WRCBtv.com | Chattanooga News, Weather & SportsStokes cleared to play as Vols prep for tough stretch

By BETH RUCKER
AP Sports Writer

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee freshman guard Josh Richardson thinks the Volunteers' first big victory of the season came at a pretty good time.

After struggling through their nonconference schedule, the Vols (8-7, 1-0) opened the Southeastern Conference win with a 67-56 victory against No. 19 Florida on Saturday. They've got a chance to prove that win wasn't a fluke with a trip to No. 20 Mississippi State on Thursday and a visit by No. 2 Kentucky on Saturday.

"(Beating Florida) gives us confidence going into conference play knowing that we can beat one of the best teams in this league," Richardson said. "Considering they were one of the top 15 teams in the nation that gives us confidence that we can play anybody."

Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin thought his team's effort against the Gators was its best of the season on both ends of the court. The Vols held Florida to season-low 56 points and 35.7 percent shooting while hitting 51 percent of their own shots.

"We played hard, competed, got the ball inside, made big plays and, more than anything, sustained the blows," Martin said. "We did a really good job of slowing those guys down."

Richardson said the team met a day after Tennessee's 69-51 loss at Memphis on Jan. 4. The Vols struggled to defend the Tigers and didn't get its typical strong frontcourt performance.

The result of that meeting was more focused practices leading up to the Gators' visit and an effort to play more loosely during the game.

"We seemed like we were playing kind of timid on offense and not really going at people on defense, just kind of letting them do whatever they wanted," Richardson said. "We just thought we'd start playing our basketball instead of playing to the other team."

For their efforts this season, Richardson and senior forward Renaldo Woolridge earned their first start against Florida, and Martin said they would continue to start unless they did something to warrant a change. Richardson logged seven points, a steal and a block in place of Jordan McRae, while Woolridge pulled in five rebounds against the Gators in place of Kenny Hall.

While Martin thought the Vols did a good job setting the pace against Florida, he wants them to slow the game down even more against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs' 75.6 points per game ranks them fourth in the SEC, and senior point guard Dee Bost and junior forward Arnett Moultrie are tied with each other for fourth in the conference with 16.2 points per game.

The Vols have lost all three of their true road games this year, including trips to Oakland, Mich., and College of Charleston, and Mississippi State has proven to be a tough place to play.

"Really it's a different ball game on the road, especially in the first 10 minutes of the game," Martin said. "You have to set the tone, how you play, you have to move the ball. Most home teams run off rhythm, they play off runs, quick shots, transition baskets, so we really have to make those guys bog down and defend for a long time."

As Tennessee prepares for the rest of its tough January schedule, which also includes a visit by No. 17 Connecticut and trips to Vanderbilt and Kentucky, it will do so with highly touted forward prospect Jarnell Stokes, who has been cleared by both the NCAA and SEC to play.

Stokes, who practiced with the Vols for the first time Monday, graduated in December from Memphis' Southwind High School. Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association rules prevented Stokes from playing basketball in the fall after he transferred from Memphis' Central High to Southwind, so he hasn't played since the 2011 AAU season.

Martin said Stokes needs time to get conditioned and learn some of Tennessee's basic plays before he'll be ready to take the floor for the Vols.

"I think more than anything with Jarnell it is a matter of when physically he is ready to play," Martin said. "He is so far removed from playing five-on-five contact, physical running, jumping; so when we feel he is ready to play we will make that decision. It is my job as a coach to put him in the best situation to be successful."

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