BTO’s Arkansas Postgame Report

[bleedingTNorange]

1. Had a packed weekend and just now getting a chance to take some time and put this together, apologies on the delay, definitely would feel better had the result been different. We knew that was going to be a really tough place to play and tough game, and it was indeed. Over about the last month Arkansas is playing like a Top 5-10 team and has the #1 defense in the country in that timeframe, they are even tougher at home.

2. Lots of flashbacks to some of our offensive struggles we’ve had this year, looked much more like the team that struggled at times to break 60 this year than the recent offense we’ve seen and had hoped for. A huge part of that is again the fact Arkansas is elite defensively, but we also didn’t help ourselves out, and the charge calls were really just limiting us and make Arkansas’ already great defense even better. Still, we shot very poorly from 3 and you hope that’s just an outlier, but it’s showings like that that give you pause about how far this team can go in March.

3. I said pregame that we were gonna get looks from 3 and had to limit turnovers, we got some good looks from 3 and from guys we want taking those shots, just missed. But we also turned it over too much, 15 turnovers leading to 13 Arkansas points, where as they only turned it over 10 times and we turned those into just 2 points, that can’t happen.

4. Was hoping Fulk has turned a corner and while he wasn’t gonna be elite he was gonna give you what he had the last couple games and bring something to the table, but he really didn’t do anything. Arkansas doesn’t have much in the post outside Williams and Fulk just never really even tried. This teams strength is its guard play but to completely get nothing from you 5 men is problematic, especially when shots aren’t falling from outside.

5. So big picture, that loss doesn’t hurt at all, it’s another Q1 loss which all our losses currently are, probably doesn’t effect your seed one bit. It’s more the fashion in how we lost and making sure that it doesn’t carry over and effect other games down the stretch. We sit at 19-7(10-4) with 4 games remaining, getting to 22-8(13-5) still is very much in play and would have the Vols probably on that coveted 3 seed line and good chance of also being 3 seed in the SECT which looks much more attractive than the 4 at this moment. 6 games left and we said 3-3 was a must but 4-2 would feel great, we went 1-1 last week to now say 3-1 we’re hoping for. Missouri on the road Tuesday night is a must, need to get out on them early and not give them hope and let them hang around, would set up a huge game Saturday when Auburn comes to town.


GBO!!!!

 

[Willy14]

1. Had a packed weekend and just now getting a chance to take some time and put this together, apologies on the delay, definitely would feel better had the result been different. We knew that was going to be a really tough place to play and tough game, and it was indeed. Over about the last month Arkansas is playing like a Top 5-10 team and has the #1 defense in the country in that timeframe, they are even tougher at home.

2. Lots of flashbacks to some of our offensive struggles we’ve had this year, looked much more like the team that struggled at times to break 60 this year than the recent offense we’ve seen and had hoped for. A huge part of that is again the fact Arkansas is elite defensively, but we also didn’t help ourselves out, and the charge calls were really just limiting us and make Arkansas’ already great defense even better. Still, we shot very poorly from 3 and you hope that’s just an outlier, but it’s showings like that that give you pause about how far this team can go in March.

3. I said pregame that we were gonna get looks from 3 and had to limit turnovers, we got some good looks from 3 and from guys we want taking those shots, just missed. But we also turned it over too much, 15 turnovers leading to 13 Arkansas points, where as they only turned it over 10 times and we turned those into just 2 points, that can’t happen.

4. Was hoping Fulk has turned a corner and while he wasn’t gonna be elite he was gonna give you what he had the last couple games and bring something to the table, but he really didn’t do anything. Arkansas doesn’t have much in the post outside Williams and Fulk just never really even tried. This teams strength is its guard play but to completely get nothing from you 5 men is problematic, especially when shots aren’t falling from outside.

5. So big picture, that loss doesn’t hurt at all, it’s another Q1 loss which all our losses currently are, probably doesn’t effect your seed one bit. It’s more the fashion in how we lost and making sure that it doesn’t carry over and effect other games down the stretch. We sit at 19-7(10-4) with 4 games remaining, getting to 22-8(13-5) still is very much in play and would have the Vols probably on that coveted 3 seed line and good chance of also being 3 seed in the SECT which looks much more attractive than the 4 at this moment. 6 games left and we said 3-3 was a must but 4-2 would feel great, we went 1-1 last week to now say 3-1 we’re hoping for. Missouri on the road Tuesday night is a must, need to get out on them early and not give them hope and let them hang around, would set up a huge game Saturday when Auburn comes to town.


GBO!!!!

I expected us to lose that game and I expect us to come back stronger, but I will have to say that I still don't understand some of the rotations. I know this game we had foul trouble so that contributed to a lot, but sometimes it seems players like Bailey and Plav get inserted at random times that just makes me scratch my head. Coach Barnes forgot more about basketball than I know but I was just wondering if anyone else sees what I'm talking about sometimes?

 

[PandamoniumReigns]

@bleedingTNorange Thoughts on the charges?

And agree...this is a game that looks great if ya win but won't hurt too much if ya lose.

 

[orangemadam]

I totally agree Willy. Plav and Bailey have to have their minutes reduced. Why was Aidoo not in the lineup at the end.

Plav just hasn't gotten much better after showing some progress 6 weeks ago.
Really need to go to 8 man rotation and stop the ridiculous substitutions at critical times .

 

[driscokid]

We always get homered by the refs at Arky. Nothing new. Same thing at Alabama. That said this game’s ref performance was especially pathetic. Still could have won though if JJJ would not be the one putting up the 3’s. He’s not our 3ball guy

 

[berryvol]

1. Had a packed weekend and just now getting a chance to take some time and put this together, apologies on the delay, definitely would feel better had the result been different. We knew that was going to be a really tough place to play and tough game, and it was indeed. Over about the last month Arkansas is playing like a Top 5-10 team and has the #1 defense in the country in that timeframe, they are even tougher at home.

2. Lots of flashbacks to some of our offensive struggles we’ve had this year, looked much more like the team that struggled at times to break 60 this year than the recent offense we’ve seen and had hoped for. A huge part of that is again the fact Arkansas is elite defensively, but we also didn’t help ourselves out, and the charge calls were really just limiting us and make Arkansas’ already great defense even better. Still, we shot very poorly from 3 and you hope that’s just an outlier, but it’s showings like that that give you pause about how far this team can go in March.

3. I said pregame that we were gonna get looks from 3 and had to limit turnovers, we got some good looks from 3 and from guys we want taking those shots, just missed. But we also turned it over too much, 15 turnovers leading to 13 Arkansas points, where as they only turned it over 10 times and we turned those into just 2 points, that can’t happen.

4. Was hoping Fulk has turned a corner and while he wasn’t gonna be elite he was gonna give you what he had the last couple games and bring something to the table, but he really didn’t do anything. Arkansas doesn’t have much in the post outside Williams and Fulk just never really even tried. This teams strength is its guard play but to completely get nothing from you 5 men is problematic, especially when shots aren’t falling from outside.

5. So big picture, that loss doesn’t hurt at all, it’s another Q1 loss which all our losses currently are, probably doesn’t effect your seed one bit. It’s more the fashion in how we lost and making sure that it doesn’t carry over and effect other games down the stretch. We sit at 19-7(10-4) with 4 games remaining, getting to 22-8(13-5) still is very much in play and would have the Vols probably on that coveted 3 seed line and good chance of also being 3 seed in the SECT which looks much more attractive than the 4 at this moment. 6 games left and we said 3-3 was a must but 4-2 would feel great, we went 1-1 last week to now say 3-1 we’re hoping for. Missouri on the road Tuesday night is a must, need to get out on them early and not give them hope and let them hang around, would set up a huge game Saturday when Auburn comes to town.


GBO!!!!

To add to point 3, a lot of the turnovers were due to charging calls. We would have been in single digits if you take away the charges. I hate blaming the refs and if we make our open shots we win the game, but the excessive amount of charging calls effected the outcome of this game on so many levels.

 

[Volfan1000]

To add to point 5, I think 2-2 would be a reasonable record for the last four games with Arkansas and Auburn being tossup games at TBA.

Aidoo and Huntley-Hatfield need to be more aggressive offensively heading into the homestretch and tournaments.

 

[EasternVol]

I totally agree Willy. Plav and Bailey have to have their minutes reduced. Why was Aidoo not in the lineup at the end.

Plav just hasn't gotten much better after showing some progress 6 weeks ago.
Really need to go to 8 man rotation and stop the ridiculous substitutions at critical times .

You should tell Barnes. My view is that we have a long bench and should use it. There's no reason to set an arbitrary limit and not play someone who can contribute.

 

[SmokeyLives]

I totally agree Willy. Plav and Bailey have to have their minutes reduced. Why was Aidoo not in the lineup at the end.

Plav just hasn't gotten much better after showing some progress 6 weeks ago.
Really need to go to 8 man rotation and stop the ridiculous substitutions at critical times .

Agree. Plav can’t jump, can’t shoot, rarely rebounds. He does absorb and give fouls. Time to move on from Plav.

 

[Voltime123]

I think Barnes plays a long bench for the benefit of tournament time. We use to play just 8 guys but maybe the thinking is by tournament time our best players will not have dead legs during that stretch like in years past

 

[cardvolfan]

Agree. Plav can’t jump, can’t shoot, rarely rebounds. He does absorb and give fouls. Time to move on from Plav.

My biggest complaint with Plavsic is that he just doesn’t often dunk the ball when he has his chances. How many looks has he had where the ball fell off the rim because he didn’t dunk when he could have. Also, in a conference game where points, every point, is so valuable, his misses at the line are a pure liability. And they are too often bad-looking. Those points at the line add up.

 

[walkenvol]

My biggest complaint with Plavsic is that he just doesn’t often dunk the ball when he has his chances. How many looks has he had where the ball fell off the rim because he didn’t dunk when he could have. Also, in a conference game where points, every point, is so valuable, his misses at the line are a pure liability. And they are too often bad-looking. Those points at the line add up.

This right here! Uros should attempt to rip the rim down on his 2 or 3 shots a game and make 70%+ of his free throws then he could be a solid contributor. No reason he can’t do both.

 

[VolunteerCeltic]

Missouri is a trap game due to Vols coming off two emotional top 25 games back to back and looking forward to Auburn on Saturday. Cuonzo will make this one slow and dirty and if the Brick offense from 3 shows up again for UT, the Bigs better show up and score at least 20 in the paint area. There is a real possibility of a loss tonight.

 

[lostsheep]

Missouri is a trap game due to Vols coming off two emotional top 25 games back to back and looking forward to Auburn on Saturday. Cuonzo will make this one slow and dirty and if the Brick offense from 3 shows up again for UT, the Bigs better show up and score at least 20 in the paint area. There is a real possibility of a loss tonight.

I hope you're wrong, but I fear your right.

 

[Clad in Big Orange]

A loss to Missouri (and Cuonzo) would be grossly embarrassing.

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

We always get homered by the refs at Arky. Nothing new. Same thing at Alabama. That said this game’s ref performance was especially pathetic. Still could have won though if JJJ would not be the one putting up the 3’s. He’s not our 3ball guy

If you were in doubt about the ref's impact on the game, go check out the only journalist in Knoxville account of the game. His name is West.

 

[VolunteerCeltic]

I hope you're wrong, but I fear your right.

I hope I am wrong as well.....but Vols could put the game out of reach in the first half too......

 

[SN-A-C Orange]

1. Had a packed weekend and just now getting a chance to take some time and put this together, apologies on the delay, definitely would feel better had the result been different. We knew that was going to be a really tough place to play and tough game, and it was indeed. Over about the last month Arkansas is playing like a Top 5-10 team and has the #1 defense in the country in that timeframe, they are even tougher at home.

4. Was hoping Fulk has turned a corner and while he wasn’t gonna be elite he was gonna give you what he had the last couple games and bring something to the table, but he really didn’t do anything. Arkansas doesn’t have much in the post outside Williams and Fulk just never really even tried. This teams strength is its guard play but to completely get nothing from you 5 men is problematic, especially when shots aren’t falling from outside.

5. So big picture, that loss doesn’t hurt at all, it’s another Q1 loss which all our losses currently are, probably doesn’t effect your seed one bit. It’s more the fashion in how we lost and making sure that it doesn’t carry over and effect other games down the stretch. We sit at 19-7(10-4) with 4 games remaining, getting to 22-8(13-5) still is very much in play and would have the Vols probably on that coveted 3 seed line and good chance of also being 3 seed in the SECT which looks much more attractive than the 4 at this moment. 6 games left and we said 3-3 was a must but 4-2 would feel great, we went 1-1 last week to now say 3-1 we’re hoping for. Missouri on the road Tuesday night is a must, need to get out on them early and not give them hope and let them hang around, would set up a huge game Saturday when Auburn comes to town...

1) It is less about home and more about the referees! I think they (the striped shirts) are more likely to determine a few of those games.
...
I guess I have gravy in my future ...
CHECK - VY - They won last two at home and gave Ky fits in Rupp, but they struggle against good defensive teams. They have an extra day of rest, this is not a cake walk. Win 1-0 Match our longest win streak of the year.
CHECK - KY - They have won their last two games on the road, SC and VY both game them fits. Ky will be confident. They want to steal a road game, mid week game. Win 2-0
CHECK (bummer) - AR - They are back home after games on the road. They beat a depleted AU at home. But they have dropped games at home. We start a road trip. Toss-up. Lose 2-1 (My heart says, "Win" - Head, not so much)
MZ - This will be their 4th game in a week. We are playing them after 2 games with MS. That is asking a whole lot from the MZ team. Win 3-1
AU - The barn comes in on a 4 game win streak. Fully healthy. We are defending home court. This is a toss up. We hold serve. Win 4-1 (My head says, "Win" - But the rest of me is saying, "No SMH!")
GA - They are looking for some Cinderalla magic, but all I see is pumpkins. Win 5-1
AR - This is brutal stretch for Arky, .. TN, FL(road), KY, LSU, and now back to TN(road). We defend the home court yet again. Win 6-1

That would be 23-7 (SEC seeding: 2nd or 3rd) or possibly 22-8 (SEC seeding: 3rd or 4th) In either case, we will be bracketed with KY for a rematch.
This is my GUESS .....

1. No worries. You do great work! BTO, BTO, BTO, BTO ....
4. Me too. Fulky is acting more like a role player, again. SMH.
5. Agree mostly.

Record down the stretch ... I am sticking with 4-0 for the last four games. But it could be 3-1.
Missouri has played 4 games in 7 days and 3 games in 5 days. We have played 3 games in 7 days. I would looking for a 10 point win in normal schedule, but I expect the compressed schedule to affect the Missouri offense and their defense. So, I am looking at around 20 point win. If the bench plays even MORE minutes ... then those numbers will come down, If it was me ... the 2nd 5 would see even more minutes than they did on Saturday. Allow playing time for the backups to overrule - margin of victory. We need the big boys rested for Saturday. Just my two cents.
Uros: I think there is more film on him since 6 weeks ago and that is why he is 'less effective.' Hoped he would continue to grow from starting, but he is not adjusting to opponents adjustments. Just jam the ball, big guy! Unfortunately, Uros is still a finesse offensive player ... at least he is for now.
Rotation: I still say we are trying to develop players for roles in March and prepare them for their roles during tournament games. I have no gripes, because it is exactly what I would do - I would not want it to cost us games, but I also accept the consequences of taking the long view!!!
The freshman are getting fully filmed and that is 'lessening' their impact on the floor because opponents are better prepared for them.
Psyche of the team: This is not a team that deals with adversity particularly well. It HAS affected their game more than necessary. This ONE is on BARNES to fix!

Looks to me like we will be bracketed with KY for a potential rubber match in the SECT.
I am expecting a 3 seed in the NCAAT.
Would love to win out and win the SECT ... but we are going to need a powerful wand for that to happen. If it did, we would likely be a 2 seed in the NCAAT.
Play 'em one at a time ... Missouri is the only thing to think about. GBO.