 

Regardless, underdog is the mentality. 

“I don’t care what seed we’re playing,” Mashack said, “we’re going to be the underdogs, play like the underdogs. We’re going to come back from the jump playing defense and rebounding.”

Mashack’s emphasis was on starting game the right way.

“I think me personally,” he said, “it’s really hard to be that team that goes down and is always known for we’re going to get back up. I think we have to lose that and start with the team that starts off like that. That can’t be us.”

Tennessee can’t keep digging holes. The Vols trailed 61-39 at halftime at North Carolina in November, then rallied to cut the deficit to eight in the second half before losing 100-92 at the Dean Smith Center.

The Vols trailed by 15 in the first half at Mississippi State in January, came back to tie the game three times in the second half, then lost in the final minute. They never recovered from missing their first seven shots in the 63-59 home loss to South Carolina three weeks later.

“We can’t be that team that is like, ‘We’re going to give them the first half, the second half…,’” Mashack said. “No, that can’t happen.”

Up Next: Selection Sunday, NCAA Tournament bracket reveal, Sunday, 6 p.m. ET, CBS

Mashack was asked if going into the NCAA Tournament on a losing streak — back-to-back losses to Kentucky and Mississippi State were Tennessee’s first consecutive losses since losing three straight to Purdue, Kansas and North Carolina in November — is a concern. 

“Absolutely not,” Mashack said. “Whatever it is we were doing, we’re going to get that fixed for sure. I think we’ve shown it this whole season, that we’re a team with resilience. I think games like this just build toughness for us.”

Toughness and a new underdog mentality.

“Guarantee that we are going to go back, we’re going to look at whatever we need to look at,” Mashack said. “We’re going to look at what we have to do ourselves and as a team and we’re not going to go through what we went through today.”