The CheckerBoard

Cuonzo on Vols not winning a true road game so far this season: Just have to make more plays, not allow opponents to go on big runs. This team can do it. It just needs to.

Cuonzo: No Tennessee players have stepped up to say they want to guard Ole Miss' Marshall Henderson, but "I'd like to hear it."

Cuonzo: OleMiss' Holloway and Bucker have been impressive in that they, as seniors, let Henderson step in and be the top scorer from Day One. "Says a lot about their program."

Cuonzo asked Vols hoops SID Tom Satkowiak to look up the most number of points anyone scored on him as a player. Unless it was more than 15.

Derek Reese: I worked so hard to gain weight and then lost 20 pounds after shoulder surgery. Tough break, but have to go back to work.

Vols' Derek Reese: "A lot of people on the team were bothered by (Marshall Henderson's) antics, but we didn't do what we needed to do."

IMO the way Derek Reese has stepped up and in a personally very modest way. He seems to have some patience and knows his roll and knows that he must hit those shots or find the open man when Jarnell is doubled or tripled. I really like the kid's disposition and an HUGE positive is that with just 5 games under his belt and he has just kinda...as Short Dog said back in the 90's.."Get In Where You Fit In"...his upside is what we haven't even begun to see.

Call me a crazy optimistic Vol fan but I think this current line up is gelling and is likely to be a scoring force that we need to go along w our D. I think that we are starting to seen the real Jordan Mcrae,whatever the issues were, I think from here on out his confidence will grow and his scoring will continue to explode. I predict an OVER 30 point night for him this season.