KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — If only DeShaun Williams could thrive in every facet of his game at the same time.

Before Syracuse began Big East conference play Jan. 2, Williams was shooting 41 percent from the field and 31 percent from the three-point line, helping him to average nearly 20 points. However, his assist-to-turnover ratio was barely better than 1-to-1.

In the six games since, Williams is passing the ball better and turning it over less. In the last six games, he has 32 assists to just 11 turnovers. Yet Williams has suffered a miserable shooting slump, making only 19 percent of his three-pointers and 34 percent overall.

Despite scoring 18 points Saturday, the slump continued. Williams made just 2 of 9 three-pointers, missing one from the baseline so hideously that it air-balled two feet over the basket. He did contribute four assists against only one turnover.

‘We can’t play without DeShaun,’ head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘We don’t have another option or another place to go. We have three guys who can score and have been scoring all year for us, and we can’t get the points anywhere else. He has got to be there for us offensively, and we just got to get him going.’

‘I’m just trying to win games,’ Williams said. ‘That is how I feel. I don’t know what it is with my shooting, I just got to try and help my team however I can, that is all. If that is by me shooting, then I have to do a good job of that.’

Yarbrough reversal

In the last two years, Tennessee and SEC leading scorer Vincent Yarbrough played terribly against Syracuse — but he really doesn’t mind.

At the Carrier Dome last year, Yarbrough suffered from foul trouble and scored just two points in limited action. Still, his Volunteers dominated and won easily without him. The same was the case Saturday night, as Tennessee won despite a lackluster performance from its star. Yarbrough, who averages more than 19 points, made just 1 of 14 shots for six points.

‘It seemed like it got to the point where they were leaving me open,’ Yarbrough said. “They were just saying, ‘Let him shoot, but just make sure we don’t let the other guys shoot.’ I missed five or six layups. One for 14, that was terrible. I don’t think I ever shot like that.’

Yarbrough’s worst moment came late in the second half. Wide open under the basket, he went up for a dunk but dropped the ball. He scooped it up and missed a three-footer.

‘He is definitely frustrated with the way he played,’ first-year Tennessee coach Buzz Peterson said. ‘But he is a competitor, and I am sure the win means more to him.’

‘There were some embarrassing moments,’ Yarbrough said. ‘But I have been scoring for a while but we haven’t won in a while. So it’s a good trade. It feels good to switch up.’

Broken Slay

Ron Slay, Tennessee’s top rebounder who scored 28 points at Syracuse last year, injured his leg with five minutes left in the first half. As Slay went up to shoot, he knocked knees with SU’s Jeremy McNeil. Slay jumped in the air and then tumbled to the ground in pain. He didn’t return.

‘Slay’s situation doesn’t look good,’ Peterson said. ‘It looks like a possible tear of the (anterior cruciate ligament). We won’t know for sure until Monday.’

Yesterday’s MRI showed that Slay did tear his ACL, and he will miss the rest of the season. After the game, McNeil had no explanation for the injury.

‘I don’t know what happened to Slay,’ McNeil said. ‘I didn’t even think I fouled him. I asked him after the game and he said he just bumped my knee, but he said he is alright.’

Apparently not.

This and that

Syracuse freshman Josh Pace, who hadn’t played in SU’s previous two games, spelled Williams for four minutes early on. He didn’t come back in part because of his defensive struggles. “Josh didn’t rotate a couple times and guys had wide-open threes,’ Boeheim said. ‘He is still learning the defense. It was a little bit of a struggle for him.’ … With his 18-point effort, Shumpert moved into 12th place on SU’s all-time scoring list with 1,566 career points, passing Roosevelt Bouie and Todd Burgan. Each totaled 1,560 points. … Saturday marked Tennessee’s first win this year in a game decided by four points or less. The Volunteers have lost seven such close contests. … Tennessee shot a dismal 18 percent in the second half, including 8 percent from three-point range. … The Vols victory ends a seven-game win streak for SU and its own three-game losing streak. … Thousands of Tennessee students held newspapers over their faces while SU players were introduced. … The win marked Tennessee’s first of the season over a ranked opponent. … The Volunteers have qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of the last four years but will be hard pressed to accomplish the same feat this season considering their 7-9 record. … Rocky Top, the Vols quasi-anthem, was played 13 times during the game.

Published on January 21, 2002 at 12:00 pm