UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Rick Barnes pulled Kennedy Chandler midway through the first half Saturday against Villanova.
The Tennessee basketball coach then pulled Chandler aside after his star freshman point guard picked up his second foul.
“He’s going to learn a lot,” Barnes said. “I told him that when I took him out. I said, 'I hope you’ve learned a lot today.’”
Chandler had his first rocky outing of his Tennessee career Saturday as the No. 17 Vols (2-1) stumbled in a 71-53 loss to No. 4 Villanova (3-1) at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. He had six points on 1-for-9 shooting. He missed both his 3-point attempts and was in foul trouble early.
Kennedy Chandler battled foul trouble vs Villanova
Barnes stressed after the loss that he preached to Chandler, Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler what Villanova would do offensively and defensively against the trio.
“They’re going to post up you three guys, try to get you in foul trouble,” Barnes said. “They’re going to try to pick up charges on you. You can count on it. They don’t want you three guys in the game. Two of them for certain.”
Those two were Chandler and Vescovi, both of whom picked up two fouls in the first half. UT sprinkled a zone defense into its plan starting late in the first half given the foul trouble.
Chandler, the nation's top-ranked point guard in the 2021 class, picked up his first foul on the opening possession, when Barnes said the Vols got exactly what they wanted.
Chandler got the ball on the wing with Wildcats guard Justin Moore off balance on the perimeter. Chandler slashed to the hoop and popped a right-handed floater from the middle of the paint. He made it, but Villanova guard Brandon Slater slid into place to draw an offensive foul to negate the basket.
Chandler committed his second foul with 10:48 to play in the first half. Villanova guard Collin Gillespie drove away from a screen and got a step on Chandler, who bumped him as he shot.
“When Kennedy picked up the second one, he just let the guy do exactly what we worked on for three days not to do,” Barnes said.
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Chandler ran into a savvy veteran in Collin Gillespie
Villanova coach Jay Wright admitted he was worried about Chandler going into the matchup.
The Wildcats coach praised Chandler’s talent and competitive nature. He also noted that guards, especially young guards, are drawn to the challenge of facing Collin Gillespie.
Chandler was matched up with Villanova’s fifth-year senior, the preseason Big East player of the year, in UT’s first marquee matchup of the season.
“I (was) thinking he was going to go against Collin and try to make his name — in a good way,” Wright said. “I don’t mean in a selfish way. Just that he is going to be up for the challenge.”
Gillespie got the best of Chandler often, including in drawing the second foul that put Chandler on the bench for 7:22. Villanova doubled its lead from 10 to 20 with Chandler benched and the Vols struggling offensively.
Tennessee didn't shoot well for the first time this season. That included Chandler. He missed four layups, including one before halftime that led to a Villanova score.
“A lot of the things you’ve gotten (away) with in the past, not going to happen anymore,” Barnes said. “The hook passes over your head in ball screens. You’re going to have to get more physical.”
Gillespie, who played on Villanova’s 2018 national title team, was a reminder of that as Chandler — like many of Tennessee’s newcomers — got a taste of big-time college basketball.
“All these other guys, they’ve never been through (it),” Barnes said of his newcomers. “They’ve certainly never played a team like Villanova.”
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Kennedy Chandler struggles in Tennessee basketball loss to Villanova
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