2013-14 Schedule

[cncchris33]

Realist. Lets face it, this team goes as Tre Golden plays. Will be the same next year. Can't get too excited based on his up and down track record.

Unless Landry or Thompson (if he signs) are not at least suitable subs/replacements for him, you're right.

Although I do think having Maymon available could have/will alleviate some of Golden's inconsistency. With Richardson, McRae, Hubbs, Stokes, and Maymon, I think we can more afford Golden's off nights, though ideally you want him playing well each game.

 

[Boca Vol]

Schedule all your non conference road games with extremely weak sisters. Schedule your home non conference schedule with stronger opponents. Win the games you should win within your conference, waltz into the NCAA tournament.

Maybe it’s just me, and I know UT controlled its own destiny, and blew it. But the resume was still stronger than many other teams who got in. As good as MTSU is this year, do you really believe they’d hold up as well with the same schedule UT played last year? I don’t believe they’d even get a sniff.

Plus, all these teams that play in nothing leagues that get automatic bids as conference champs or conference tourney champs, that’s a joke and it needs to change. I live in Dayton, have Flyers season tickets, hence tickets to the play in games and some good first rounders. The play in games hold absolutely no interest this year.

Really? You're only upset because UT didn't get in the field. Had UT gotten in, I'm willing to bet you never type that sentence.

The automatic qualifiers have been a part of the tournament for a long time and that's not going to change. Did you make that same statement in 2006 when UT was a 2 seed playing Winthrop? I doubt it.

The NCAA tournament was expanded a couple of years ago to give 2 more at-large bids. UT wouldn't have even been close under the 64 or 65 team fields of a few years ago.

Bottom line, had UT not gone 3-11 on the line at Georgetown or blew the lead at Ole Miss then UT would have 1 or 2 more road wins and easily in.

 

[SmokeyLives]

Really? You're only upset because UT didn't get in the field. Had UT gotten in, I'm willing to bet you never type that sentence.

The automatic qualifiers have been a part of the tournament for a long time and that's not going to change. Did you make that same statement in 2006 when UT was a 2 seed playing Winthrop? I doubt it.

The NCAA tournament was expanded a couple of years ago to give 2 more at-large bids. UT wouldn't have even been close under the 64 or 65 team fields of a few years ago.

Bottom line, had UT not gone 3-11 on the line at Georgetown or blew the lead at Ole Miss then UT would have 1 or 2 more road wins and easily in.

I don’t disagree with you regarding the pathetic free throw percentage, and all the other reasons why UT couldn’t handle sub par opponents like Georgia. I get that.

What I don’t like is a team like Liberty, with 20 losses, winning a nothing conference tourney title and therefore taking a spot in the tourney from more deserving teams, whoever they may be.

 

[Shaun1985]

I have no idea why I thought Wake Forest and Tennessee had something scheduled. I know they are in our tournament field but I thought we scheduled another OOC ACC team last summer.

 

[Boca Vol]

I don’t disagree with you regarding the pathetic free throw percentage, and all the other reasons why UT couldn’t handle sub par opponents like Georgia. I get that.

What I don’t like is a team like Liberty, with 20 losses, winning a nothing conference tourney title and therefore taking a spot in the tourney from more deserving teams, whoever they may be.

Those are typically 1 bid leagues so they didn't take a spot. Where it gets dicey are the OVC, MVC type conferences.

You could argue that Ole Miss took a bid, but they are in the SEC and did beat Mizzou and UF so their worthiness is built in.

For UT, UVA, Bama, UK don't put yourself in that position.

 

[utfan72408]

Don't get too giddy. Still no point guard. Guard play typically determines success come March. See Bama game as an example.

No, I think I'm still pretty excited. Thanks though.

McRae and Hubbs are pretty good guards too. Or does that not count as guard play?

Golden is going to be a senior. If he can't step up and lead, and play with consistency, then he shouldn't play.

 

[1985Vols]

Unless Landry or Thompson (if he signs) are not at least suitable subs/replacements for him, you're right.

Although I do think having Maymon available could have/will alleviate some of Golden's inconsistency. With Richardson, McRae, Hubbs, Stokes, and Maymon, I think we can more afford Golden's off nights, though ideally you want him playing well each game.

I do think we will be loaded next season ( as long as McRae and Stokes return and either of them coming out would be a huge mistake). However, point guard is just like QB in football. Inconsistency spells trouble, just ask Mizzou. Presey is a great pg sometimes, other times he causes them to lose games due to his poor play. March is all about good guard play.

 

[1985Vols]

No, I think I'm still pretty excited. Thanks though.

McRae and Hubbs are pretty good guards too. Or does that not count as guard play?

Golden is going to be a senior. If he can't step up and lead, and play with consistency, then he shouldn't play.

How much have you seen Hubbs play? BTW, he is not a pg. been saying that about Golden for 3 years now. Who would replace him? Bottom line, our inability to recruit a true pg has killed us and IMO will continue to prevent us from being a great team come March.

 

[VNkid]

Do we have Ohio State down the road anywhere?

 

[Vols4life]

I wouldn't mind playing belmont/lipscomb in nashville but their gym couldn't hold all the ticket demands so you play it at bridgestone but in the NCAA eyes that wouldn't be a road game even if belmont/lipscomb moved the game for capacity seating

 

[volboy81]

The NCAA wanted good road wins this yr...next yr it will be something different just like their "point of emphasis" they have each yr. that in itself states they are flawed but they won't do anything to correct it! TN should have gotten in, but we left it in someone's else's hands & that's what happens when you do that. 3 SEC teams out of 14 is a joke. Anyone else think they're punishing us for our FB dominance?

 

[calban]

That certainly seems to be the message the committee sent yesterday.

Wasn't the message at all.
The message was beat someone of quality on the road. or just win your road games.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Realist. Lets face it, this team goes as Tre Golden plays. Will be the same next year. Can't get too excited based on his up and down track record.

While I get your point and have often said we go as golden goes what if we look at it optimistically?

We did beat Florida, Kentucky and Missouri with Trae as our PG. So he has proven that our level of play can be high with him as PG, he just has to bring it.

Add in Hubbs for Mcbee, and Maymon for Hall and I think even if we get a similar year from trae we will be a 22-23 win team...if trae plays the whole year well then we could be even better.

 

[Boca Vol]

Wasn't the message at all.
The message was beat someone of quality on the road. or just win your road games.

I agree. Win at G'town, UVA, Ole Miss, or UK and this team is in....maybe even just a win at UGA.

 

[Chris4Vols22]

I wish we would schedule a game at a mid major in state like Pearl always did. At MTSU, Belmont, Chattanoga? just so we can get a road win and plus get some experience before SEC play.

I don't remember the last time we did that. We played MTSU on a neutral floor a while ago, but those in-state mid majors have always come to us.

So you can take those implications elsewhere.

 

[Shaun1985]

I don't remember the last time we did that. We played MTSU on a neutral floor a while ago, but those in-state mid majors have always come to us.

So you can take those implications elsewhere.

Didn't we go to Chattanooga under Pearl? I would love to play Belmont or it would even be nice to have a mini pre season tournament in Nashville with just Tennessee teams in it.

 

[Chris4Vols22]

Since 2005, we played once at UTC, once at MTSU.

I imagine those are the only 2 mid-major TN schools with appropriate resources to host such games.

 

[Boca Vol]

I don't remember the last time we did that. We played MTSU on a neutral floor a while ago, but those in-state mid majors have always come to us.

So you can take those implications elsewhere.

UT has played MTSU in Murfreesboro and Nashville and UT has played UTC in Chattanooga.

It has happened but not very often.

 

[Boca Vol]

Didn't we go to Chattanooga under Pearl? I would love to play Belmont or it would even be nice to have a mini pre season tournament in Nashville with just Tennessee teams in it.

I think that's a pretty cool idea. In Philadelphia they have the Philadelphia Big 5. I know that's one city but it would be cool to have UT, Vandy, Memphis, UTC, Belmont, & MTSU play a round robin type event.

 

[cncchris33]

I do think we will be loaded next season ( as long as McRae and Stokes return and either of them coming out would be a huge mistake). However, point guard is just like QB in football. Inconsistency spells trouble, just ask Mizzou. Presey is a great pg sometimes, other times he causes them to lose games due to his poor play. March is all about good guard play.

I agree. We can't afford for Golden to have mental lapses and off nights every time we take the court. However, having really good talent everywhere else will make his off nights less glaring. He needs to realize when he is having a bad shooting night early, and work on facilitating the other four positions in those cases.

 

[Shaun1985]

I think that's a pretty cool idea. In Philadelphia they have the Philadelphia Big 5. I know that's one city but it would be cool to have UT, Vandy, Memphis, UTC, Belmont, & MTSU play a round robin type event.

Agree. It would be one awesome event. Memphis would never agree to this.

 

[cncchris33]

Wasn't the message at all.
The message was beat someone of quality on the road. or just win your road games.

Depends on which perspective you look at it from. From Tennessee' s perspective, sure, you could say that. We didn't do enough to warrant a bid according to the committee, and winning more road games may have done it.

But, from MTSU's perspective, they scheduled some tough OOC games, lost the majority of them, and padded their win column vs teams in the Sunbelt.

So to me, the message was, that beating good teams OOC means less than losing to them, so long as a weak conference schedule allows you to pad the wins against weak competition both home amd away.

Agree to disagree. Tennessee did nothing that MTSU didn't do, except they beat some of those good OOC opponents. We just didn't have the luxury of playing Troy, South Alabama, Ark St, etc, niggt in and night out in conference play.

 

[TennesseeFan07]

Schedule some below average teams on the road. That should do it.

 

[Shaun1985]

Depends on which perspective you look at it from. From Tennessee' s perspective, sure, you could say that. We didn't do enough to warrant a bid according to the committee, and winning more road games may have done it.

But, from MTSU's perspective, they scheduled some tough OOC games, lost the majority of them, and padded their win column vs teams in the Sunbelt.

So to me, the message was, that beating good teams OOC means less than losing to them, so long as a weak conference schedule allows you to pad the wins against weak competition both home amd away.

Agree to disagree. Tennessee did nothing that MTSU didn't do, except they beat some of those good OOC opponents. We just didn't have the luxury of playing Troy, South Alabama, Ark St, etc, niggt in and night out in conference play.

MTSU's bid -vs- Ole Miss' bid is a huge "WTF" moment. Ole Miss' seed is pathetic but so was their OOC schedule. MTSU getting in just says "we feel sorry for you and did not look at OOC or SOS. We don't want to turn down a RPI that high". Ole Miss says "You're lucky you won the SEC Tournament. You get a 12 seed because your SOS was WEAAAAAK".

I don't understand it.

 

[utfan72408]

How much have you seen Hubbs play? BTW, he is not a pg. been saying that about Golden for 3 years now. Who would replace him? Bottom line, our inability to recruit a true pg has killed us and IMO will continue to prevent us from being a great team come March.

I haven't seen Hubbs play, but from reading this board and recruiting sites/articles I've safely gathered that he's supposed to be pretty good.

I know he's not a PG. And no, there is no one to replace Golden. I'm denying none of that. But you said guard play, so I named guards.

And like I said, Golden will be a senior. It's time he stepped up and showed some consistency. It's not like he sucks. He's inconsistent, not ****ty. There's a difference. We had a solid year with him pulling a Jekyll/Hyde on us all season.

Crucify me if you want, call me a sunshine pumper or whatever, but I'm putting my faith in Trae next year to pull through for us.