When NCAA basketball futures odds come out soon on WagerWeb.com, the University of Tennessee’s odds should be significantly better than they would have been when Tyler Smith was pondering a pro career.
Instead Smith, who led the Vols in scoring and assists last year, has decided to return for his senior season and pull out of the NBA draft. In his two seasons at Tennessee, Smith has never missed a game and has averaged 15.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
Smith, a 6-foot-7 All-SEC forward, wasn’t likely a first-round NBA pick and even pondered playing professionally in Europe. But he says he thinks the Vols have “a great chance to have something special” next year.
The Vols ended with a 21-10 regular-season record and went 10-6 in league play before falling to Mississippi State in the SEC title game last season. Tennessee has won the SEC East for two consecutive years and reached the NCAA Tournament four years in a row (it lost in the first round this past season). UT has never made the NCAAs five years straight.
“I continue to be impressed by Tyler,” UT head coach Bruce Pearl said. “He had a number of impressive workouts. He did what he said when he wanted to see what was out there and it became apparent that the first round was not locked up. This was a good process for Tyler. He knows more clearly what he has to do. It was a tough decision, but he wanted to put himself in a better position for next year. It’s a great day for us.”
With Smith’s return the Volunteers are on track to return every significant contributor from last season, including all five starters.
“We’ve got a great team coming back,” said Smith, who averaged 17.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game last season. “A lot of guys have grown up, and I came back to play with these guys.”
Look for Smith to perhaps spend more time on the perimeter, as NBA scouts indicated he had to work on his outside shooting.
Kentucky will be the preseason favorite in the SEC on WagerWeb.com, but Tennessee now looks like the second-best team in the conference.
NCAA Basketball at WagerWeb.com
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