Were we the 3rd best team this year?

[barney]

Two of the four teams in the final four we beat. We swept bama. We lost to Purdue by a combined 10 points.

It's a shame we never got a go at UConn. They played bama very similar to us. I think if we had bama or nc states bracket we would have made the final four too.

 

[berryvol]

I don’t disagree with this. The winner of our game with Purdue was definitely the best team equipped to beat UCONN. Damn shame both of them played in the E8. Unfortunately, this is the way the NCAAT breaks for us the one year we don’t have injury issues or some other wild sh*t going against us.

 

[BisonVol]

I don’t disagree with this. The winner of our game with Purdue was definitely the best team equipped to beat UCONN. Damn shame both of them played in the E8. Unfortunately, this is the way the NCAAT breaks for us the one year we don’t have injury issues or some other wild sh*t going against us.

I don’t disagree, but this is why I’ll always look back to how we ended the regular season with a loss to Kentucky and then got pounded by MSU in the sec tournament. That two game stretch cost us the 1 seed that would have kept us away from Purdue.

Still a great season and not at all disappointed in the team. Just reality that playing Purdue prior to the F4 was avoidable if we’d taken care of business.

 

[berryvol]

I don’t disagree, but this is why I’ll always look back to how we ended the regular season with a loss to Kentucky and then got pounded by MSU in the sec tournament. That two game stretch cost us the 1 seed that would have kept us away from Purdue.

Still a great season and not at all disappointed in the team. Just reality that playing Purdue prior to the F4 was avoidable if we’d taken care of business.

Absolutely. And a cold reminder of how you perform in January-early March has a major impact on what happens in mid-late March. If we beat Miss state in the SECT, we are likely a 1 seed out west, no matter what happens elsewhere. Bama isn’t the 4 seed. Make your own assumptions from there, but we all know we’re likely partying in PHX, win or lose, in this scenario tonight.

 

[VolArmy74]

I don’t disagree, but this is why I’ll always look back to how we ended the regular season with a loss to Kentucky and then got pounded by MSU in the sec tournament. That two game stretch cost us the 1 seed that would have kept us away from Purdue.

Still a great season and not at all disappointed in the team. Just reality that playing Purdue prior to the F4 was avoidable if we’d taken care of business.

Honestly, all we had to do was beat South Carolina at home and we end up with the #1 seed out there and a much easier path to the Final Four. It's why I was flabbergasted that 99.1 sports guys were hoping we'd lose and end up the #2.

It's also just a bad luck case where we didn't get the #2 seed in the South because Iowa State had to avoid Houston, and Marquette had to avoid UConn, with Arizona locked into the West.

 

[macrovol]

#3 or #4. Houston might have an argument without the injury.

 

[Cod]

Just a few plays away from being that, a few good shots, just a little luck

 

[njvols]

Two of the four teams in the final four we beat. We swept bama. We lost to Purdue by a combined 10 points.

It's a shame we never got a go at UConn. They played bama very similar to us. I think if we had bama or nc states bracket we would have made the final four too.

Agree. When we drew the bracket, I knew if we got to Purdue, it would be a problem. Those late season back to back losses hurt us for the 1 seed for sure. If we got to play UConn, it would have been interesting if we were hitting our shots.

 

[njvols]

I also thought Jay Wright made an interesting comment on how Danny Hurley looked at his team a few years ago, which always played solid D, and realized he needed to ramp up his offense and change it...kinda like Saban did at Bama. Barnes is a HOF coach, and to thankful he's our coach, but our scoring punch in tourney always seems to generally lag...alot of teams have that problem, but Hurley did something about it. Will be interesting to see how Barnes handles the portal this year and if we pivot at all on offense strategy.

 

[NighthawkVol]

I don’t disagree, but this is why I’ll always look back to how we ended the regular season with a loss to Kentucky and then got pounded by MSU in the sec tournament. That two game stretch cost us the 1 seed that would have kept us away from Purdue.

Still a great season and not at all disappointed in the team. Just reality that playing Purdue prior to the F4 was avoidable if we’d taken care of business.

We should have been kept away from Purdue anyway. The top 2 seed isn’t supposed to be lined up with the 2nd best 1 seed.

 

[strkr]

I also thought Jay Wright made an interesting comment on how Danny Hurley looked at his team a few years ago, which always played solid D, and realized he needed to ramp up his offense and change it...kinda like Saban did at Bama. Barnes is a HOF coach, and to thankful he's our coach, but our scoring punch in tourney always seems to generally lag...alot of teams have that problem, but Hurley did something about it. Will be interesting to see how Barnes handles the portal this year and if we pivot at all on offense strategy.

Agree you have to have a little of both. Our short coming this year at times was that Dalton did not have consistent scoring support in our losses. Just look at UConn last night all five starters were in double figures. Tennessee had the potential to have it but just didn't. I have felt UConn and Purdue were the two best teams this year. Tennessee gave Purdue a shot last Sunday.

 

[sami]

We're at worst in the top four. The what-if's will drive you crazy, but it just sucked that we had to play the top possible seed in each round, not getting the kind of break that Alabama got with the draw. If we had been in any region other than the East or Midwest, we're in the Final Four, and I would have given us a very good chance against UConn. Hell, we were a couple of crunch time misses away from potentially beating the Freakazoid.

 

[vegasvolfan]

Two of the four teams in the final four we beat. We swept bama. We lost to Purdue by a combined 10 points.

It's a shame we never got a go at UConn. They played bama very similar to us. I think if we had bama or nc states bracket we would have made the final four too.

We are definitely in the top 3. One might argue we are the second best in a fairly officiated game. It will be interesting to see how the NC game will be officiated. I think UConn is the best team, but not sure anyone beats Purdue if they allow Edey to foul at will and while call most fouls against their opponent.

 

[Putbacks]

And to really add salt to our 1,000 cuts….we don’t make the Final Four, but Pat Adams did!

 

[Lankykong]

I don’t disagree with this. The winner of our game with Purdue was definitely the best team equipped to beat UCONN. Damn shame both of them played in the E8. Unfortunately, this is the way the NCAAT breaks for us the one year we don’t have injury issues or some other wild sh*t going against us.

May not have been an “injury”, but the flu mess at the end of the year was very poorly timed

 

[spyfish007]

We will be 5 or 6.

 

[Putbacks]

We will be 5 or 6.

Not if Rece Davis is voting….

 

[spyfish007]

Not if Rece Davis is voting….

Good thing he gets averaged because you are correct.

 

[OrangeInKy]

And to really add salt to our 1,000 cuts….we don’t make the Final Four, but Pat Adams did!

He was in a weak region

 

[NOLAPhil]

We were the 3rd best and got screwed by NC backing into a 1 seed. Sadly, bama and nate oats will get accolades and headlines for 2 years for making a final 4...and they are a soft program.

 

[Vols All Day]

I also thought Jay Wright made an interesting comment on how Danny Hurley looked at his team a few years ago, which always played solid D, and realized he needed to ramp up his offense and change it...kinda like Saban did at Bama. Barnes is a HOF coach, and to thankful he's our coach, but our scoring punch in tourney always seems to generally lag...alot of teams have that problem, but Hurley did something about it. Will be interesting to see how Barnes handles the portal this year and if we pivot at all on offense strategy.

It’s about finding balance. You can’t have guys that are reluctant to shoot and can’t attack the rim like SV and JM. You also can’t have teams constantly chasing one player around trying to get him in the action, like teams were doing DK. This years team scored 8 more points per game than they did the year before; however, they gave up 10 more points per game than last year. I know this years team didn’t run clock as much and there are different players in the core, but I found it interesting that the scoring margin actually decreased from 12.9 to 11.4.

 

[JO VOL]

Two of the four teams in the final four we beat. We swept bama. We lost to Purdue by a combined 10 points.

It's a shame we never got a go at UConn. They played bama very similar to us. I think if we had bama or nc states bracket we would have made the final four too.

We had one guy who could put the ball in the hoop consistently. Which is the problem Barnes has had his whole tenure here.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

We had one guy who could put the ball in the hoop consistently. Which is the problem Barnes has had his whole tenure here.

Yes, but has still managed to win 25+ games in 5 of the last 7 years

Edit: We play a tough schedule too

 

[livefaith]

No. Great season. Had our shot to make it. But, honestly Id put this team in the 4-6 range. A lot like where we were ranked a lot this year. We're not UConn/Purdue and prob UH, but we're in that next UNC, ISU, & Zona group I think.
When you start breaking down our talent player by player, we just don't jump off the page. Knect offensively, yes. But as a team, as a defense, as rebounders, as toughness, as unselfishness we have become a top team. A whole lot of praise should go to our staff IMO. Average coaching and we're a 12-13 loss team 6-7 seed IMO.

 

[livefaith]

Absolutely. And a cold reminder of how you perform in January-early March has a major impact on what happens in mid-late March. If we beat Miss state in the SECT, we are likely a 1 seed out west, no matter what happens elsewhere. Bama isn’t the 4 seed. Make your own assumptions from there, but we all know we’re likely partying in PHX, win or lose, in this scenario tonight.

I thought we had a decent tourney route this year until meeting the 1 seed and that's never gonna be easy. Would have liked to get UNC instead of Purdue. But, if your gonna win it all you've gotta be ready to beat them all.