Tennessee shooting guard Chaz Lanier learned the challenge of playing on the road in the SEC last week, struggling in the Vols’ loss at Florida and win at Texas.
It was Lanier’s first week of true adversity in his lone year at Tennessee. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard has had off games over the course of the season but entered the week leading the SEC with 20.3 points per game.
Both Florida and Texas found a way to slow him down. Lanier totaled 10 points in both games on a combined six-of-27 shooting from the field while turning it over just four times and totaling just one assists. So what does Lanier need to do to get going after a disappointing week on the road?
“Going to have to learn to cut harder, going to have to learn to do his work early coming off screens because he kind of gallops a little bit,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. “He is going to have to keep his feet closer to the ground so when he comes off (screens).”
Lanier is not only making the jump from a low major to the best college basketball conference in America but is doing it while being the at top of every team’s scouting report for Tennessee. The North Florida transfer is a 44% three-point shooter and opponents are doing everything they can do to run him off the three-point line.
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The Nashville native has not excelled at getting to the basket and scoring off the dribble this season which has led teams to defend him all the more aggressively on the perimeter.
Lanier can be more efficient getting down hill and scoring at the basket while also doing more to get himself open shots and be read to shoot when the ball comes his way.
“Texas did a great job guarding him,” Barnes said. “I thought his teammates did enough to get him enough separation he could have been effective, but he still has got to learn to get his hips twisted quicker so he can get downhill quicker. Like, I took him out, the first play of the second half because he didn’t shoot the ball.”
It isn’t shocking that Lanier is going through a slow stretch due to the jump he’s making and the attention that opponents are giving him. The key for Tennessee is to get Lanier going and to not let his slow stretch spiral.
The good news is that Lanier didn’t build his numbers by dominating lesser competition. Lanier has scored 20-plus points in five games against power five opponents this season including a 25-point performance against Baylor and a 29-point performance against Arkansas.
Tennessee is back in action on Wednesday night when they host No. 23 Georgia at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Tipoff between the Vols and Bulldogs is at 8 p.m. ET. The SEC Network is broadcasting the game.
