BTO’s Ole Miss Postgame Report

[bleedingTNorange]

1. Winning on the road in league play is rarely easy, it’s the case every year and will be once again this year, many folks don’t get that but it’s absolutely the case. You take any conference road win you can get and don’t complain about it, that doesn’t mean there aren’t areas for improvement or things to improve on, but you also don’t try to draw a conclusion about how bad a team is because of a win on the road.

2. Santi was really good tonight and that was great to see given his early season struggles but strong performance against Austin Peay last time out. Makes you feel a little more optimistic that he will be the scorer we hoped that he would be and will be back to the consistent threat from 3 the nation has come to know.

3. With that said, can’t compliment much else offensively which is continuing to be an issue for this team. We fell further in KenPoms offensive efficiency, now down to 108.9 which is 53rd nationally, even with the #1 defense that’s just not good enough to get it done. We have to be a bit more balanced and have to find some consistent scorers, Phillips continues to struggle as does Key, we have no consistent offensive post threat and that’s obviously an issue as well. We don’t help ourselves by also missing too many free throws, right now the offense is just not good and we really need to find a way for it to improve.

4. Defensively we continue to be elite, which given the first 10-12 minutes of the game didn’t appear that way at all, but the final 25-30 minutes of defense was very good. Defensive rating on KenPom actually improved a tenth of a point and we still sit at an absolutely elite 80.7 defensive rating which is among the best there’s ever been. Because of this defense we will will a ton of games, but all it will take with this offense struggling is a hot team and we can lose on just about any given night to any team, as we saw us flirting with tonight.

5. It’s time for Plav to lose his starting spot, Nkamhoua, Aidoo & even Awaka continue to outplay him and he’s essentially starting and playing 4-5 minutes a half and that’s it. We’ve started slow in quite a few games and I’m not sure it’s a total coincidence as to what the starting 5 is. I don’t much care if it’s Aidoo, or going small, but I just feel pretty strongly that it shouldn’t be Plavsic at this point.

6. We move to 11-2(1-0), I said last week we really needed to try and take advantage of our opening schedule and start out 4-0, we got the 1st one tonight. Projections had us at 26-5(15-3) and winning your opening road game will only strengthen those projections, feels good to get that first SEC win out of the way and the fact it was on the road is even sweeter. We get a nice little break and then host Mississippi State at home, as tough as it is to win on the road you gotta make sure to protect your home, let’s get the W and start SEC play 2-0.


GBO!!!!

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Tonight's performance by Uros is why I had no problem with Barnes calling him out. To put it bluntly, he sucked.

 

[tnburban]

Win is a win. Especially a road win after the holiday hangover. Luckily they got down early and had enough time to wake up and realize this was SEC ball, not Austin Peay.

 

[calban]

Good hard fought win as will be most Sec road games this season. Big boys improving every game.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

Nice write up BTO. Aidoo definitely deserves more minutes.

 

[JoAllan]

6 offensive rebounds by Aidoo = really good (Mississippi only had 7 as a team).

26 free attempts = really good. Need to start making more. Tennessee is too good at getting to the line to leave so many off the table.

Good road win. Nice to see Tennessee fight and come back for a win as well.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

I’m happy to get the ugly win. Hard first half to watch, but it is what it is. Agreed on Plavsic. He needs to sit even more. He just provides very little right now and I think a new look starting lineup might help with our slow starts as you said.

Offense obviously is a concern, but I just have to hope that Key, Phillips, and ZZ will find their stride soon. Key has been a huge disappointment. I didn’t expect an ALL-SEC caliber guard, but we were sold that he transferred here to provide some perimeter shooting and experience, and so far he has looked out of his element. His offense has been fairly non-existant.

 

[Halph66]

Ole Miss. has a solid team, that had a good game plan for the Vols. Good road win.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

5. It’s time for Plav to lose his starting spot, Nkamhoua, Aidoo & even Awaka continue to outplay him and he’s essentially starting and playing 4-5 minutes a half and that’s it. We’ve started slow in quite a few games and I’m not sure it’s a total coincidence as to what the starting 5 is. I don’t much care if it’s Aidoo, or going small, but I just feel pretty strongly that it shouldn’t be Plavsic at this point.

I’d like to know the rate of fouls called in the first few minutes of each half before agreeing. Plus Uros gets a lot of the opening tip-offs. And young players make a lot of mistakes when they’re settling in. I like starting Uros. Plus he’s usually good for getting a couple fouls (and bruises) on opposing bigs that get frustrated at the physical play. Start him. If he produces leave him in a bit or bring him back later for a few. If he’s not helping sub him at the first time out.

Every player makes mistakes. Posters love to jump all over every one of UP’s.

 

[vol94]

1. Winning on the road in league play is rarely easy, it’s the case every year and will be once again this year, many folks don’t get that but it’s absolutely the case. You take any conference road win you can get and don’t complain about it, that doesn’t mean there aren’t areas for improvement or things to improve on, but you also don’t try to draw a conclusion about how bad a team is because of a win on the road.

2. Santi was really good tonight and that was great to see given his early season struggles but strong performance against Austin Peay last time out. Makes you feel a little more optimistic that he will be the scorer we hoped that he would be and will be back to the consistent threat from 3 the nation has come to know.

3. With that said, can’t compliment much else offensively which is continuing to be an issue for this team. We fell further in KenPoms offensive efficiency, now down to 108.9 which is 53rd nationally, even with the #1 defense that’s just not good enough to get it done. We have to be a bit more balanced and have to find some consistent scorers, Phillips continues to struggle as does Key, we have no consistent offensive post threat and that’s obviously an issue as well. We don’t help ourselves by also missing too many free throws, right now the offense is just not good and we really need to find a way for it to improve.

4. Defensively we continue to be elite, which given the first 10-12 minutes of the game didn’t appear that way at all, but the final 25-30 minutes of defense was very good. Defensive rating on KenPom actually improved a tenth of a point and we still sit at an absolutely elite 80.7 defensive rating which is among the best there’s ever been. Because of this defense we will will a ton of games, but all it will take with this offense struggling is a hot team and we can lose on just about any given night to any team, as we saw us flirting with tonight.

5. It’s time for Plav to lose his starting spot, Nkamhoua, Aidoo & even Awaka continue to outplay him and he’s essentially starting and playing 4-5 minutes a half and that’s it. We’ve started slow in quite a few games and I’m not sure it’s a total coincidence as to what the starting 5 is. I don’t much care if it’s Aidoo, or going small, but I just feel pretty strongly that it shouldn’t be Plavsic at this point.

6. We move to 11-2(1-0), I said last week we really needed to try and take advantage of our opening schedule and start out 4-0, we got the 1st one tonight. Projections had us at 26-5(15-3) and winning your opening road game will only strengthen those projections, feels good to get that first SEC win out of the way and the fact it was on the road is even sweeter. We get a nice little break and then host Mississippi State at home, as tough as it is to win on the road you gotta make sure to protect your home, let’s get the W and start SEC play 2-0.


GBO!!!!

Nice write up. Good points regarding offensive struggles and foul shooting. Maybe we don’t have the athleticism, but I’d like to see someone go to the rim. KC was that guy towards the end of the yr. I’m not sure if ZZ has the side but getting to the foul line could help offset offensive deficiencies.

Uros- it’s time to sit him and give someone else an opportunity.


It’s only Dec so we have time as defense will win us many games, but this team needs to pick up the offense.

I’ve missed some games this yr but don’t recall seeing many transition baskets.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

I’d like to know the rate of fouls called in the first few minutes of each half before agreeing. Plus Uros gets a lot of the opening tip-offs. And young players make a lot of mistakes when they’re settling in. I like starting Uros. Plus he’s usually good for getting a couple fouls (and bruises) on opposing bigs that get frustrated at the physical play. Start him. If he produces leave him in a bit or bring him back later for a few. If he’s not helping sub him at the first time out.

Every player makes mistakes. Posters love to jump all over every one of UP’s.

Hypothetically, what would Uros have to do for you to stop starting him? He was pretty abysmal today in the first 5-7 minutes of the 1st half and he has not played well the past few games. I don’t see how mixing it up hurts anything. Especially with how much Aidoo has emerged on defense and the boards.

I know that you have been an ardent Uros defender since he stepped foot on campus, so I’m just curious at what point you would stop losing faith in him.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Hypothetically, what would Uros have to do for you to stop starting him? He was pretty abysmal today in the first 5-7 minutes of the 1st half and he has not played well the past few games. I don’t see how mixing it up hurts anything. Especially with how much Aidoo has emerged on defense and the boards.

I know that you have been an ardent Uros defender since he stepped foot on campus, so I’m just curious at what point you would stop losing faith in him.

Didn't you post a tweet in the game thread that ZZ has more blocks than him?

 

[TheMookieMonster]

Didn't you post a tweet in the game thread that ZZ has more blocks than him?

I did.

 

[Volfan1000]

1. Winning on the road in league play is rarely easy, it’s the case every year and will be once again this year, many folks don’t get that but it’s absolutely the case. You take any conference road win you can get and don’t complain about it, that doesn’t mean there aren’t areas for improvement or things to improve on, but you also don’t try to draw a conclusion about how bad a team is because of a win on the road.

2. Santi was really good tonight and that was great to see given his early season struggles but strong performance against Austin Peay last time out. Makes you feel a little more optimistic that he will be the scorer we hoped that he would be and will be back to the consistent threat from 3 the nation has come to know.

3. With that said, can’t compliment much else offensively which is continuing to be an issue for this team. We fell further in KenPoms offensive efficiency, now down to 108.9 which is 53rd nationally, even with the #1 defense that’s just not good enough to get it done. We have to be a bit more balanced and have to find some consistent scorers, Phillips continues to struggle as does Key, we have no consistent offensive post threat and that’s obviously an issue as well. We don’t help ourselves by also missing too many free throws, right now the offense is just not good and we really need to find a way for it to improve.

4. Defensively we continue to be elite, which given the first 10-12 minutes of the game didn’t appear that way at all, but the final 25-30 minutes of defense was very good. Defensive rating on KenPom actually improved a tenth of a point and we still sit at an absolutely elite 80.7 defensive rating which is among the best there’s ever been. Because of this defense we will will a ton of games, but all it will take with this offense struggling is a hot team and we can lose on just about any given night to any team, as we saw us flirting with tonight.

5. It’s time for Plav to lose his starting spot, Nkamhoua, Aidoo & even Awaka continue to outplay him and he’s essentially starting and playing 4-5 minutes a half and that’s it. We’ve started slow in quite a few games and I’m not sure it’s a total coincidence as to what the starting 5 is. I don’t much care if it’s Aidoo, or going small, but I just feel pretty strongly that it shouldn’t be Plavsic at this point.

6. We move to 11-2(1-0), I said last week we really needed to try and take advantage of our opening schedule and start out 4-0, we got the 1st one tonight. Projections had us at 26-5(15-3) and winning your opening road game will only strengthen those projections, feels good to get that first SEC win out of the way and the fact it was on the road is even sweeter. We get a nice little break and then host Mississippi State at home, as tough as it is to win on the road you gotta make sure to protect your home, let’s get the W and start SEC play 2-0.


GBO!!!!

Expounding on bullet point 3........... Aidoo, Awaka and Nkamhoua all have the potential to become double figure scorers consistently in the post.

Expounding on bullet point 5........... Aidoo should replace Plavsic at the center position on Saturday as he got 13 boards and 8 points to go with 3 rejections tonight.

Solid road win at a place that has been historically tough for us to win at on a consistent basis.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I’d like to know the rate of fouls called in the first few minutes of each half before agreeing. Plus Uros gets a lot of the opening tip-offs. And young players make a lot of mistakes when they’re settling in. I like starting Uros. Plus he’s usually good for getting a couple fouls (and bruises) on opposing bigs that get frustrated at the physical play. Start him. If he produces leave him in a bit or bring him back later for a few. If he’s not helping sub him at the first time out.

Every player makes mistakes. Posters love to jump all over every one of UP’s.

I prefer starting the guys who continue to play better and who also continue to improve, and will likely be here 2-3 more years. Barnes himself said he continues to give Aidoo more and more 1st team reps, guessing he feels similar.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Hypothetically, what would Uros have to do for you to stop starting him? He was pretty abysmal today in the first 5-7 minutes of the 1st half and he has not played well the past few games. I don’t see how mixing it up hurts anything. Especially with how much Aidoo has emerged on defense and the boards.

I know that you have been an ardent Uros defender since he stepped foot on campus, so I’m just curious at what point you would stop losing faith in him.

Why not start him? He’s going to play 8-12 minutes a game no matter what. He has to. Our other bigs use up 4 or 5 of their fouls every game.

Having experienced players on the court early isn’t a bad idea.

Starting him means if he really is as bad as some loud posters think, then putting him in at other points of the game would mess up the cohesion.

Also, he’s probably not blowing defensive assignments at the same rate as underclassmen are.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Didn't you post a tweet in the game thread that ZZ has more blocks than him?

Players tend to guard opponents of similar size. ZZ’s not guarding big post players very often.

 

[VOLfrombama]

Aidoo and Awaka have played circles around Uros. Maybe some time on the bench would cure whatever ails him

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

I prefer starting the guys who continue to play better and who also continue to improve, and will likely be here 2-3 more years. Barnes himself said he continues to give Aidoo more and more 1st team reps, guessing he feels similar.

So you’d start the guys that are making mistakes - because they will get better. Okay, Coach.

 

[ColinS]

I’d like to know the rate of fouls called in the first few minutes of each half before agreeing. Plus Uros gets a lot of the opening tip-offs. And young players make a lot of mistakes when they’re settling in. I like starting Uros. Plus he’s usually good for getting a couple fouls (and bruises) on opposing bigs that get frustrated at the physical play. Start him. If he produces leave him in a bit or bring him back later for a few. If he’s not helping sub him at the first time out.

Every player makes mistakes. Posters love to jump all over every one of UP’s.

UP is not that physical. I'm not sure what you are watching. He is bigger and stronger than our other bigs but plays soft. He talks a tough game though

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Rebounds per 40 minutes:

#1) Awaka - 21.6
#2) Aidoo - 12.5
#3) Plavsic - 11.9
#4) JJJ - 9.6

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

UP is not that physical. I'm not sure what you are watching. He is bigger and stronger than our other bigs but plays soft. He talks a tough game though

Aidoo and Phillips get tossed around like rag dolls in the paint. Uros doesn’t. ORN runs away from the paint on offense.

Uros is the best on the team at setting high picks. It’s pretty physical when players are running into you.

You all need to be calling and writing Barnes since he apparently has no clue how to do his job correctly.

 

[ColinS]

Why not start him? He’s going to play 8-12 minutes a game no matter what. He has to. Our other bigs use up 4 or 5 of their fouls every game.

Having experienced players on the court early isn’t a bad idea.

Starting him means if he really is as bad as some loud posters think, then putting him in at other points of the game would mess up the cohesion.

Also, he’s probably not blowing defensive assignments at the same rate as underclassmen are.

It's not as bad as playing the first 5 minutes without a point guard on the floor. That could easily get us down double digits against a good team. Plus you never know when the refs are gonna try to make a point at the beginning of the game and get whistle happy. I would rather UP get those fouls than our other bigs. UP has to be better than he was tonight though. He was straight up pathetic. About the time I give up on him, and I back at that point, he comes out and plays like he did against Arizona.

 

[ColinS]

Aidoo and Phillips get tossed around like rag dolls in the paint. Uros doesn’t. ORN runs away from the paint on offense.

Uros is the best at setting high picks on the team. It’s pretty physical when players are running into you.

You all need to be calling and writing Barnes since he apparently has no clue how to do his job correctly.

We are not very physical as a team down low is your point. I agree.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

It's not as bad as playing the first 5 minutes without a point guard on the floor. That could easily get us down double digits against a good team. Plus you never know when the refs are gonna try to make a point at the beginning of the game and get whistle happy. I would rather UP get those fouls than our other bigs. UP has to be better than he was tonight though. He was straight up pathetic. About the time I give up on him, and I back at they point, he comes out and plays like he did against Arizona.

He’ll occasionally have the best assist of the game.