Andy Katz has Vols #1 in Power 36 Ranking

[bleedingTNorange]

To be fair, does anyone look like a #1 team right now? It’s Game #3 and there are a lot of examples of teams playing down to the competition early in the season.

Also to be fair, the #1 thing came from -la couple individual media members who write articles and want views. Neither poll has us close to #1 and no analytical ranking has us that high either, we are more considered a Top 10 team and that’s what that looked like. You look around at past Top 10 teams (including #1) and you’ll always find where a team kept it close for awhile and the better team pulled away late.

 

[Willy14]

Also to be fair, the #1 thing came from -la couple individual media members who write articles and want views. Neither poll has us close to #1 and no analytical ranking has us that high either, we are more considered a Top 10 team and that’s what that looked like. You look around at past Top 10 teams (including #1) and you’ll always find where a team kept it close for awhile and the better team pulled away late.

Reminds me of the Kentucky and Kansas game last night. However, once Kentucky gets their 3 big men available, they are going to be one of the most talented teams at Kentucky in the last 10 years. Wagner and Edwards struggled greatly last night, but you can see the talent and also Dillingham and Sheppard played really well. Reeves was Reeves shooting 17 three pointers. Going to be a tough team to beat but I’m looking forward to our games against them this year.

 

[MinisterofDef#92]

Exactly, and they did just that and we still won by 21 points. I'm quite pleased with this win. A low-key trap game sandwiched between a trip to Wisconsin and a trip to Hawaii made for a prime opportunity for us to let our guard down.

Also, that's another 80+ pt performance from a stale, boring, outdated offensive system where Barnes coaches the offense out of guys. Currently #20 on KenPom.

Haha...I see what you did there

 

[NighthawkVol]

Sure didn’t look like #1 tonight unless Wofford is this year’s Florida Atlantic.

Right. When I watched Kansas-Kentucky after, I thought those teams looked a lot better. But that could’ve been due to motivation and opponent.

Like I said, it doesn’t matter right now. It’s November. What matters is that we can see what a high ceiling this team has.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Right. When I watched Kansas-Kentucky after, I thought those teams looked a lot better. But that could’ve been due to motivation and opponent.

Like I said, it doesn’t matter right now. It’s November. What matters is that we can see what a high ceiling this team has.

I think that bringing along the freshmen will have a huge impact on how this season plays out. Especially Estrella and Phillips adding more depth inside. Although the perimeter is in very good shape this year, one of Carr or DJ or Freddie are needed as well. Refs haven’t been shy about whistling 2 or 3 key players for a lot of fouls early in games. I wouldn’t expect that to change.

 

[NighthawkVol]

I think that bringing along the freshmen will have a huge impact on how this season plays out. Especially Estrella and Phillips adding more depth inside. Although the perimeter is in very good shape this year, one of Carr or DJ or Freddie are needed as well. Refs haven’t been shy about whistling 2 or 3 key players for a lot of fouls early in games. I wouldn’t expect that to change.

Sounds like Freddie’s injury may prevent him from developing this year, but like you said, the two front court guys’ development is more important. Really like what I see from them so far.

 

[cncchris33]

Haha...I see what you did there

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Sounds like Freddie’s injury may prevent him from developing this year, but like you said, the two front court guys’ development is more important. Really like what I see from them so far.

Yes. Waiting on the official word from UT on his status. I guess he now has a medical redshirt on the table if the NCAA allows them in addition to a regular redshirt year. If they don’t allow both I suppose he’d have a string case for a 6th year since he wasn’t here for the entire season last year.

@bleedingTNorange are 6th years available? Fulkerson had the medical hardship as a freshman (barely under the 30% limit) but his 6th year was due to the COVID rule.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Yes. Waiting on the official word from UT on his status. I guess he now has a medical redshirt on the table if the NCAA allows them in addition to a regular redshirt year. If they don’t allow both I suppose he’d have a string case for a 6th year since he wasn’t here for the entire season last year.

@bleedingTNorange are 6th years available? Fulkerson had the medical hardship as a freshman (barely under the 30% limit) but his 6th year was due to the COVID rule.

Yes 6th years are still a thing, would need a waiver but should be pretty straight forward if that was the case.

 

[walkenvol]

Yes 6th years are still a thing, would need a waiver but should be pretty straight forward if that was the case.

Interesting that folks were predicting Freddie to be a 1&D and now the discussion is could he possibly get a 6th year?

 

[TheMookieMonster]

Interesting that folks were predicting Freddie to be a 1&D and now the discussion is could he possibly get a 6th year?

I think 1&D was always an ambitious and unrealistic goal. I mentioned this in another thread but outside of a handful of Top 5-10 prospects, adjusting to the game is even tougher than it used to be because of how much older teams are now due to COVID years. Freddie clearly has a lot of talent, but there is a big difference in a Top 30 prospect and a Top 10 prospect.

 

[adam.vol]

I’m going to keep saying it. TN should be one of the top 4 teams right now. No one should have as good of chemistry as the seasoned, yet also talented Vols.

That being said, I don’t think we’ll be in the top four come March. The blue bloods have more talent and should gain experience as the year progresses. Come tournament time, we better be fresh and play sharp. We can’t win if we have a cold shooting night come late March.

 

[kxtop]

Too early to take those rankings seriously.

Not the time of the year to be peaking!! Vols just keep improving!!

 

[NighthawkVol]

To be fair, does anyone look like a #1 team right now? It’s Game #3 and there are a lot of examples of teams playing down to the competition early in the season.

Wisconsin got smacked down by Providence last night. Those wins over MSU and Wisky aren't looking as good anymore. But we know MSU will be good in March. They always are. Izzo is a master of getting them to play well at the right time.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

Wisconsin got smacked down by Providence last night. Those wins over MSU and Wisky aren't looking as good anymore. But we know MSU will be good in March. They always are. Izzo is a master of getting them to play well at the right time.

I mean it's been 3 games. I'm not ready to say MSU and Wisconsin are not good wins and are mediocre teams. That could be the case, but Wisconsin has played a tough schedule early. How would we feel about them if they played Eastern Washington in Game 3 instead of Providence on the road?

 

[NighthawkVol]

I mean it's been 3 games. I'm not ready to say MSU and Wisconsin are not good wins and are mediocre teams. That could be the case, but Wisconsin has played a tough schedule early. How would we feel about them if they played Eastern Washington in Game 3 instead of Providence on the road?

I'm not ready to say "MSU and Wisconsin are not good wins and are mediocre teams," either. So I didn't. I said those wins don't look as good (as they did at the time) anymore. And they don't.

I'm excited about this team and what it can accomplish. But Seth Greenberg, Katz, The Athletic, all proclaiming Tennessee #1 are getting away ahead of things. The only basis we have is 3 regular season games, 2 against cupcakes, 1 against Wisconsin, who just got handled by Providence, and an exhibition win against a Michigan State team that has subsequently lost to James Madison and was never close against Duke.

They're not mediocre teams. I suspect they'll be good resume wins by March. But neither appears to be playing great basketball right now, so proclaiming Tennessee #1 (which I realize you didn't do, but others did) based on those wins is a bit overboard. As I and others have said before, the tale will be told by how close UT comes to reaching its ceiling by March...and it appears to have a pretty high one.