Crazy to me people talking about what we need to do to make tourney

#27
#27
NYC Vol said:
Sorry, I've just been reading a bunch of posts and it's all about "just making the tourney". The minimum steps we need to take to make the tourney.

Before the season talk was of going to Sweet 16, being a top 5 seed, etc. Now, talk is "if a 6-5 team can go 6-1 down the stretch". People need to stop deluding themselves. You think UGA is going to go 6-1 down the stretch? I only ask because they have essentially the same SEC record. Actually, they lead us by a half game in the standings.

I get it. Zo is a great guy. A fine man and a terrific representative of our University. But I don't care if he limps into the tourney or not. That's simply not good enough for a team that some have called the most talented in 20 years. Now, I disagree with that. But it's plenty talented AND experienced to be a top 25 team. It's gotten to the point where it doesn't even matter to me if we make the tourney and become a sacrificial lamb to a higher seed. I think our basketball program should be competing for SEC titles. It should be a team capable of advancing in the tourney and giving us some hope they can get to the regionals and eventually beyond.

Does anyone really think that even if this team barely makes it into the tourney it's anything more than 1 and done? This is simply not acceptable for our program and to think that perhaps winning one extra game to get us in the tourney is acceptable to give an extension is settling for mediocrity.

I know some are sick of seeing this. I'm sick of people saying that just making it to the tourney is acceptable. Not for this team. Not when you see what's coming down the pike next year. We've been making excuses for our coaches for too long now. Everything is excuses. We're not talented enough. We got bad calls. Bad bounces. Bad luck. Bad fans.

The narrative of making the tourney is considered a successful year is hogwash.
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Making the NCAAT is a success since we haven't done it yet under Cuonzo. He hasn't done it yet as a coach. I hope they do it and screw the people trying to push him out the door.
 
#28
#28
HBCButch said:
Making the NCAAT is a success since we haven't done it yet under Cuonzo. He hasn't done it yet as a coach. I hope they do it and screw the people trying to push him out the door.
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Might as well, he gave us a proper screwin the last couple of years. Whats one more?
 
#29
#29
IAMLEGEND said:
You guys wait and see...UT will most def. Lose at Missouri and I'm calling no more than 10000 uninspired fans for the Georgia game where we lose that one too...Can anyone prove to me any different.
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How can anyone prove something that will happen in the future? History suggests that CCM's teams play well down the stretch, but I have no idea with this team.
 
#31
#31
VolsSportsFan said:
Who said this was the most talented team in 20 years?
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Must have been someone who cant see talent. We had better overall talent back in the early 2000's. Buzz could recruit, he just couldn't coach very well. I mean, come on. He had Lofton, Asumnu, Watson, Wingate, Smith, Patterson. He had Crump and Slay, Higgins and Wilborn, MacFadgon. Boy was bringing in hosses and only winning 16 games with them. Made Bruce's job a lot easier.
 
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#33
#33
HBCButch said:
Must have been someone who cant see talent. We had better overall talent back in the early 2000's. Buzz could recruit, he just couldn't coach very well. I mean, come on. He had Lofton, Asumnu, Watson, Wingate, Smith, Patterson. He had Crump and Slay, Higgins and Wilborn, MacFadgon. Boy was bringing in hosses and only winning 16 games with them. Made Bruce's job a lot easier.
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Buzz couldn't recruit as well as he needed to. Slay and Haislip were Green recruits. But, Watson and Lofton were good finds.

We wouldn't have had Pearl as early as we did if Buzz could have won 3 games- 2 against Louisville and one against UK. His teams blew late leads in all of those when both had top ten teams. If he wins one, he makes the tournament in 2003. If he wins both in 2004, then he might have made the tournament or at least buys himself more time.
 
#34
#34
iKrager said:
Who are these people? Whoever said this is delusional, if we were more talented we wouldn't have to rely on McRae or Stokes to bail us out.
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I wasn't on this site to start the season. I should have been clear that the people I heard that from were on other sites (VQ & GVX). And I think I made it clear in my OP that I didn't agree with that notion.

I do, however, think we're plenty talented enough to be a top 25 team IF we played to our players' strengths. I think your quote above should say "If we were coached better we wouldn't have to rely on McRae or Stokes to bail us out".

Whatever your take on our talent, it's obviously good enough to beat teams like UVA and LSU (on the road) convincingly. The talent is there. The consistency is not.
 
#35
#35
VolGee4 said:
I have said before, and I will say again: let's make the tournament and deal with coaching later.
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This. It's been stated elsewhere as well, and it's really the only logical point.

I've seen little to lead me to believe that Martin is the long-term answer for Tennessee, and if the season plays out without an NCAA berth, I wouldn't be terribly disappointed if Martin is dismissed.

I don't have a whole lot of optimism that we'll end up making the tournament. This team's been terribly inconsistent, and absent a win over UF or UK in the SEC tournament, there aren't any more opportunities for a signature win during the regular season.

But who knows - maybe they catch lighting in a bottle and win out in the regular season. And going into the season, a tourney berth and first round win were really all that I expected.

Further, somewhat unlike football, there's little benefit to firing a coach at this point in the season. Many of the worthwhile candidates are tied up in the NCAA tournament - there's no need to be the first team to boot your coach. A football HC is willing to leave his team prior to a bowl; a hoops coach isn't likely to leave his team prior to their exit from the tournament. The early signing period also limits the necessity from a recruiting standpoint (again, unlike football where you've got to get someone in quickly to assuage recruits).

TL; DR: While I think there are plenty of reasons to be pessimistic at this point, there's little benefit to calling for Martin's head without letting the season play out.
 
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#36
#36
bigorangeirish said:
This. It's been stated elsewhere as well, and it's really the only logical point.

I've seen little to lead me to believe that Martin is the long-term answer for Tennessee, and if the season plays out without an NCAA berth, I wouldn't be terribly disappointed if Martin is dismissed.

I don't have a whole lot of optimism that we'll end up making the tournament. This team's been terribly inconsistent, and absent a win over UF or UK in the SEC tournament, there aren't any more opportunities for a signature win during the regular season.

But who knows - maybe they catch lighting in a bottle and win out in the regular season. And going into the season, a tourney berth and first round win were really all that I expected.

Further, somewhat unlike football, there's little benefit to firing a coach at this point in the season. Many of the worthwhile candidates are tied up in the NCAA tournament - there's no need to be the first team to boot your coach. A football HC is willing to leave his team prior to a bowl; a hoops coach isn't likely to leave his team prior to their exit from the tournament. The early signing period also limits the necessity from a recruiting standpoint (again, unlike football where you've got to get someone in quickly to assuage recruits).

TL; DR: While I think there are plenty of reasons to be pessimistic at this point, there's little benefit to calling for Martin's head without letting the season play out.
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I can only think of one person who likes that collection of teams. Someone finally caught me in my life outside of home and work.

Escape the snow?
 
#37
#37
VolGee4 said:
I can only think of one person who likes that collection of teams and has such profound thoughts. Someone finally caught me in my life outside of home and work.

Escape the snow?
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Your post omitted some stuff, btw. I added it back in above.

We're getting some snow now, but nothing's sticking. Hope you guys are not getting too much.
 
#38
#38
bleedingTNorange said:
This x1000

Just because people are talking about making the tourney doesn't mean they're thrilled with our position, not sure why people think that.

As you said this season is what it is at this point, are we not allowed to continue to root for them?
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It's like they'd be content forfeiting the rest of the season just so they could fire Martin before the next game.
 
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#39
#39
VolGee4 said:
How can anyone prove something that will happen in the future? History suggests that CCM's teams play well down the stretch, but I have no idea with this team.
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History also tells us that Martin has never taken a team to the NCAA tourney.
 
#42
#42
bigorangeirish said:
Your post omitted some stuff, btw. I added it back in above.

We're getting some snow now, but nothing's sticking. Hope you guys are not getting too much.
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Haha. Good one. Just a dusting the last two days. Streets might have been slick early but not bad.
 
#44
#44
golfballs said:
It's like they'd be content forfeiting the rest of the season just so they could fire Martin before the next game.
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I don't want Martin fired before the end of the season. But I don't care how the season ends, I do want him fired. Whether or not this team makes the tourney doesn't matter to me. That stuff is now at the point where it's predicated on how bad teams on the bubble compare with us. One game either way doesn't matter to me. I've seen what Zo can so and, more importantly, what he can't do.

The season is over as far as I'm concerned. As is Zo's tenure. We might make the tourney and have an important game but the result is very predictable. Same as it ever was with Zo.
 
#48
#48
I've resigned myself to the fact that CCM isn't going to get the job done long term here, whether he is retained after this year or not.

That being said, I plan to continue watching and hoping this team wins and try to enjoy watching Stokes, Maymon & McRae play out the remainder of their careers here and appreciate the efforts they've given for the university.
 
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