i will lay out what i have seen from tennessee basketball and people here can take it for what it's worth.
there is one thing i see that is a coaching problem. the other issues i see are because the team is flawed. it happens, especially after losing several members of an elite 8 squad. florida went to the NIT two years in a row and i know billy donovan can coach.
ok, the coaching problem. tennessee plays too many players. if you are going to play an arkansas "40 minutes of hell" style basketball, then you can wear opponents down with pace and depth. if you are going to play at a halfcourt pace, you aren't going to wear out your opponent. so, some of the guys on the very end of the bench don't need to play or at least not play significant minutes. and they definitely don't need to play during critical junctures of the game. i won't mention names of players, but it's kind of obvious.
not to mention, there are some guys who don't bring anything to the table that get playing time. they don't defend well. they don't penetrate a defense off the dribble. they don't set up teammates for baskets. they don't strech a defense and open up the floor for the other players on the court. they don't shoot well from the perimeter. they don't block shots or make steals. they don't hit free throws. why the hell are they in the game?
that part is coaching.
the other aspects are situations where the staff is playing the hand they are dealt.
there is not a dominant post presence. there isn't a good floor general. there isn't a consistent outside shooting threat. scotty hopson is asked to do too much. he can't be the team's main offensive scoring threat and distribute to his teammates. that's a hard thing to ask of a player. they don't shoot free throws well.
despite all the problems that have taken place, tennessee has lost 5 games by either a single point or in overtime. while i do subscribe to the bill parcells maxim that "you are what your record says you are", the fact is there isn't a whole lot that would have to have taken place for tennessee to be 20-5 and having the best record in the SEC instead of 15-10. you can't "suck" and have a bad coach and beat pitt, villanova, and vandy. they also have been in the game down to the wire against several other quality opponents.
when you have a proven coach (and pearl is a proven coach) and the team isn't playing all that great, it usually means the players are the problem. either they are young and need to improve or they are not overly talented. but, when you are not duke, you go through some less then memorable seasons.
florida has been the exact opposite this season. florida has won 5 games by a single point or in overtime this season. sometimes that's just the way it goes, because **** happens.
pearl isn't phil fulmer and this isn't football. florida, north carolina, connecticut, syracuse, and maryland have all missed the ncaa tournament since the year 2000 and all of them have won the ncaa championship since 2000. they are all coached by likely basketball hall of fame coaches. michigan state, duke, and kansas are the other schools who won titles since that time and michigan state is in serious jeopardy of missing the tourney. tom izzo is yet another hall of fame coach.
good luck the rest of the season. i am betting tennessee makes the dance.
k:
