12-6 with 13 games to play.......

#26
#26
VolunteerCeltic said:
20 wins is no longer a guarantee to get into the tourney, the Vols BPI this year is not good currently at 43 with a Strength of Schedule of 71, they cannot afford to lose to anyone that is ranked lower than them, and if they do with 20 wins, it could hold them out of tourney.....
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Considering the upcoming opponents those numbers are both going to go up dramatically, 20 wins regular season and this team is playing for a solid seed.
 
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#27
#27
djohnnyg said:
So obviously the goal is simply to be able to say we made it to the NCAA tourney? I see no mention or even concern how wed do if we did. That's fine I guess. Given its a down year for us making the tourney would be enough to call it a success. I get it.
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Given what this team has faced, making the tournament is probably an overachievement.
 
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#28
#28
bleedingTNorange said:
Considering the upcoming opponents those numbers are both going to go up dramatically, 20 wins regular season and this team is playing for a solid seed.
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This. 20 wins makes it a lock for this team just based on who we have beaten and who we’d yet have to beat to get to 20 wins.
 
#30
#30
bleedingTNorange said:
I think 18-13 is probably good enough, of course that’s hard to predict not knowing the bubble but given years past I think that probably works. The last 5 are brutal, 1-4 might be an accomplishment, gotta try and stack up as many wins over the next 4 weeks as we can.
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This is true but the tough ending is what bothers me. If we finish 1-4, the selection committee may pass on UT. However, if we had those tough games now with a more manageable end of the season, we would appear to be a hot team or on a run. Of course we may pull off a win or two in the SEC tournament.
 
#31
#31
smokey90 said:
This is true but the tough ending is what bothers me. If we finish 1-4, the selection committee may pass on UT. However, if we had those tough games now with a more manageable end of the season, we would appear to be a hot team or on a run. Of course we may pull off a win or two in the SEC tournament.
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The last couple years has kind of proven that the committee doesn’t way last 10 like previously thought, all they really consider on that topic is injuries.
 
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#34
#34
19 probably gets us in. One good thing about this team is that there seems to be a lot of upside that can be found in the next 12-15 games. We've had major upheaval mid-season with subtraction and addition. This would seem to bode well for the idea that this team has a lot of gelling and understanding to gather in comparison to the others.
 
#36
#36
I think we're safely in with 19 wins, but we really do need to split the Kentucky and Auburn series for me to feel comfortable. I mean, hell, if we just protect home court the rest of the year (which is tough to do with this team) that's 6 wins right there against 3 (likely) ranked teams and 4 Ken Pom Top 50 teams (Florida, Kentucky, Auburn, Arkansas).

I think at that point you could lose every road game, finish with 18 wins, and still be in the tournament.

TL;DR Protect home court. Start a new win win streak.
 
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#37
#37
OffTackleVol said:
If we can somehow finish 7-6, does 19-12 get us in the Big Dance? I think it does. I know we're struggling, and there's going to be games going forward where it may get ugly, but I sure am enjoying watching the effort our guys are playing with and the improvement they're making each game.
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My only concern this season is the fact that barely anyone is standing out of the crowd or playing really dominant ball out of the power conferences. I have a feeling we are going to see a ton of mid majors in the dance this year. Take a look at the top 25 currently and other receiving vote getters.
GBO!!
 
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#38
#38
cobbwebb0710 said:
My only concern this season is the fact that barely anyone is standing out of the crowd or playing really dominant ball out of the power conferences. I have a feeling we are going to see a ton of mid majors in the dance this year. Take a look at the top 25 currently and other receiving vote getters.
GBO!!
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Liberty, Duquesne, Harvard and ETSU are close to being top 25 teams!
GBO!!
 
#39
#39
I know it won't be a popular idea but long term an NIT appearance would help this team more. Best case we make second round in the dance. We could certainly advance deep into NIT and get guys some game experience and extra practices. Getting excited about the dance is silly if you're likely to be one and done. I know its bragging rights but the real benefits of more games and more practices on a young team long term outweigh that in my mind.
 
#40
#40
pimo1 said:
I know it won't be a popular idea but long term an NIT appearance would help this team more. Best case we make second round in the dance. We could certainly advance deep into NIT and get guys some game experience and extra practices. Getting excited about the dance is silly if you're likely to be one and done. I know its bragging rights but the real benefits of more games and more practices on a young team long term outweigh that in my mind.
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The NIT is never a better option than the NCAAT. I'm sorry it's just not. Besides, the field is overall pretty weak this year, there are no elite teams. If you just get in the tournament you have a chance at making the second weekend, which NCAAT experience for this young roster will pay HUGE dividends in 2021 when we're striving to win a national championship. I'd hate to have a team with almost zero NCAAT experience trying to win a national title.
 
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#41
#41
We make the tournament IF we win the games we’ll be favored in, and win ONE that we’re a dog in. It’s that simple. That would get us to 18-13 and probably a 8-12 seed in March. #JustGetIn
 
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#42
#42
pimo1 said:
I know it won't be a popular idea but long term an NIT appearance would help this team more. Best case we make second round in the dance. We could certainly advance deep into NIT and get guys some game experience and extra practices. Getting excited about the dance is silly if you're likely to be one and done. I know its bragging rights but the real benefits of more games and more practices on a young team long term outweigh that in my mind.
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Just no
 
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#43
#43
20 wins and we’re likely in. A 19-12 finish and I’d still say we’re in. 18-13 is pushing it and we’d probably need a W in the SECT.

Our NET will fluctuate over the next month and a half.
 
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#44
#44
I really do not see us beating Kansas but I would certainly love them on their floor. 19 plus a Tournament Win And we are in, JMO.
 
#46
#46
Most current projection services don't show 18 wins getting us in. It would probably take an intervention by the committee to pick us for a more robust schedule as opposed to wins. Has that happened before? Yes But, we're Tennessee. Can we still win our way in? Mathematically speaking , of course.
 
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#47
#47
pimo1 said:
I know it won't be a popular idea but long term an NIT appearance would help this team more. Best case we make second round in the dance. We could certainly advance deep into NIT and get guys some game experience and extra practices. Getting excited about the dance is silly if you're likely to be one and done. I know its bragging rights but the real benefits of more games and more practices on a young team long term outweigh that in my mind.
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Your point would be stronger if we played a 12 game schedule (like football). But after 33 games, minimum, gaining experience from additional games and practice becomes less of a factor. I would certainly prefer 1 or 2 games in the NCAAT, and that kind of experience for even an NIT title, which is essentially meaningless, IMO.
 
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#48
#48
cncchris33 said:
Your point would be stronger if we played a 12 game schedule (like football). But after 33 games, minimum, gaining experience from additional games and practice becomes less of a factor. I would certainly prefer 1 or 2 games in the NCAAT, and that kind of experience for even an NIT title, which is essentially meaningless, IMO.
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The age old debate. I side with Bill Walton who believes the NCAA Tournament needs to change for the times. We need a system that actually produces the #1 team in the nation and that can't be done when half the teams or more have no chance of advancing beyond the first game. The top teams in the NIT could beat many teams in the field of the NCAA. We need a P5-7(or something) Tournament.
 
#49
#49
They pretty much practice year round. I don't think that there's a significant advantage with extra practice time in a deep NIT run versus having a cup of coffee in the NCAAT.

If they could get to MSG, then I think that having played in several more single elimination games would be helpful, but maybe not as much as the freshmen getting exposed to the spotlight of the NCAAT.

This year is all about getting prepared to go after championships in the next two years. Worst case is if the season ends with a loss in the SECT.
 
#50
#50
cncchris33 said:
Your point would be stronger if we played a 12 game schedule (like football). But after 33 games, minimum, gaining experience from additional games and practice becomes less of a factor. I would certainly prefer 1 or 2 games in the NCAAT, and that kind of experience for even an NIT title, which is essentially meaningless, IMO.
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That's a matter of opinion but more practices and more games is more practices and more games you wouldn't have had. Id agree totally with your point if going to the dance was likely to be more than a one and done situation or if this was a more veteran team. The competition in the NIT is not the same as the big dance no. but it's not a bunch of scrubs these are teams with decent records that missed the bubble most of them are better than the teams that end up with 14-16 seeds in the big dance. I think the idea of playing in the NIT is overly stigmatized. Its like playing in a low tier bowl is better than no bowl but some fans on here would support turning down an NIT invite and that's insane. its exposure and experience for these kids.
 
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