Sometimes it's better for the players to tell each other what needs work

After Kentucky beat Tennessee by 18 on January 13, Vols junior forward Tyler Smith went to UT associated head coach Tony Jones and asked if he could gather the team for a players-only meeting in which "every player was required to speak."

As described here, Smith, a John Wooden Award candidate and the preseason pick for SEC Player of the Year, had a simple message: "We've got to get better."

"The coaches can always get on the players, but sometimes it's better for the players to tell each other what we need to work on. You can't come in and just turn on a switch and play ball."

Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl, whose team has won two straight since the loss to UK, said the meeting had an immediate impact:

"We practiced really hard, and we had a greater understanding. The players had some really good discussion points in their meeting, and they showed a greater sense of urgency in practice.''