ESPN SEC Preview

#1
golfballs

golfballs

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#1
There are a number of articles, but here are some snippets about Tennessee. (Not surprisingly, the Bruce Pearl situation is a favorite topic)

Many of these articles are linked through the main SEC Media Day page

Fraschilla's SEC preview (video)

ESPN.com's SEC preview (video)

Andy Katz interview with Pearl (video)

Team preview: Tennessee - Men's College Basketball - ESPN
It's way too long to quote, so I'll give you the conclusion:
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS

BACKCOURT: A
BENCH/DEPTH: A
FRONTCOURT: A
INTANGIBLES: A

Tennessee has played in the NCAA Tournament in each of Bruce Pearl's five seasons as head coach, and the streak won't end this year. But can the Vols top the run through the tournament they enjoyed last March?

Tennessee fans have learned never to put anything past Pearl. Though he will have to rely on several newcomers, his sixth team in Knoxville has more raw talent than any of his previous teams, enough talent, should it gel by tournament time, to play late into March.
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College Basketball: Is Florida a Final Four favorite? Plus questions on Kentucky, Tennessee and more - ESPN
How far can Scotty Hopson and Tobias Harris take Tennessee?

Maybe the question should be: "Can the program put on its blinders while the NCAA investigates Bruce Pearl?" Tennessee's future doesn't appear bright with the possibility of major violations looming, but all the current Vols can think about is how they were just one point short of the Final Four. No player has taken more blame than junior Hopson, who missed a free throw with 12 seconds left in the Elite Eight that would've sealed a win over Michigan State.

Big Orange country is waiting for Hopson to show up after two less-than-stellar seasons (10.7 ppg) from the former McDonald's All-American. Hopson and Pearl won't be the only ones feeling pressure, though. Harris, the No. 6 overall prospect of 2010, is already being touted as the second coming of Bernard King for his New York pedigree and ability to fill up the stat sheet (averaging 25 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks as a high school senior).

Early guess: Fortunately, it's not all on the shoulders of Harris and Hopson. Tennessee returns seven regular-rotation players and a recruiting class that barely missed the top 10. Unfortunately, Pearl lost leading scorer and rebounder Wayne Chism (12.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg) and top two guards Bobby Maze and J.P. Prince, who were the team leaders in assists and steals. All three seniors also had higher offensive ratings than Hopson (96.9), which is a major knock considering Hopson took a team-high 26.1 percent of the shots.

If the Vols can dominate on D (88.5 points per 100 possessions, ranked 11th in the country last season) and Hopson and Harris can improve the offense (64th in efficiency), a return to the Elite Eight is possible. Then maybe Pearl's impending fate won't steal the headlines in Knoxville.
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Men's College Basketball Preview: A benchwarmer's view of the SEC's most attractive cheerleaders, top team and more - ESPN
The risers
You've probably heard of this Vols fan favorite before. At Tennessee, Skylar McBee owns the least-intimidating name in college basketball, but don't be fooled by this deadly assassin's cover. Just ask Kansas about the 3-point dagger he used to nail down the then-top-ranked Jayhawks' coffin. He got solid playing time as a true freshman last season (a rarity for a walk-on on an Elite Eight team), but this year he will figure to be more of a staple in Bruce Pearl's rotation.
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not sure about Mark Titus' insight into the rotation....

The Pearl Section
Best of SEC media day
Gossip in the grain: Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl was in and out quickly in Birmingham, and after he left, there was plenty of wondering as to whether he'll be the coach for the Vols in the long term. No one seemed to have the answer and speculation ran rampant, but the consensus was that there was surprise that the severity of the charges against Pearl (lying about a violation he knowingly committed) didn't force him out.
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SEC: Five Things I Can't Wait To See - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN
5. The ongoing Tennessee mess

It's never easy to predict how off-court drama will affect on-court performance. Last season, when Tennessee was missing four players (including top big man Tyler Smith) thanks to their involvement in a New Year's Day arrest, the team's season was supposed to be over. Instead, without Smith, the Volunteers went on to upset Kansas at home and eventually make an appearance in the Elite Eight. In other words, it'd be foolish to write off Bruce Pearl's 2010-11 Volunteers. Pearl's situation keeps getting worse. While the successful coach wouldn't lose his job thanks to on-court performance, he has already had his contract terminated, has been caught in at least one big lie, and will be facing the same questions all year long. It's impossible to predict just how much of a distraction the nonsense swirling around Tennessee's program could be, but one thing is for sure: Pearl's position is tenuous. There is little he can do on the court in 2010-11 to improve it.
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#2
#2
Thanks! Great work digging through all that for the stuff I wanna hear from the national pundits!
 
#5
#5
Damn I love all the bball coverage, but it is just so damn hard to look at Bruce the same...Ugh the one thing that I had to look forward to and be happy about in TN sports is ruined too.
 
#6
#6
Ericvol2096 said:
Damn I love all the bball coverage, but it is just so damn hard to look at Bruce the same...Ugh the one thing that I had to look forward to and be happy about in TN sports is ruined too.
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How is UT basketball ruined? Nobody likes Pearl less than I do, but that makes no sense. This year's team is going to be capable of winning the SEC and making some noise nationally. Only people who value the coach more than the program are concerned about how Pearl "looks."
 
#7
#7
I think it's interesting that the "consensus" was surprised that Pearl hasn't been fired yet. Of course polling a bunch of media is pretty worthless in my book.
 
#8
#8
golfballs03 said:
I think it's interesting that the "consensus" was surprised that Pearl hasn't been fired yet.
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Why? Jim Harrick got fired less than a year and a half after winning a national title for lying on an expense report. Pearl knowingly lied to the governing body for college athletics, then, by UT's estimation, engaged in conduct to cover it up.
 
#9
#9
hatvol96 said:
Why? Jim Harrick got fired less than a year and a half after winning a national title for lying on an expense report. Pearl knowingly lied to the governing body for college athletics, then, by UT's estimation, engaged in conduct to cover it up.
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Because it was his first lie and learned you have to tell the truth all the time.
 
#10
#10
If the Vols can dominate on D (88.5 points per 100 possessions, ranked 11th in the country last season) and Hopson and Harris can improve the offense (64th in efficiency), a return to the Elite Eight is possible. Then maybe Pearl's impending fate won't steal the headlines in Knoxville.
Click to expand...

This is a pretty obvious "analysis". But I wonder how our defense will compare to last year. UT's defense improved each of the first 3 years since Pearl took over before suffing a set-back in 08-09, only to improve vastly last year (ranked 11th nationally). Can we expect a Top 15 or 20 defense this year?
 
#11
#11
hatvol96 said:
Why? Jim Harrick got fired less than a year and a half after winning a national title for lying on an expense report. Pearl knowingly lied to the governing body for college athletics, then, by UT's estimation, engaged in conduct to cover it up.
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Proof?
 
#12
#12
hatvol96 said:
Why? Jim Harrick got fired less than a year and a half after winning a national title for lying on an expense report. Pearl knowingly lied to the governing body for college athletics, then, by UT's estimation, engaged in conduct to cover it up.
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Was that surprising at the time? How many schools would do the same thing?

Considering the tumultuous situation in the AD office regarding the football program, I'm not surprised they are trying to hold on to Pearl. The writers should know that. I think an educated opinion would be: Should he be fired? Yes. Are you suprised that he hasn't been? No.
 
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#13
#13
golfballs03 said:
Was that surprising at the time? How many schools would do the same thing?

Considering the tumultuous situation in the AD office regarding the football program, I'm not surprised that they would try and hold on to Pearl if they could.
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You really have to ask if most schools would can a coach for lying to them or the NCAA?
 
#14
#14
golfballs03 said:
Was that surprising at the time? How many schools would do the same thing?

Considering the tumultuous situation in the AD office regarding the football program, I'm not surprised they are trying to hold on to Pearl. The writers should know that. I think an educated opinion would be: Should he be fired? Yes. Are you suprised that he hasn't been? No.
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*at least not yet
 
#16
#16
#17
#17
He also provided written documentation to the university that was a lie. It's really shocking to think that anyone would think that termination would have been the appropriate action to resolve this mess.
 
#18
#18
Interesting quote from the Blue Ribbon Preview re: John Fields
What if Fields is good enough to start? Based on reports Blue Ribbon heard in the summer, he just might be. Thus, Pearl will have a major decision to make. Will he decide to use a smaller starting lineup, or combine Fields with Brian Williams to form a power 4-5 tandem similar to the one that helped the Vols get to the Elite Eight last season?
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#20
#20
Balls, no sarcasm. We have web filtration to the max at work and somehow VN slips through. I used to have a few proxy servers I could get access to, but they have been wiped out. I loved being able to read the snippits that I cannot see otherwise. Keep em coming!
 
#21
#21
hatvol96 said:
George O'Leary wishes Mike Hamilton had been his AD at Notre Dame.
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Yeah, so what if he had a few lies on his resume, he had a good record as a coach and was a good fit for Notre Dame. Sometimes you just have to overlook lies and support winning.
 
#22
#22
Fields will be a defensive presence, but offensively he is limited from everything I have heard and seen of him.
 
#23
#23
Fields, more important than anything else gives us the ability to "outbig" the opponent if the matchup dictates. That and his weakside defense is immaculate, something we have lacked for years.
 
#24
#24
BasketvolsFan said:
Yeah, so what if he had a few lies on his resume, he had a good record as a coach and was a good fit for Notre Dame. Sometimes you just have to overlook lies and support winning.
Click to expand...
Larry Eustachy is frustrated he didn't know the "I don't recognize those pictures" defense was an option.
 
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