BTO’s Texas A&M Postgame Report

[NighthawkVol]

I thought Barnes was also waaaay too slow to adjust and try going small, I get that on the surface they’re killing you on the boards and so the thought is size to counter that, but A&M isn’t big. They use speed and toughness to get rebounds and many are of the long rebound variety where quickness helps. At the 15 minute mark down 48-28 we went small and inserted Mashack and played small the rest of the way, even some super small with JJJ at the 5, we outscored A&M 41-37 over those 15 minutes. Don’t be so stubborn in your ways, if it’s not working don’t double down which he did first and went 2 bigs, this was a Mashack game for sure.

I was screaming for Mashack in the first half. Also, Awaka. He was a much better matchup against aTm than Aidoo. Aidoo continues to be way too soft on the offensive end.

In fact, I think Awaka playing as many minutes as he did without fouling much was one of the few bright spots.

 

[ndubvols]

I thought Barnes was also waaaay too slow to adjust and try going small, I get that on the surface they’re killing you on the boards and so the thought is size to counter that, but A&M isn’t big. They use speed and toughness to get rebounds and many are of the long rebound variety where quickness helps. At the 15 minute mark down 48-28 we went small and inserted Mashack and played small the rest of the way, even some super small with JJJ at the 5, we outscored A&M 41-37 over those 15 minutes. Don’t be so stubborn in your ways, if it’s not working don’t double down which he did first and went 2 bigs, this was a Mashack game for sure.

Really not sure why barnes didn’t play mashack more in the first half. We were struggling to guard and rebound, both things he excels at but he couldn’t have had more than 3-4 minutes in the first half.

 

[BreatheUT]

I have thought about this, and I still don't know where the "deep bench" assertion is coming from. We bring in Awaka, Mashack, and Gainey. Anyone else that gets in doesn't give us anything. If you want to see a definition of a deep bench then look at a few other teams around the league headed by Auburn. They have around 10 reliable guys. Kentucky is even deeper now that they have Thiero and Z. They have 3 7-footers and Mitchell. They are young and are getting beat up but all of those guys are expected contributors.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Really not sure why barnes didn’t play mashack more in the first half. We were struggling to guard and rebound, both things he excels at but he couldn’t have had more than 3-4 minutes in the first half.

He brings energy. But statistically he’s kind of average. JJJ is the best rebounding guard. Awaka and Aidoo are the top rebounders followed by JJJ. DJ is a statistical anomaly as the top rebounder - but he’s only played 3 minutes.

Mashack is a frequent fouler, but that makes sense because he guards with a lot of effort and is guarding opponents’ best offensive players.

 

[JohnWardForever]

We will most likely end up a three seed when it’s all said and done. I see no way we beat SC at their place. Same for Alabama. We probably win 2/3 against Auburn, A&M, and Kentucky at home which puts us at 12-6 in league play, 22-9 overall. Barring an early round upset loss in the SEC Tournament, probably good enough for a three seed.

WOW! A realistic fan..... Careful...

 

[ndubvols]

He brings energy. But statistically he’s kind of average. JJJ is the best rebounding guard. Awaka and Aidoo are the top rebounders followed by JJJ. DJ is a statistical anomaly as the top rebounder - but he’s only played 3 minutes.

Mashack is a frequent fouler, but that makes sense because he guards with a lot of effort and is guarding opponents’ best offensive players.

JjJ plays primarily the 4 so would expect his rebounding numbers to be better statistically. Either way, I would’ve been fine with jjj and mashack on the court together given our struggles with rebounding and defending the other night. Mashack is our best and most versatile defender imo and would’ve liked to have seen him guard Taylor to try and slow him down early. We also settled for way too many jump shots in the first half and mashack is one who can put his head down and get in the lane.

I outlined it in another thread the other day, but imo mashack needs 20+ minutes a game and our record against power 5 teams supports that.

 

[b_gann]

I thought Barnes was also waaaay too slow to adjust and try going small, I get that on the surface they’re killing you on the boards and so the thought is size to counter that, but A&M isn’t big. They use speed and toughness to get rebounds and many are of the long rebound variety where quickness helps. At the 15 minute mark down 48-28 we went small and inserted Mashack and played small the rest of the way, even some super small with JJJ at the 5, we outscored A&M 41-37 over those 15 minutes. Don’t be so stubborn in your ways, if it’s not working don’t double down which he did first and went 2 bigs, this was a Mashack game for sure.

Mashack and Awaka are the two that can bring a level of physicality and athleticism to these games. Need to make the switch earlier like you said.

 

[cncchris33]

He brings energy. But statistically he’s kind of average. JJJ is the best rebounding guard. Awaka and Aidoo are the top rebounders followed by JJJ. DJ is a statistical anomaly as the top rebounder - but he’s only played 3 minutes.

Mashack is a frequent fouler, but that makes sense because he guards with a lot of effort and is guarding opponents’ best offensive players.

JJJ is the best rebounding guard, historically, but he got beat like a bad dog on the boards against aTm. 3 rebounds in 32 minutes and the man he was tasked with keeping off the boards got 17 of them. Granted, Garcia is one of the best in the conference at rebounding, but if you're going to play 32 minutes and contribute nothing on offense, the least you could do is make it your night's mission to hold him to 10 or less, by any means necessary. Garcia doesn't have a size advantage, but he outworked JJJ and nearly doubled his season average on the boards.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Mashack and Awaka are the two that can bring a level of physicality and athleticism to these games. Need to make the switch earlier like you said.

Earlier, but not necessarily early. Refs seem to really be struggling defining what’s a foul - especially early in a lot of games. It might make sense to hold out the more physical players at the beginning of games until the refs have calmed down. BUT, they are very inconsistent. LSU might not have gotten into the bonus in the first half.

 

[birdie74]

1. Another tough L, not because it’s a season ender or anything like that but because it’s seemingly another missed opportunity. You win that one and you’re likely on the 1 seed line and probably the #4 team in the country in new polls, instead you stick on the 2 line most likely and probably drop a spot or 2 in the new poll. Again not a season ender, but with the season winding down the opportunities get fewer and fewer and the fashion in which we took that L just makes it feel that much worse.

2. I’ve mentioned it before, but feels even more glaring the further we get into the season, in large part this team is going to rely on Santi , Aidoo & JJJ. I say that meaning for the most part you know what you’re going to get from ZZ & DK, and they’re going to bring it most nights, but it can’t just be them. 3-13 combined from SV & JJJ just isn’t going to get it done, when JJJ scores 8+ we are 12-1, less than that we are 4-5, there’s similar correlation with Santi as well although not quite as drastic. I get that nobody wants to have to rely on those 2, they can’t be trusted to bring it consistently as 5th year seniors and it’s frustrating, unfortunately it is what it is at this point, to reach our ceiling we have to rely on them showing up.

3. I also know nobody wants to hear this but it’s college basketball, we are at the point in the season where teams seasons are reaching a point of going 1 of 2 ways. A&M was on the bubble and in need of a signature win, at their house on a weekend night game, they came out ready to play and the team clearly wanting it more. Now that’s an issue and we needed to be ready, but it’s also not a total shock to see a hornets nest like that, Auburn who’s coached by so manys favorite coach got similarly whacked by Florida at their place yesterday. Again that’s not an excuse, but it’s also not a total shock, is what it is.

4. Big picture again it’s not a season ender, it’s more so a missed opportunity than anything. We talked about a real chance of a 6 game winning streak before entering the final 4 games, obviously that’s out the window. 1-1 now with 4 winnable games left, really need to win as many of those as possible obviously. Arkansas, Vandy & Missouri don’t have much of anything to play for, win those 3 and then A&M returns to Knoxville for what is now and intriguing rematch, and then on to the final 4 game stretch.




GBO!!!

…..but just how important is a # 1 seed? Isn’t it rare that multiple 1 seeds make the Final 4? Granted, we couldn’t beat a 6 seed with the performance we witnessed on Saturday night.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

…..but just how important is a # 1 seed? Isn’t it rare that multiple 1 seeds make the Final 4? Granted, we couldn’t beat a 6 seed with the performance we witnessed on Saturday night.

I think that statistically it’s very significant for the S16 and EE. I’ll leave up to somebody else to confirm - I’m just going on my recollection of other posts.

 

[cncchris33]

…..but just how important is a # 1 seed? Isn’t it rare that multiple 1 seeds make the Final 4? Granted, we couldn’t beat a 6 seed with the performance we witnessed on Saturday night.

Upsets happen at every seed line in every round, anymore, but statistically, 1-seeds have the most favorable outcome getting to the 2nd weekend. From there, it's all about matchups and luck.

This data doesn't include last year's NCAAT numbers, but is still a significant snapshot of success by seed going back to 1985.

 

[ColinS]

It's more than that. It might not be "Super Bowl" level, but your reasoning why it's not is pure BS. We've been in the top ten all season, with the exception of a couple of weeks. We've got a contender for national POY, and easily the best player in the SEC. We've been the best team in the conference over the past few seasons. Not surprising you would try to diminish a certain factor we deal with every time we play

Teams want to beat us because we are a Top 10 team and that's it. We are nobodies Superbowl. That is delusional. We have never even been to the Final Four. We are in 4th place for crying out loud.

 

[VolunteerCeltic]

This Vols team is soft on the boards and it shows especially when they play more physical teams. In the 6 losses, they have been outrebounded in every game except for the Mississippi State loss where they tied at 33 rebounds each. I think Barnes needs to shake up the starting lineup; ZZ, Mashack, Knecht, Awaka and Aidoo, the energy of Mashack and Awaka with ZZ should help with setting the early game defensive intensity. Statistically, Mashack is out performing Santi who has played 208 more minutes this season. Maybe bringing Santi off the bench as a scorer, would help with the droughts that they suffer in games. Santi passes up way too many shots when he is on the floor with Knecht. Barnes has a stable full of players, he should tweak it some to offset losing to physically tougher teams. A&M wanted it more on Saturday, but I felt that this Veteran Vols team should have been able to overcome early game emotion and win it. Don't think the Vols can get back to a #1 seed, that ship has sailed unless they go 8-0 over last 8 games, it is more likely they go 5-3.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

Teams want to beat us because we are a Top 10 team and that's it. We are nobodies Superbowl. That is delusional. We have never even been to the Final Four. We are in 4th place for crying out loud.

I didn't say we were anyone's super Bowl. Did you read my post? We have been the best team in the SEC for the last few seasons as an aggregate. You take any opportunity you possibly can to diminish such a factor. Teams get up for us a little differently at times. You don't have the back hand you think you do.

 

[HendoCinco]

This Vols team is soft on the boards and it shows especially when they play more physical teams. In the 6 losses, they have been outrebounded in every game except for the Mississippi State loss where they tied at 33 rebounds each. I think Barnes needs to shake up the starting lineup; ZZ, Mashack, Knecht, Awaka and Aidoo, the energy of Mashack and Awaka with ZZ should help with setting the early game defensive intensity. Statistically, Mashack is out performing Santi who has played 208 more minutes this season. Maybe bringing Santi off the bench as a scorer, would help with the droughts that they suffer in games. Santi passes up way too many shots when he is on the floor with Knecht. Barnes has a stable full of players, he should tweak it some to offset losing to physically tougher teams. A&M wanted it more on Saturday, but I felt that this Veteran Vols team should have been able to overcome early game emotion and win it. Don't think the Vols can get back to a #1 seed, that ship has sailed unless they go 8-0 over last 8 games, it is more likely they go 5-3.

This is the truth, will Barnes tweak it or not is the question

 

[ColinS]

I didn't say we were anyone's super Bowl. Did you read my post? We have been the best team in the SEC for the last few seasons as an aggregate. You take any opportunity you possibly can to diminish such a factor. Teams get up for us a little differently at times. You don't have the back hand you think you do.

If your saying that teams and fans get up for us more than they do some random team ranked number 31 on Kenpom, we are in agreement. My point is that we are not the team they circle on the calendar before the season. Maybe Vandy.

 

[CAVPUT]

This Vols team is soft on the boards and it shows especially when they play more physical teams. In the 6 losses, they have been outrebounded in every game except for the Mississippi State loss where they tied at 33 rebounds each. I think Barnes needs to shake up the starting lineup; ZZ, Mashack, Knecht, Awaka and Aidoo, the energy of Mashack and Awaka with ZZ should help with setting the early game defensive intensity. Statistically, Mashack is out performing Santi who has played 208 more minutes this season. Maybe bringing Santi off the bench as a scorer, would help with the droughts that they suffer in games. Santi passes up way too many shots when he is on the floor with Knecht. Barnes has a stable full of players, he should tweak it some to offset losing to physically tougher teams. A&M wanted it more on Saturday, but I felt that this Veteran Vols team should have been able to overcome early game emotion and win it. Don't think the Vols can get back to a #1 seed, that ship has sailed unless they go 8-0 over last 8 games, it is more likely they go 5-3.

It's been said that rebounding is all "want to". Pretty clear which guys have it and which don't. As for shaking up the lineup, I'm not sure you do that at this point in the season. Might adjust the minutes, but you don't throw the baby out with the bathwater with the tournament seeding at stake. Hate saying it, but we'll live and die with the mood swings of Vescovi, and JJJ. As for the "stable full of players", if we'd played Estrella, Dillione, Carr, etc far more early and during the season, I'd agree. As it stands, we didn't and now they're not in a position to really rely on those youngsters. I think it was a mistake by Barnes. Unfortunately, this is the horse we rode in on so we'll have to ride it to the end. Hey, you never know. Vescovi and JJJ might suddenly get a fire lit and shock us all. I'm not believing until I see it, but you never say never. Okay, that's enough cliches and corny sayings.

 

[VolGee4]

I have thought about this, and I still don't know where the "deep bench" assertion is coming from. We bring in Awaka, Mashack, and Gainey. Anyone else that gets in doesn't give us anything. If you want to see a definition of a deep bench then look at a few other teams around the league headed by Auburn. They have around 10 reliable guys. Kentucky is even deeper now that they have Thiero and Z. They have 3 7-footers and Mitchell. They are young and are getting beat up but all of those guys are expected contributors.

There are a bunch of great teams though that play minutes similar to UT. When March comes around, most coaches will start shortening rotations to 8, maybe 9.

 

[VolGee4]

It's been said that rebounding is all "want to". Pretty clear which guys have it and which don't. As for shaking up the lineup, I'm not sure you do that at this point in the season. Might adjust the minutes, but you don't throw the baby out with the bathwater with the tournament seeding at stake. Hate saying it, but we'll live and die with the mood swings of Vescovi, and JJJ. As for the "stable full of players", if we'd played Estrella, Dillione, Carr, etc far more early and during the season, I'd agree. As it stands, we didn't and now they're not in a position to really rely on those youngsters. I think it was a mistake by Barnes. Unfortunately, this is the horse we rode in on so we'll have to ride it to the end. Hey, you never know. Vescovi and JJJ might suddenly get a fire lit and shock us all. I'm not believing until I see it, but you never say never. Okay, that's enough cliches and corny sayings.

When you play a top 5 schedule like we have, you aren’t going to have near the minutes to give the young guys more time. Sure, you can point to a few minutes here and there. But a tougher schedule means you are in many closer games.

 

[CAVPUT]

When you play a top 5 schedule like we have, you aren’t going to have near the minutes to give the young guys more time. Sure, you can point to a few minutes here and there. But a tougher schedule means you are in many closer games.

Irrelevant. We lost those games vs Purdue, Kansas and NC. You want depth, you build depth. Barnes didn't so now he pays the price...or should I say we do?

 

[VolGee4]

Irrelevant. We lost those games vs Purdue, Kansas and NC. You want depth, you build depth. Barnes didn't so now he pays the price...or should I say we do?

It’s not irrelevant at all…unless you just go into it saying, “I don’t care if we lose.”

But most good teams aren’t playing more than 8 this time of year anyway. When a game gets tight in or close to March, we aren’t playing Estrella or Carr anyway, regardless of how many minutes they got during the season. Only if there is an injury.

Playing the young guys is only for the future- not March “depth.”

 

[Johnnyreb#VFL]

I always knew how JJJ goes, the team goes. Not saying he’s the best player or even my favorite, it’s just apparent even to casuals like me. You proved that well in your mention. To make a final four, he’s going to have to play 4 consecutive games very consistently with little rest and nothing gives me confidence that he can do that from what I’ve seen.

 

[CAVPUT]

It’s not irrelevant at all…unless you just go into it saying, “I don’t care if we lose.”

But most good teams aren’t playing more than 8 this time of year anyway. When a game gets tight in or close to March, we aren’t playing Estrella or Carr anyway, regardless of how many minutes they got during the season. Only if there is an injury.

Playing the young guys is only for the future- not March “depth.”

Ah but that dismisses the opportunities that were wasted earlier this year and all along the way. Barnes had ample opportunities to get valuable minutes for the younger guys. In doing so, it made them an option when fatigue sets in or injuries come. Barnes didn't take advantage. I know the argument can be made that blowouts and running up the score helps with some of those odd rankings, but if it's all about March, why do you not take full advantage of the regular season and develop your younger players? If we win by 10 instead of 20, is that such a big negative? Yeah, they'll struggle on defense at times and be at a disadvantage physically sometimes, but by this point in the season, they'd be a lot more "ready" and "prepared" to help us down the stretch and in the tournament. Can anyone explain why we didn't see more of our younger guys vs aTm when it was clear the game was out of reach? I'm not talking about giving up and playing them the entire second half, but Barnes could have reduced the minutes and wear and tear on our starters and gotten valuable experience for the youngsters in that game, but he didn't do it. That's been his M.O. all season. Now the chickens have come home to roost. MIght be no big deal. Then again, it might bite us in the butt.

 

[Raiford62]

We have seen enough games now to know what we are going to get from each player.
Aidoo is going to dominate weaker centers that don't push him around. He will get dominated by good strong centers that will push him around. He is too much of a tippy toe center that will many times shoot weak little hooks at the goal. Can block shots because his arms are so long.

Awaka is strong but way too short to rim protect. His offensive game is limited to down low half hooks.

Dalton is Dalton.

Vescovi is periodically going to give you DECENT games, I do not see any great games coming from him.
Same with JJJ. Same with Gainey.

Mashack is going to give you tenacious defense and some really good rebounding for his height.

ZZZ is ZZZ. You are usually going to get decent games from him, if he is able to make his layups.

If a couple of the above players will decently show up for each game, I think UT is ok. It doesn't have to be the same couple of players each game but we need at least 2 players other than Dalton to show us a decent effort/game.

If not, the NCAA tournament will be short again.