The Tennessee Vols were on a heater through the month of February, having won four straight and eight of their last nine games.

But basketball is a very hard sport to be perfect at night and night out, and one of the team’s biggest bugaboos bit them on Tuesday night in a 73-69 loss to the Missouri Tigers on the road. Tennessee finished with nearly double the turnovers of Missouri at 15-8, with the Tigers leading the points off turnovers margin 23-7. There’s your ballgame.

After the game, Rick Barnes acknowledged the issue with turnovers by his guards, and he pointed out the issue with turnovers as one of the biggest problems for the team this season.

Rick Barnes identified turnovers as the primary reason why the Vols aren’t an SEC regular season contender after Missouri loss

“I think everybody who played in the game tonight had a turnover. Seemed like it to me, other than the post guys didn’t. I think every guard in the game had a turnover, and that’s a problem, you know? And I thought when we got up, I didn’t like the way we started the game, really. I think we started with three straight threes and that’s not what we wanted to do.

“And even though they were open shots, sometimes they’re open by design, and that’s not what we were looking for. And even though we stretched it out because our defense was good, and then we got some points from that, but then some of the passes that we made on those turnovers, you just can’t make. They’re too well coached, too good of a team. They’re going to take advantage of it.”

When asked about how the team can get back to valuing possessions against Alabama on Saturday, Barnes then identified the turnovers as the reason the Vols aren’t in contention for the SEC regular season crown.

“Great question. You know, it’s been a problem all year. It’s probably kept us from really being a contender for the (SEC) championship, regular season, is the turnovers. I mean, there was a time there, I think, we averaged, what, twelve? I mean, fourteen? Fifteen? It was ridiculous, and that’s what it looked like tonight.

“This is what we looked like a couple months ago, a month and a half ago, or whatever. It’s frustrating because some of them they force and then I can say this too with the turnovers, some of our shot selection wasn’t good either. Obviously, I’m frustrated with our guys because I know we’re better than we played. But I love these guys.”

The Vols’ offensive droughts also continue to bite them, which is not wholly unrelated to the turnovers. The Vols scored a total of three points from the 9:30 mark in the first half until under a minute left until halftime. The turnovers were obviously a contributor, but the team couldn’t throw it in the ocean then either.

But when you’re struggling to score, throwing away opportunities on the offensive end is only going to compound your problems. And with a team as good offensively as Alabama is, Tennessee can’t afford to waste possession if they expect to bounce back.

We’ll find out if they can on Saturday night at 6:00 pm when the Vols and Crimson Tide square off in Knoxville.

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