BTO’s Arkansas Postgame Report

#51
#51
scottchatt said:
He’s ranked that high for on his potential not where he is now. Above average size for the position, shows signs of having what it takes. He’s kinda like Will Levis….looks the part doesn’t totally deliver…..yet.

He’s good, but currently I’d say not on the level of Quinerly at Bama, Green at Auburn or Wheeler at Kentucky….and that’s just the SEC. I’m not even sure I’d put him above Smith and Davis from his own team as far as where his game is right now.

He may end up having a great NBA career, definitely has the build for it. But I stand by we’ll face better guards in the SECT and NCAAT as far as where their play is right now.
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What…seriously??? Green and Wheeler aren’t even on the same planet as Black.
 
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#52
#52
cncchris33 said:
I’d feel a little more like you if this had happened in December. Happening a week before the postseason kicks off, I don’t share your optimism. I just don’t see how we become a better team without ZZ on the floor. The number of roles that change and shift with no time to adjust just throws things into a great level of uncertainty.
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Well the one plus side is our team is fairly older.... So I trust them to accept this disruption and adjust..... If not, then the doom and gloom could be real.... But I'd rather take ZZ's injury with a healthy and experienced Santi, JJJ, Key than say Edwards and Phillips......

I do think this could be a good change for Vescovi... I think he's going to be able to pick his shots better and he is somewhat an underrated passer.

I do think our rebounding on both sides pick up drastically since we are in theory replacing a 5'9" ZZ with a 6'4" Mashack on the court.

Definitely weird time, but I trust this team's depth.

Let's not forget ZZ was coming off the bench in that 6th man role early on after Barnes benched him post Colorado.... The key going forward is Santi staying out of foul trouble.
 
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#53
#53
JMSqb11 said:
Well the one plus side is our team is fairly older.... So I trust them to accept this disruption and adjust..... If not, then the doom and gloom could be real.... But I'd rather take ZZ's injury with a healthy and experienced Santi, JJJ, Key than say Edwards and Phillips......

I do think this could be a good change for Vescovi... I think he's going to be able to pick his shots better and he is somewhat an underrated passer.

I do think our rebounding on both sides pick up drastically since we are in theory replacing a 5'9" ZZ with a 6'4" Mashack on the court.

Definitely weird time, but I trust this team's depth.

Let's not forget ZZ was coming off the bench in that 6th man role early on after Barnes benched him post Colorado.... The key going forward is Santi staying out of foul trouble.
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For his size, ZZ is actually a really good rebounder. Mashack obviously has the potential to be better by virtue of being 8” taller and equally, if not more athletic.

I still think Vescovi is better off the ball. He can’t create his own shot very often, so moving without the ball off screens helps to get him open. He is an underrated passer, though.

And yeah, ZZ was coming off the bench for a while, but he was playing starter minutes.
 
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#54
#54
JMSqb11 said:
Well the one plus side is our team is fairly older.... So I trust them to accept this disruption and adjust..... If not, then the doom and gloom could be real.... But I'd rather take ZZ's injury with a healthy and experienced Santi, JJJ, Key than say Edwards and Phillips......

I do think this could be a good change for Vescovi... I think he's going to be able to pick his shots better and he is somewhat an underrated passer.

I do think our rebounding on both sides pick up drastically since we are in theory replacing a 5'9" ZZ with a 6'4" Mashack on the court.

Definitely weird time, but I trust this team's depth.

Let's not forget ZZ was coming off the bench in that 6th man role early on after Barnes benched him post Colorado.... The key going forward is Santi staying out of foul trouble.
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Sure, but he was playing 30+mpg so might as well have been a starter.
 
#55
#55
I watched the 2nd half last night, and honestly, I was impressed with Mashack at PG. He distributed the ball very well and drives to the basket when the opportunity presents itself. If Bruce goes full court press, spacing becomes very critical for getting the ball up the floor. One thing about full court pressure, it can open up fast break opportunities if the PG pays attention to the way they play it.
 
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#56
#56
scottchatt said:
He’s ranked that high for on his potential not where he is now. Above average size for the position, shows signs of having what it takes. He’s kinda like Will Levis….looks the part doesn’t totally deliver…..yet.

He’s good, but currently I’d say not on the level of Quinerly at Bama, Green at Auburn or Wheeler at Kentucky….and that’s just the SEC. I’m not even sure I’d put him above Smith and Davis from his own team as far as where his game is right now.

He may end up having a great NBA career, definitely has the build for it. But I stand by we’ll face better guards in the SECT and NCAAT as far as where their play is right now.
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6'7" Black: 12.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.2 apg, 2.0 spg, 46.9% FG, 32.1% 3PT
5'11" Green: 13.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.7 spg, 36.2% FG, 28.1% 3PT
5'10" Wheeler: 7.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 5.6 apg, 0.9 spg, 41.7% FG, 36.6% 3PT
6'1" Quinerly: 7.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.6 apg, 0.5 spg, 37.6% FG, 34.1% 3PT

I think Black is a far better overall PG than those guys especially when you add in his size and ability to finish at the rim. Green also is a volume guy and shoots nearly 2 more field goals a game than Black.
 
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#57
#57
bleedingTNorange said:
I’m not worried about his shots per game being redistributed, I’m worrying about a guy who was picked as the teams best defender by national analysts being out, and our quickest/best ball handler being out, along with the only guy we’ve seen beat his man off the dribble and take advantage of the lobs to big men. Any quick guard team with some length that can press/trap scares me now, we already struggled with length against us at times, lose the 1 guy we had that could beat folks off the dribble and I have a hard time thinking we are just fine. As you and others have said we are about to find out as Bruce likely will press and trap us all game long, running Santi at point who’s our best 3pt shooter by far is going to be an added toll to him and wear him down I’m afraid.
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He's been called the league's best point guard. This is a horrible blow. I just hope we can overcome it. As I said before, hopefully Barnes will work on how to deal with the press without him.
 
#58
#58
I’ve never seen a coach go after refs like Musselman did (at the under 12:00 TO?) and NOT get a technical or at least told to STHU. He must have chosen his words VERY carefully. It was non-stop for a solid 2 or 3 minutes - maybe longer. And some assistants were going off as well. EM was going off on one ref, then on to another, then the other, and back to the first one. No way TV could have shown how ridiculous his rant was. It might have been more effective for him had he cut it in half or more. No ref is going to allow a **** show like that create make up whistles.
 
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#59
#59
bleedingTNorange said:
1. Not sure I’ve ever wrote a report like this one, actually I know I haven’t, what should be celebrating a huge win for these Vols and a great showing is overshadowed by what very likely is a season ending injury to the heart and soul of this team. I have zero doubts that he will come back strong as he always have with any obstacle life has thrown at him, yet I hurt for him, it’s not fair, life isn’t fair, sports isn’t fair, Zeigler didn’t deserve this, Hooker didn’t, Vol fans didn’t. I will try and write this without that injury in mind but damn it is hard…

2. Not sure how this group responded, but damn did they ever…at full strength I expected a tough game, yet without ZZZ we win wire to wire in a 20 point beat down of NCAAT bound Arkansas? Doesn’t seem possible. And we did it in such a different fashion it’s really hard to make heads or tails of it, we became a great 2pt shooting team, drove the lane, got the the line, and got offensive rebounds…what we did that we’ve done in the past was lock things up defensively, getting Phillips back helped the defense, but as always a group effort, absolutely elite showing from that squad that likely will need to rely on their defense going forward.

3. While Mashack wasn’t great offensively shooting the way in which he attacks the rim is something nobody else does, he draws fouls but also causes some collapsing which opens thing up for other guys. Our offense looked different with him out there and no ZZZ, I’m not sure how sustainable shooting 60%+ from 2 is considering that’s something I’ve begged for all year long, but it likely is going to be needed if we are going to be good offensively. Teams aren’t going to leave Vescovi wide open from 3, everyone is gonna have to drive the ball to create 3 ball looks and when it’s dumped inside we will have to make teams pay at a rate like we did tonight, 60%+.

4. This was an Arkansas team that over their last 3 games were averaging about 90ppg, we held them to 57 tonight. Guys were locked into their scouts and we did a great job limited their 2nd chance looks and forcing them into tough contested jump shots which are low %. Part of this feels like it was a great matchup for our defense to flex their muscle stylistically, but it what they will need to do going forward.

5. We got a much needed win and it would be really nice to just look at the last 2 and say that’s exactly what the doctor ordered and that gives me confidence as the calendar turns to March. Maybe it does, but damn it’s hard not to drop your head and think we need ZZ. Winning tonight or really seems like our floor now is a 4 seed, 2 seed door is still cracked, 3 seed seems most likely. Get a 2 or a 3 and you definitely can win a game in the NCAAT and then it’s all about matchups, draw some struggling offensive teams and this squad can lock down some teams. I’m not sure how many consecutive games they can hold opponents under 60ppg, probably not 5-6, but hey I’m all for this squad putting a run together for ZZZ.



GBO!!!!
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This is one of those games we’ve talked about where Arky didn’t have any low post defenders that typically give us issues.
 
#60
#60
I worry that we run into a PG that no one can defend because we don't have as quick of a defender as ZZ, and he slices us up.
 
#64
#64
youcancallmeAl said:
So, are we a better team with SantiMashack 1/2, or Key/Santi 1/2 or 2/1? Guess we'll find out soon. I don't see Edwards playing major minutes.
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The core 6 will be Santi, Mashack, Phillips, JJJ, Olivier, Aidoo

They are pretty switchable defenders. I don’t worry about defense. It’s offense that is the concern.
 
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#65
#65
Several posters were upset that Barnes left the rotational players in instead of clearing the bench with a couple of minutes left. There could be several logical reasons.

One, it can be considered disrespectful to the opponent. TN could face Arky again next week.

Two, it was a late tip off and the game ran long. The regulars knew to let the clock run and the day ends sooner. It’s still a school night after all - not a Saturday night without classes the next day. Clearing the bench leads to a chaotic, drag it out scenario.

Third, it created an opportunity to pull out a couple of seniors while the crowd was buzzing loudly as the final buzzer approached. Not exactly the same to pull them out with several minutes remaining.

And no, the guys on the court weren’t at extraordinary risk of getting injured. They weren’t going exceptionally hard - they were pretty much coasting and letting the game wrap up. There could be more risk having a couple of walk-ons in the game along with a few regulars and everybody going hard to get the bench into the box score.

Finally, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Barnes looking so much all business like he does right now. He’s been very serious after the last two wins. Not joking around and getting all goofy celebrating.
 
#66
#66
omghulkhands said:
The core 6 will be Santi, Mashack, Phillips, JJJ, Olivier, Aidoo

They are pretty switchable defenders. I don’t worry about defense. It’s offense that is the concern.
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I think Key, once healthy, will be a factor as well.
 
#67
#67
Thunder Good-Oil said:
Several posters were upset that Barnes left the rotational players in instead of clearing the bench with a couple of minutes left. There could be several logical reasons.

One, it can be considered disrespectful to the opponent. TN could face Arky again next week.

Two, it was a late tip off and the game ran long. The regulars knew to let the clock run and the day ends sooner. It’s still a school night after all - not a Saturday night without classes the next day. Clearing the bench leads to a chaotic, drag it out scenario.

Third, it created an opportunity to pull out a couple of seniors while the crowd was buzzing loudly as the final buzzer approached. Not exactly the same to pull them out with several minutes remaining.

And no, the guys on the court weren’t at extraordinary risk of getting injured. They weren’t going exceptionally hard - they were pretty much coasting and letting the game wrap up. There could be more risk having a couple of walk-ons in the game along with a few regulars and everybody going hard to get the bench into the box score.

Finally, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Barnes looking so much all business like he does right now. He’s been very serious after the last two wins. Not joking around and getting all goofy celebrating.
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Knowing Barnes' character over the years at Tennessee, not sure how he would even be happy after a win last night given ZZ's injury.
 
#68
#68
omghulkhands said:
The core 6 will be Santi, Mashack, Phillips, JJJ, Olivier, Aidoo

They are pretty switchable defenders. I don’t worry about defense. It’s offense that is the concern.
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I think that Awaka has worked his way into the core “7”. Key, Uros, and BJE make for a pretty good group of the deep bench.
 
#70
#70
Thunder Good-Oil said:
I think that Awaka has worked his way into the core “7”. Key, Uros, and BJE make for a pretty good group of the deep bench.
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Yeah, but right now it seems Uros and Awaka’s minutes overlap. They usually share the court lately and sub in at same time, and don’t seem to be factors for the closing or opening lineups which is is why I didn’t include them. But yes, they will play important minutes. I think Uros, as he has demonstrated, can be an offensive weapon in certain matchups
 
#71
#71
omghulkhands said:
Yeah, but right now it seems Uros and Awaka’s minutes overlap. They usually share the court lately and sub in at same time, and don’t seem to be factors for the closing or opening lineups which is is why I didn’t include them. But yes, they will play important minutes. I think Uros, as he has demonstrated, can be an offensive weapon in certain matchups
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I think that Awaka had 7 first half rebounds. That guy and Mashack have really made huge strides recently.
 
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#72
#72
MoCo_Vol said:
6'7" Black: 12.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.2 apg, 2.0 spg, 46.9% FG, 32.1% 3PT
5'11" Green: 13.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.7 spg, 36.2% FG, 28.1% 3PT
5'10" Wheeler: 7.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 5.6 apg, 0.9 spg, 41.7% FG, 36.6% 3PT
6'1" Quinerly: 7.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.6 apg, 0.5 spg, 37.6% FG, 34.1% 3PT

I think Black is a far better overall PG than those guys especially when you add in his size and ability to finish at the rim. Green also is a volume guy and shoots nearly 2 more field goals a game than Black.
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So end of the game, down 2, inbounding with 10 secs left….you’re inbounding to Black over the others?

He’s a good guard, no argument there. I actually think he’d make a great wing if his 3pt shooting improved. I just don’t see him as the top guy in the country from a current skill standpoint. I do see him as a top draft pic, his ceiling is pretty high.
 
#73
#73
scottchatt said:
So end of the game, down 2, inbounding with 10 secs left….you’re inbounding to Black over the others?
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Black is 53% from 2
Green 41%
Quinerly 41%
Wheeler 44%

So yea, down 2 I’m not sure there is any intelligent person who wouldn’t choose Black.
 
#74
#74
youcancallmeAl said:
So, are we a better team with SantiMashack 1/2, or Key/Santi 1/2 or 2/1? Guess we'll find out soon. I don't see Edwards playing major minutes.
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I would only be giving Key spot minutes at this point. Mashack's emergence over the last few weeks demands he get major minutes. I think you rotate who brings the ball up, knowing that it will mostly be Santi. Our identity is a relentless defense and attacking the glass on offense. That's Mashack's identity as well. His slashing also opens things up on offense.
 
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#75
#75
scottchatt said:
So end of the game, down 2, inbounding with 10 secs left….you’re inbounding to Black over the others?

He’s a good guard, no argument there. I actually think he’d make a great wing if his 3pt shooting improved. I just don’t see him as the top guy in the country from a current skill standpoint. I do see him as a top draft pic, his ceiling is pretty high.
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100% I'd rather have Black driving and kicking out for an open shooter or taking it to the rim over any of those other 3.

He's a freshmen who will be drafted in the first round...they are all upperclassmen for a reason.
 
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