Tennessee Vols guard sends strong message after loss to Kentucky Wildcats

If the Tennessee Vols' win against Alabama earlier this week was a reminder of UT's ceiling, then the loss to the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday was a reminder that this team still has a lot of work left to do to reach their goal of a championship. Tennessee seemingly got back on track with the […]

Zach Ragan — Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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If the Tennessee Vols' win against Alabama earlier this week was a reminder of UT's ceiling, then the loss to the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday was a reminder that this team still has a lot of work left to do to reach their goal of a championship.

Tennessee seemingly got back on track with the win against Bama, but the 66-54 loss to Kentucky in Lexington on Saturday created even more questions for a team with Final Four aspirations.

The good news for the Vols is that all of their goals are still within reach. When Tennessee is on, they can play with any team in the nation. The problem has been the lack of consistency from game to game.

Tennessee, however, can't hang their heads.

And that's something that Vols guard Jamai Mashack reminded his teammates about on Saturday after the loss to the Wildcats.

Feb 18, 2023; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Jahmai Mashack (15) goes to the basket during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2023; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Jahmai Mashack (15) goes to the basket during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

"It's just one game," said Mashack after the loss. "If we keep our heads down now — just off of a loss — we're never going to be the team that we want to be. And that's important. We gotta understand that this is a loss. We gotta take it and we gotta move on because we're trying to win in March. I think that's extremely important. We have to do what we have to do, come back after this, look at what we need to look at, and learn from it."

"I think that's important not to dwell on a loss like this and have a snowball effect through the rest of the season," added Mashack.

The California native is spot on. The loss stings. And they can't keep piling up. But dwelling on the loss is only going to hurt the Vols.

Mashack is right — Tennessee has to look at the film, learn from it, and move on.

If they lose their confidence because of this loss, it will guarantee that the Vols won't reach their goals.

Mashack might only be a sophomore, but his words are the exact words that Tennessee's players needed to hear after their third loss in the last four games.

Featured image via Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

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