2025 vs 2024 season

[Wahoooo]

After having some time to reflect, I’m feel that this team achieved all they could with the talent available. The loss of 2 players to injury and portal did not help, but I’m not sure we would have been a sure fire final 4 with both players,

As I look back, I’m more disappointed that we didn’t get to the final 4 last year, we had a generational scorer in DK to counter the handful of games each season where we go totally freezing cold on offense. How every player on the floor goes this cold in the same game is sometimes bewildering to me. I know Houston is a great defensive team, but to score in the teens for an entire half is puzzling. I feel the ghost of Kevin O’Neal was haunting us on offense.

 

[hUTch2002]

After having some time to reflect, I’m feel that this team achieved all they could with the talent available. The loss of 2 players to injury and portal did not help, but I’m not sure we would have been a sure fire final 4 with both players,

As I look back, I’m more disappointed that we didn’t get to the final 4 last year, we had a generational scorer in DK to counter the handful of games each season where we go totally freezing cold on offense. How every player on the floor goes this cold in the same game is sometimes bewildering to me. I know Houston is a great defensive team, but to score in the teens for an entire half is puzzling. I feel the ghost of Kevin O’Neal was haunting us on offense.

The commentators said it, we were settling. We didn’t in the second half and attacked the paint far better, even if the result was an outside jumper. Had we done that the whole game we would’ve at least been competitive.

 

[JMSqb11]

The commentators said it, we were settling. We didn’t in the second half and attacked the paint far better, even if the result was an outside jumper. Had we done that the whole game we would’ve at least been competitive.

Also have to take in account that we just missed a lot of wide open shots early on. Lanier tried to shoot himself out of his funk and it didn't work.

That was about the worst half of the season. Even worse than at Florida I think

 

[Tenacjim]

Also have to take in account that we just missed a lot of wide open shots early on. Lanier tried to shoot himself out of his funk and it didn't work.

That was about the worst half of the season. Even worse than at Florida I think

The two first halves against Florida and Houston are eerily similar. The score was the same for both games 15-34. As far as shooting the Florida game was slightly worse ( 4/29 FG and 0/14 3 pt. Vs 6/28 FG and 1/15 3 pt…..although we started 0/14 on 3s as well.). The saving grace (FWIW) against Fl was FT shooting (7/8 vs 2/4 against Houston).

We all said after Florida “we will never have another half like that”. Unfortunately, we did in the biggest game of the year…..

 

[hUTch2002]

Also have to take in account that we just missed a lot of wide open shots early on. Lanier tried to shoot himself out of his funk and it didn't work.

That was about the worst half of the season. Even worse than at Florida I think

That’s why we needed to drive the ball and we did in the second half. Most of the open looks in the first half were possessions where we stood around, didn’t even really try to penetrate and jacked up a 3. Even if open, that’s generally not a good shot. We just didn’t play with the same intensity on offense or defense as we did the second half. That was frustrating. Great year though.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

That’s why we needed to drive the ball and we did in the second half. Most of the open looks in the first half were possessions where we stood around, didn’t even really try to penetrate and jacked up a 3. Even if open, that’s generally not a good shot. We just didn’t play with the same intensity on offense or defense as we did the second half. That was frustrating. Great year though.

It almost looked, no, it did look like we were shocked at their defensive intensity. That had absolutely everything to do with our short arm shooting in the first half

 

[hUTch2002]

It almost looked, no, it did look like we were shocked at their defensive intensity. That had absolutely everything to do with our short arm shooting in the first half

There was certainly something as that was an abnormal half for us. We were a top 20 offensive team and looked lost. It wasn’t just offense though. Houston got to the rim almost at will in the first half. We played much tougher and with more intensity all around in the second half. In no way should we have been blown out.

 

[Voltopia]

After having some time to reflect, I’m feel that this team achieved all they could with the talent available. The loss of 2 players to injury and portal did not help, but I’m not sure we would have been a sure fire final 4 with both players,

As I look back, I’m more disappointed that we didn’t get to the final 4 last year, we had a generational scorer in DK to counter the handful of games each season where we go totally freezing cold on offense. How every player on the floor goes this cold in the same game is sometimes bewildering to me. I know Houston is a great defensive team, but to score in the teens for an entire half is puzzling. I feel the ghost of Kevin O’Neal was haunting us on offense.

I am sure Tennessee would have been a #1 seed with both injured players available. In particular JP Estrella. And I think they would have made the Final Four.

Last season Tennessee got jobbed to Zach Edey, plain and simple. We weren't the only ones.

 

[livefaith]

It almost looked, no, it did look like we were shocked at their defensive intensity. That had absolutely everything to do with our short arm shooting in the first half

Houston has a D like ours and maybe a little more length. It makes offense struggle. We did struggle w their intensity. But, we had a LOT of wide open looks over the course of that half. We just flat out choked our shooting down to every single player on the team. We had literally went 3-0 in this tournament and actually had never been challenged. One collapsed half of throwing up bricks and back to Rocky top We came. That's the big dance. It's awesome but very unforgiving.

 

[Voljayton]

It almost looked, no, it did look like we were shocked at their defensive intensity. That had absolutely everything to do with our short arm shooting in the first half

I thought the exact same thing. Looked like we had never been defended like that and no one was sure what to do.

 

[tennesseeduke]

After having some time to reflect, I’m feel that this team achieved all they could with the talent available. The loss of 2 players to injury and portal did not help, but I’m not sure we would have been a sure fire final 4 with both players,

As I look back, I’m more disappointed that we didn’t get to the final 4 last year, we had a generational scorer in DK to counter the handful of games each season where we go totally freezing cold on offense. How every player on the floor goes this cold in the same game is sometimes bewildering to me. I know Houston is a great defensive team, but to score in the teens for an entire half is puzzling. I feel the ghost of Kevin O’Neal was haunting us on offense.

To go 30-8 in a season where SEC was the best conference in history of college basketball is pretty solid. Last several years have been fun!