BTO’s North Carolina Postgame Report

[bleedingTNorange]

1. I think if you had told anyone that we’d score 92 points in regulation you’d have had a really hard time finding anyone thinking we lost that game, never saw that coming. That’s as bad of a half defensively as we’ve ever seen from a Rick Barnes team and according to him the worst he’s ever seen. To the guys credit they played a much better 2nd half and actually Outscored UNC 53-39, a much more respectable defensive showing, but still not great by any stretch of the imagination.

2. Maybe I should join the mislabels and be more down, but I’m not (other than the Knecht injury). Had the 2nd half not happened then ok, but offensively (even 1st half) we were really damn good and more than good enough to win the game. Leaving Maui folks questioned the ability of this team to score, going for 90 against UNC should help ease those concerns a bit. Now obviously it’s a L, but if we lose that game 68-60 we have many of the same questions still and are worried about things offensively still. Instead I’m feeling much better about us offensively and knowing Barnes I really don’t think you’re going to be seeing many showings like that from this defense.

3. As for why the defensive showing? No clue, but that can’t happen. Seems like there was some lack of leadership from some guys and Barnes was definitely not pleased with some of his veterans, neither Vescovi or Mashack played a bunch and definitely some harsh words for Vescovi postgame. Not sure if he’s struggling with the family situation he was dealing with back home, his new role on this team, or something else, but he’s really not playing like the guy we’ve come to know and that’s not something anyone saw coming and is really throwing a wrench into things imo.

4. I thought Zeigler looked better tonight than he has which was nice to see, also nice to see JJJ bounce back with as strong game, I know Gainey is catching some heat from folks but he’s doing what’s asked of him. He’s a streak shooter and unless you take those shots the streaks never start, he has the full on green light and he’s doing what is asked of him. With Santi struggling, ZZ not much offensively, Mashack still no perimeter game etc etc this team will continue to give Gainey the green light, and he’s still along the best 3pt shooters on the team, would like to see the 18 footer knocked off but he’s been better than he has bad for this offense.

5. Dalton Knecht was having an absolute moment tonight, don’t think we were coming back but he was putting folks on notice and going to be a household name after tonight, instead in typical Vol luck fashion he rolls an ankle and likely will be missing some time. Absolutely hate that for him and us, he seemed to be finding some footing and a next gear and was looking forward to continuing to watch him gel and this team gel, this squad is having some bad injury luck. Dilione and Awaka (feels like he could’ve helped tonight) both out, and now Knecht too, this rosters depth is getting tested early on.

6. With that said this is the time to do it if you’re going to have it happen, the schedule now finally lightens up and we get quite a few home games upcoming now as well. There’s no shame in the 3 losses we have, we are still a Top 10 teams by most every account, but that means you’ve gotta now go rattle off some wins against lesser competition coming up. Illinois at home and NCST at a neutral site aren’t gimmies, but they very winnable and they turn this resume into looking very good and that of a Top 10 team. Again, no shame in the 3 losses we have, teams aren’t going 31-0, learn from it and take the positives you had offensively and find the consistent approach defensively and things will be fine.




GBO!!!!

 

[Volfan1000]

1. I think if you had told anyone that we’d score 92 points in regulation you’d have had a really hard time finding anyone thinking we lost that game, never saw that coming. That’s as bad of a half defensively as we’ve ever seen from a Rick Barnes team and according to him the worst he’s ever seen. To the guys credit they played a much better 2nd half and actually Outscored UNC 53-39, a much more respectable defensive showing, but still not great by any stretch of the imagination.

2. Maybe I should join the mislabels and be more down, but I’m not (other than the Knecht injury). Had the 2nd half not happened then ok, but offensively (even 1st half) we were really damn good and more than good enough to win the game. Leaving Maui folks questioned the ability of this team to score, going for 90 against UNC should help ease those concerns a bit. Now obviously it’s a L, but if we lose that game 68-60 we have many of the same questions still and are worried about things offensively still. Instead I’m feeling much better about us offensively and knowing Barnes I really don’t think you’re going to be seeing many showings like that from this defense.

3. As for why the defensive showing? No clue, but that can’t happen. Seems like there was some lack of leadership from some guys and Barnes was definitely not pleased with some of his veterans, neither Vescovi or Mashack played a bunch and definitely some harsh words for Vescovi postgame. Not sure if he’s struggling with the family situation he was dealing with back home, his new role on this team, or something else, but he’s really not playing like the guy we’ve come to know and that’s not something anyone saw coming and is really throwing a wrench into things imo.

4. I thought Zeigler looked better tonight than he has which was nice to see, also nice to see JJJ bounce back with as strong game, I know Gainey is catching some heat from folks but he’s doing what’s asked of him. He’s a streak shooter and unless you take those shots the streaks never start, he has the full on green light and he’s doing what is asked of him. With Santi struggling, ZZ not much offensively, Mashack still no perimeter game etc etc this team will continue to give Gainey the green light, and he’s still along the best 3pt shooters on the team, would like to see the 18 footer knocked off but he’s been better than he has bad for this offense.

5. Dalton Knecht was having an absolute moment tonight, don’t think we were coming back but he was putting folks on notice and going to be a household name after tonight, instead in typical Vol luck fashion he rolls an ankle and likely will be missing some time. Absolutely hate that for him and us, he seemed to be finding some footing and a next gear and was looking forward to continuing to watch him gel and this team gel, this squad is having some bad injury luck. Dilione and Awaka (feels like he could’ve helped tonight) both out, and now Knecht too, this rosters depth is getting tested early on.

6. With that said this is the time to do it if you’re going to have it happen, the schedule now finally lightens up and we get quite a few home games upcoming now as well. There’s no shame in the 3 losses we have, we are still a Top 10 teams by most every account, but that means you’ve gotta now go rattle off some wins against lesser competition coming up. Illinois at home and NCST at a neutral site aren’t gimmies, but they very winnable and they turn this resume into looking very good and that of a Top 10 team. Again, no shame in the 3 losses we have, teams aren’t going 31-0, learn from it and take the positives you had offensively and find the consistent approach defensively and things will be fine.




GBO!!!!

Aidoo should be getting more than 4 rebounds a game and I think that the minutes that Estrella and Phillips played tonight will help them later on this season.

Tennessee will not play another offensive juggernaut like North Carolina again this season.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Aidoo should be getting more than 4 rebounds a game and I think that the minutes that Estrella and Phillips played tonight will help them later on this season.

Tennessee will not play another offensive juggernaut like North Carolina again this season.

Fwiw Alabama & Kentucky both have higher rated offenses than UNC

 

[StickMan]

Another superb writeup. This team is still a little behind the elite teams in terms of having the thoroughbred athletes. In my opinion, behind Knecht, the most important player on this team is Tobe Awaka. North Carolina got every single 50/50 ball tonight. With Awaka playing, that would not have been the case. I also think he's on the verge of developing an offensive game.

 

[walkenvol]

Concerning 2.

It’s hard for me to believe we’ve turned the corner when the guy who just took over for 37 doesn’t finish the game due to injury?

JJJ looked good aggressively driving the lane then gets timid late in the game during our run and stops short to miss a 10 footer. The refs are blowing the whistle if you even attempt to defend at the rim tonight - take it too the hole!

 

[CAVPUT]

K

Another superb writeup. This team is still a little behind the elite teams in terms of having the thoroughbred athletes. In my opinion, behind Knecht, the most important player on this team is Tobe Awaka. North Carolina got every single 50/50 ball tonight. With Awaka playing, that would not have been the case. I also think he's on the verge of developing an offensive game.

Awaka would've helped tonight, but he's an average post player and very limited on offense. Not the kind of player who will get you deep into the tournament. Good enough for the first couple of rounds if the offense is clicking but not much further.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

I don’t think anyone is excited about starting the season 4-3, even when you consider the level of competition. The loss is unfortunate, and we missed an opportunity to get a signature win. That said, I’m not actually concerned about the loss, nor the defense. I don’t know what happened in the first half, but I don’t expect that to happen again. Just don’t let it become a trend.

At this point, I am only concerned about Knecht’s health. He is clearly the cog in this engine that makes the machine run. I’m not sure how good this team can be without him. I can’t remember the last time I saw a player in Orange drive through traffic with 3 guys draped over him and lay it in with ease. His performance was one of the most impressive I think I have ever seen in a Vol uniform.

Once UNC had to double Knecht in the 2nd half, he was finding guys wide open for shots and creating for this team when we don’t have a ton of guys that can create on their own. It was a thing of beauty.

By no means am I saying I am giving up on the other guys on the floor shooting the ball, but if Knecht misses times, I do have some slight concerns about where the offense comes from. We scored 92 but 37 came from Knecht. 20 from JJJ. The rest of the offense struggled.

We have a chance to rebound and build some momentum going into conference play. It’s not going to be easy necessarily, but I don’t see any excuse to not go 6-0 and head into SEC play 10-3. We have the talent even if Knecht isn’t back for awhile. But it is going to be gut check time for some of the guys on the floor trying to find their identity. We need Santi desperately.

 

[SonOfGodVolforlife]

1. I think if you had told anyone that we’d score 92 points in regulation you’d have had a really hard time finding anyone thinking we lost that game, never saw that coming. That’s as bad of a half defensively as we’ve ever seen from a Rick Barnes team and according to him the worst he’s ever seen. To the guys credit they played a much better 2nd half and actually Outscored UNC 53-39, a much more respectable defensive showing, but still not great by any stretch of the imagination.

2. Maybe I should join the mislabels and be more down, but I’m not (other than the Knecht injury). Had the 2nd half not happened then ok, but offensively (even 1st half) we were really damn good and more than good enough to win the game. Leaving Maui folks questioned the ability of this team to score, going for 90 against UNC should help ease those concerns a bit. Now obviously it’s a L, but if we lose that game 68-60 we have many of the same questions still and are worried about things offensively still. Instead I’m feeling much better about us offensively and knowing Barnes I really don’t think you’re going to be seeing many showings like that from this defense.

3. As for why the defensive showing? No clue, but that can’t happen. Seems like there was some lack of leadership from some guys and Barnes was definitely not pleased with some of his veterans, neither Vescovi or Mashack played a bunch and definitely some harsh words for Vescovi postgame. Not sure if he’s struggling with the family situation he was dealing with back home, his new role on this team, or something else, but he’s really not playing like the guy we’ve come to know and that’s not something anyone saw coming and is really throwing a wrench into things imo.

4. I thought Zeigler looked better tonight than he has which was nice to see, also nice to see JJJ bounce back with as strong game, I know Gainey is catching some heat from folks but he’s doing what’s asked of him. He’s a streak shooter and unless you take those shots the streaks never start, he has the full on green light and he’s doing what is asked of him. With Santi struggling, ZZ not much offensively, Mashack still no perimeter game etc etc this team will continue to give Gainey the green light, and he’s still along the best 3pt shooters on the team, would like to see the 18 footer knocked off but he’s been better than he has bad for this offense.

5. Dalton Knecht was having an absolute moment tonight, don’t think we were coming back but he was putting folks on notice and going to be a household name after tonight, instead in typical Vol luck fashion he rolls an ankle and likely will be missing some time. Absolutely hate that for him and us, he seemed to be finding some footing and a next gear and was looking forward to continuing to watch him gel and this team gel, this squad is having some bad injury luck. Dilione and Awaka (feels like he could’ve helped tonight) both out, and now Knecht too, this rosters depth is getting tested early on.

6. With that said this is the time to do it if you’re going to have it happen, the schedule now finally lightens up and we get quite a few home games upcoming now as well. There’s no shame in the 3 losses we have, we are still a Top 10 teams by most every account, but that means you’ve gotta now go rattle off some wins against lesser competition coming up. Illinois at home and NCST at a neutral site aren’t gimmies, but they very winnable and they turn this resume into looking very good and that of a Top 10 team. Again, no shame in the 3 losses we have, teams aren’t going 31-0, learn from it and take the positives you had offensively and find the consistent approach defensively and things will be fine.




GBO!!!!

The defense didn’t show up bc the teams tired. Tn don’t play zone, Barnes would rather man up. I’m more worried about knechts ankle then these last few losses. Proud the team even had a chance in this one with all things considered.

 

[calban]

The defense didn’t show up bc the teams tired. Tn don’t play zone, Barnes would rather man up. I’m more worried about knechts ankle then these last few losses. Proud the team even had a chance in this one with all things considered.

Tired? Lol. If they're tired 6 games in they're playing the wrong sport.

 

[JacketVol]

Tired? Lol. If they're tired 6 games in they're playing the wrong sport.

Almost all teams coming back from Maui struggle coming back in their first game. It’s called jet lag.

 

[THEONLYTENISEE]

K

Awaka would've helped tonight, but he's an average post player and very limited on offense. Not the kind of player who will get you deep into the tournament. Good enough for the first couple of rounds if the offense is clicking but not much further.

Do you think Estella and Phillips have a higher ceiling than Awaka? In terms of rebounding and points later in the season.

 

[TNVOLFN]

I just wish this team would cut out the 15-18 foot jump shots. I'd rather see them take two dribbles past half court and launch a 3 point attempt.

None of the good teams we play against even attempt those shots anymore.

Defense was a head scratcher tonight, our rotations were terrible and I'm really disappointed in the defensive rebounding effort.

 

[njvols]

Guess D doesn't always "travel". If this ugly stretch of losses helps us get our stuff together for SEC play then ok...but it seems we're disjointed...maybe partly trying to figure out our flow w/ a legit 10 person rotation.

 

[StickMan]

Do you think Estella and Phillips have a higher ceiling than Awaka? In terms of rebounding and points later in the season.

I don't think so. And I think they're both going to be solid players. I predict by his junior season Awaka is going to be a double-double machine. He just needs more experience, and he needs to improve his free throw shooting.

 

[ColinS]

The defense didn’t show up bc the teams tired. Tn don’t play zone, Barnes would rather man up. I’m more worried about knechts ankle then these last few losses. Proud the team even had a chance in this one with all things considered.

What made us tired? Why wasn't North Carolia tired? Are you saying we have a conditioning problem all of a sudden?

 

[ColinS]

Almost all teams coming back from Maui struggle coming back in their first game. It’s called jet lag.

Why wasn't Syracuse tired when they came back and played the best game they have all season. Somebody needs to start a lame excuse thread where we can all come in and drop them when the team plays bad.

 

[BigOrangeFanatic]

Even with Knect healthy I don't think this is a Top 10 team right now. They have the potential to be, but they are a looooong ways away at the moment.

I thought having 2 additional scoring guards in Knect and Gainey would only open things up more for Santi but it's been the complete opposite. Now with Knect out for what appears to be a while, Santi has got to step up.

People may think I'm crazy, but we are seriously missing Plavsic this year. Just having another big body to throw in there and beat and bang and foul and hack the other big men is missing. We absolutely have no down low defense and when we play someone who has a decent threat to score in the paint we get dominated.

I don't see any way this team wins the SEC right now. UK looks like the easy favorite at the moment. I don't see us beating them either time unless we get a lot better by the time we play them.

 

[Chaz-Vol]

I really hope the light goes on for Vescovi. There's probably a top 5-10 offensive talent we've seen wear orange in last 20 years in Knecht and if vols other all SEC performer doesn't show up it puts so much more on his shoulders. We've yet to see this season both Knecht and Vescovi playing well the same half. That is what's going to propel this team to beat best of the best.

 

[Sin City Vol]

Barnes has got to get Gainey under control, His shot selection is horrible. I know he’s supposed to be a shooter/scorer but he’s about as consistent as JJJ (who btw played really good last night).

Something is off with Vescovi, I think the addition of Knect has him second guessing things.

The first half was awful but they fought hard and got back in it. Tough 3 game stretch but it’s a long season.

 

[Godfatha]

Disappointing the way we played the first half, but I fully expect this team to be rolling at the end of the year.

Having rolled my ankle countless times in my ball playing days, I feel the pain. Hopefully it will be one that will be all good in a couple of weeks. If it was going to happen, at least it happens now with December being a relatively light month.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

K

Awaka would've helped tonight, but he's an average post player and very limited on offense. Not the kind of player who will get you deep into the tournament. Good enough for the first couple of rounds if the offense is clicking but not much further.

My thought was more he likely could’ve held position against Bacot much better than Aidoo, likely less fouls thus fewer UNC FTs, and also likely rebounds better than Aidoo so fewer ORBs and 2nd chance opportunities for UNC.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

The defense didn’t show up bc the teams tired. Tn don’t play zone, Barnes would rather man up. I’m more worried about knechts ankle then these last few losses. Proud the team even had a chance in this one with all things considered.

Not many teams play zone my man

 

[orangello]

Concerning our defense - It seems to me we don't switch at screens nearly as often. Sometimes, there is a split second of hesitation that results in "getting beat". That is also a small part of our high foul totals. We've got a roster designed to be able to switch at screens. More switches also allows us to hide weaker defensive players that are vital to the offense.

 

[CAVPUT]

I don’t think anyone is excited about starting the season 4-3, even when you consider the level of competition. The loss is unfortunate, and we missed an opportunity to get a signature win. That said, I’m not actually concerned about the loss, nor the defense. I don’t know what happened in the first half, but I don’t expect that to happen again. Just don’t let it become a trend.

At this point, I am only concerned about Knecht’s health. He is clearly the cog in this engine that makes the machine run. I’m not sure how good this team can be without him. I can’t remember the last time I saw a player in Orange drive through traffic with 3 guys draped over him and lay it in with ease. His performance was one of the most impressive I think I have ever seen in a Vol uniform.

Once UNC had to double Knecht in the 2nd half, he was finding guys wide open for shots and creating for this team when we don’t have a ton of guys that can create on their own. It was a thing of beauty.

By no means am I saying I am giving up on the other guys on the floor shooting the ball, but if Knecht misses times, I do have some slight concerns about where the offense comes from. We scored 92 but 37 came from Knecht. 20 from JJJ. The rest of the offense struggled.

We have a chance to rebound and build some momentum going into conference play. It’s not going to be easy necessarily, but I don’t see any excuse to not go 6-0 and head into SEC play 10-3. We have the talent even if Knecht isn’t back for awhile. But it is going to be gut check time for some of the guys on the floor trying to find their identity. We need Santi desperately.

Not sure what the deal is with Vescovi and even Mashack, but I kept wondering how we might have looked with Dillione paired with Knecht. The free throw numbers might not look so bad if we had guys trying to finish at the rim more often. I have to wonder if there's some petty jealousy at play with Vescovi and maybe Mashack. Barnes has preached defense from the jump, but let's be honest, both Knecht and Gainey aren't much in the way of defenders, but Knecht is pretty much the offensive spark plug. Gainey is the coach's son. Those guys aren't going to see the end of Barne's bench. Maybe Vescovi sees a double standard? Maybe he's jealous of the attention Knecht is getting? Quite the quandry Barnes might be facing if he has to accept the lack of defense from the portal guys in favor of their offense while demanding it from everyone else. We just need Dillione, Awaka and now Knecht healthy. With the upcoming schedule, it might be best to continue resting those guys and letting some of these freshmen get valuable court time. Again, I know Barnes will use his bench to get their attention and rightfully so, but now he's going to have to watch how quick he is on that trigger with the youngsters. He has to give them a little more leeway going forward.

 

[CAVPUT]

My thought was more he likely could’ve held position against Bacot much better than Aidoo, likely less fouls thus fewer UNC FTs, and also likely rebounds better than Aidoo so fewer ORBs and 2nd chance opportunities for UNC.

True. Aidoo disappoints me. I really thought his game would make a jump with experience. He's a decent shot blocker and he alters teams shots in the paint. The rest of his game is mostly hit and miss. He's just not got the physicality or aggressiveness I'd hoped to see.