Lanier making most of only NCAA tourney with No. 2 Tennessee

Chaz Lanier is making the most of his one shot at the NCAA Tournament for both himself and No. 2 seed Tennessee.

The Tennessee native came home last spring as a graduate transfer after four seasons at North Florida hoping to follow the path set by Dalton Knecht, who spent a year with the Volunteers on his way to the NBA.

Now Lanier goes into Friday night’s Midwest Region semifinal against Kentucky in Indianapolis as Tennessee's best 3-point shooter in a single season. He's also been at his best in his one chance at March Madness, averaging 24.5 points through the first two games. He's made 10 of 18 3s as well, taking the record with 120 3-pointers from Chris Lofton who made 118 in 2007-08.

“Blessed to be able to leave my mark on Tennessee Basketball…” Lanier wrote on social media. “Thank you for all the support!! Let’s keep building!!”

The Vols (29-7) will need Lanier to keep shooting away to reach a second straight Elite Eight and chasing the program's first Final Four berth. The 6-foot-5 guard is Tennessee's leading scorer, averaging 18.1 points a game.

“You expect him to take those shots, and I tell him every time he shoots the ball, I think it’s going in,” senior point guard Zakai Zeigler said of Lanier. “So if he misses, I want him to shoot the next one.”

Lanier certainly has grown both as a player and physically since the Nashville native returned to the Volunteer State for his final season. He already had a 6-10 arm span, giving him the ability to shoot over taller defenders. Working with Tennessee's training staff, Lanier added more than 2 1/2 inches to his vertical jump and packed on 12.9 pounds with the Vols now listing him at 209 pounds.

He ranks fifth in the Southeastern Conference in points per game.

Then Lanier made quite the impression in a tournament-opening win over Wofford by scoring 29 points — third most by a Volunteer in the NCAA Tournament and most in a win. He knocked down six 3s to tie the program's single-game record in NCAA Tournament games. He went into the Vols' second-round win over UCLA on Kentucky's home court at Rupp Arena tied for fourth in Division I with 116 made 3s. He led the Vols with 20 points, making 4 of 5 3s and celebrating with three fingers out.

Lanier leads the SEC in making an average of 3.3 3-pointers. He is shooting 41% while playing 31.6 minutes per game. Only AP All-American Johni Broome (238) has made more field goals in the SEC than Lanier's 226.

Coach Rick Barnes, whose lone Final Four came at Texas in 2003, wants Lanier to shoot away.

“I’m always wanting him to come off and shoot 3s, but I said, ‘You’ve got to do what you think,’ and he’s really comfortable at the mid-range as well,” Barnes said.

Lanier has honed his mid-range jumper especially coming off screens set by 6-10 Felix Okpara and others. Barnes credited Okpara with setting 14 screens against Wofford that led to points by Lanier.

“I think that Chaz probably leads the nation in shirts pulled out ...,” Barnes said of Lanier. “His shirt tail is always out because he has learned to really cut, move, and he’s going to get down. They’re going to down him. And what that means is they’re going to try to face guard him and keep him from cutting to the ball. He’s learned how to handle that and he’s learned how to use it to his advantage.”

Barnes said Lanier really has improved over the past three weeks on reading not just his own defender but where that opponent's help is coming from when Tennessee sets a screen. That allows Lanier to go to the basket even more.

Lanier also has worked to improve his defensive skills, tapping Zeigler and senior guard Jahmai Mashack for tips. Lanier's scoring also gives the Vols a boost on defense.

“It definitely frees us up for getting a lot of energy on the defensive end, trying to create turnovers,” Mashack said of Lanier. “But when he’s hot, you try give him the basketball and that’s kinda how you play. I think we did a good job of doing that.”

Barnes believes Lanier will only keep improving.

“He’s just getting started,” Barnes said. “You think about how much he’s improved this year and how much he’s really improved in the last month, it’s really pretty remarkable. It’s really been neat coaching him because we’ve expected a lot from him, and he’s come in and has been just a great teammate. He’s never made it about himself. ... I think he’s done as good a job as any incoming player as a transfer.”

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