I don’t want to hear about our great defense anymore

[volfeeva]

So, not to be a d!ck…but seriously?? You don’t think staff reviews game film with players and makes them shoot contested shots and free throws in practice??

At the end of the day, you can do this all you want, but if you’re limited in offensive talent, you’re going to reach a ceiling.

There was a bit of sarcasm and a bit of truth in my comments. The team honestly looks like they never practice hitting jump shots from the perimeter

 

[sami]

When we get behind by about 10 pts, we don't have a reliable shooter that can get you a few 3 pointers and get you back in the game. I wouldn't be surprised if we get bounced in the first game. At this stage of the season, you hope the team has seasoned and getting better each game but they don't seem to progress much above having a decent game every now and then.

I posted earlier in the thread that the main issue is the lack of that guy you can hand the ball and create his own shot when the team is struggling offensively. That and the fact that we don't get any easy baskets in transition will always make it difficult to make up a big deficit.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

If I was the coach, I'd review game film with the players, then have them to go shoot jump shots while someone is guarding them. Turn around jump shots from 8' to 12'. Then I'd have them shoot free throws till they can hit at least some of them. Maybe bring in a coach that can help get their heads screwed on right about shooting. Nobody seems to have the confidence to want to take the shot.

This is one of many reasons why you aren’t the coach.

 

[SGMVols]

JJJ must be signing a NIL with powder puff company as we speak, how many games is he going to miss this time!

Is he supposed to apologize for being injured? Never mind, I forgot college kids were supposed to destroy their bodies for the sake of entertaining thousands of couch potatoes.

 

[vol94]

We seem to have a habit of playing fair to poor first halves and being a lot better in the 2nd half. You're not going
to beat strong opponents with one good half of basketball.

As for our offense, we have no real talent on offense other than Ziggy and Vescovi, and they both have their limitations. After that, our lineup today (and the last couple of games) has virtually NO offense talent. ON is completely mediocre AT BEST. He had the one freakishly good game against texas as since then has been what he's been most of career--below average, 3-9 today. We have guys who might have a good offensive game once every 10 games or so but generally can't score. Key's been bad offensively all year---0-5 today. Our bigs are not scorers--not really. Mashack had his freakishly good game today and we certainly can't count on him scoring 16 points again. (Hope I'm wrong.) Phillips is out but he hasn't played well offensively. We got nobody.

As for free throws, I agree: 4-14? Are you kidding? Mashack is 1-5 from the FT line? C'mon man--you're a major-college basketball player. That's not acceptable. Uros was 0-3--but he's hopeless. Given our offensive problems, we should be shooting 80 percent from the FT line.

Likes x 100. I posted the same thing and was told a few weeks ago that 80% was too high.

Mashack, Uros, & Awaka can’t make foul shots. Awaka and Uros are automatic misses. Missing foul shots in March will send you home early in the dance while making them may allow you to advance. Look no other than @ Vandy, Mizz, and even today.

Offensively we don’t have quality shooters. I watched a few games today and saw players go to the rim and finish. Duke had three different players who dribbled, penetrated for an easy jump shot or layup. Santi attacked in the second half today which was a good sign and ZZ tries but his height hurts him @ times.


Time will tell. Go Vols!

Edit- removed Aidoo from list who can’t make foul shots. He is shooting 71% from line this yr -not great, but not horrible.

 

[The Dog]

Likes x 100. I posted the same thing and was told a few weeks ago that 80% was too high.

Mashack, Uros, Awaka, & Aidoo can’t make foul shots. Awaka and Uros are an automatic misses. Missing foul shots in March will send you home early in the dance while making them may allow you to advance. Look no other than @ Vandy, Mizz, and even today.

Offensively we don’t have quality shooters. I watched a few games today and saw players go to the rim and finish. Duke had three different players who dribbled, penetrated for an easy jump shot or layup. Santi attacked in the second half today which was a good sign and ZZ tries but his height hurts him @ times.


Time will tell. Go Vols!

Don't lump the into the bad FT shooters just because he is a big. Shooting 71% from the line, this year, shot 82%, last year. Just saying

 

[vol94]

Don't lump the into the bad FT shooters just because he is a big. Shooting 71% from the line, this year, shot 82%, last year. Just saying

Uros is shooting 42% from the line, according to the commentators for todays game.

Awaka- I don’t know the exact % as can’t locate. However, he’s made 1-6 over last few games.

Mashack - he went to the line more today

I’m not saying bigs can’t shoot FT as most can on other teams.

 

[The Dog]

Uros is shooting 42% from the line, according to the commentators for todays game.

Awaka- I don’t know the exact % as can’t locate. However, he’s made 1-6 over last few games.

Mashack - he went to the line more today

I’m not saying bigs can’t shoot FT as most can on other teams.

No, but you are saying Aidoo can NOT and he is 75% for his career, so he can

 

[VolMarine1371]

The offense is terrible. We have a whole team of players that can’t shoot. Even Vescovi has regressed from last years shooting %. We can’t even make free throws this year. You have to score points to advance in March.

#1 defense in the country.

 

[vol94]

No, but you are saying Aidoo can NOT and he is 75% for his career, so he can

He’s shooting 71% this season but I can remove him from the list if you like. But the others are a liability @ the foul line. Missing the front end of a one and one is like a turnover.

 

[savannahfan]

Good defense will keep you in any game you play. That's just the truth. We will need some offense to go with it if we're going to get back to a sweet 16.

That is why all good teams play good defense. The difference in us and them is we play great defense and poor offense. No top winning team plays poor offense...

 

[Go47]

I have heard / read all kinds of commentary on the offensive limitations of the program . . . And poor shooting has been the hallmark of the team - it seems to me - for some time now. Some say it’s simply recruiting. UT has not been able to acquire the “go to guy” to get a bucket when in a scoring drought. Others say it’s Barnes’ system. Others say it’s tired legs from expending so much effort on defense.

I really have no idea. All I know is they don’t shoot well this year in any aspect. They are inconsistent shooting the ball from 3, from mid range, layups, and the free throw line.

This team probably going to end up a 3 seed at best to a 5/6 seed at worst (I think).

In that seeding level . . . Shooting under 10% from 3 in the first half . . . And around 25% overall to start the game . . . And shooting poorly from the FT line = 1 and done.

 

[The Dog]

He’s shooting 71% this season but I can remove him from the list if you like. But the others are a liability @ the foul line. Missing the front end of a one and one is like a turnover.

Agree

 

[Pennheel]

Great defensive teams will generally be successful in the regular season because they will suffocate lesser teams and even better teams at times enough to insure 25+ wins. The problem is that in March all it takes is one hot shooting team that is making everything or a bad shooting night for us, and you're gone. Teams that win in March play defense, but they have the ability to score the ball consistently. As good as we've been under Barnes, scoring droughts have done us in almost every year in March.[/QUOTE

I agree with that. Having that perfect balance between a solid defense ( which they have) and a good enough offense (similar to Virginia a few years ago) ,matters a whole lot.

 

[Volnuck]

The offense is terrible. We have a whole team of players that can’t shoot. Even Vescovi has regressed from last years shooting %. We can’t even make free throws this year. You have to score points to advance in March.

Santiago is the #23 scorer in the SEC at 12.3 per game. He is our leading scorer. That’s all you need to know about our offense.

 

[screenthis]

I've come here to talk about our great defense...

 

[Jaxon_Vol2017]

The offense is terrible. We have a whole team of players that can’t shoot. Even Vescovi has regressed from last years shooting %. We can’t even make free throws this year. You have to score points to advance in March.

It's coaching, but nobody wants to talk about it.

 

[Clad in Big Orange]

It's coaching, but nobody wants to talk about it.

It's recruiting, which is a huge part of coaching. Barnes hasn't landed a legit front court player since GW. Kennedy Chandler was a great get. JJJ has been good but not a typical 5-star or he wouldn't still be here. Vescovi is a very good 4-year player. There are no MVP-types on this team that make everybody else better. It's a roster full of role players.

 

[KTrain]

Jeckel and Hyde team.....new high scorer every game...no consistency from anyone...on a positive note if they can all put it together at the same time for the tournament ,they could run the table.

I kind of doubt that happens but I can remember watching the NCAA tournament a few years and hearing announces say something to this effect.
I'm not sure how this (random) team is playing so well in this tournament, but you go back and look. All their players are capable of 20-point games. It has just all came together for this stretch. Now the question is can they take it beyond the elite 8 to the final 4.
This is wishful thinking, but it is not beyond happening.
Also, the 360 of that could happen.
Well, this team has good games and then games where they didn't even score 20 in a half. So, I'm not surprised that they all had bad games and got bumped the first round.

 

[volfeeva]

I kind of doubt that happens but I can remember watching the NCAA tournament a few years and hearing announces say something to this effect.
I'm not sure how this (random) team is playing so well in this tournament, but you go back and look. All their players are capable of 20-point games. It has just all came together for this stretch. Now the question is can they take it beyond the elite 8 to the final 4.
This is wishful thinking, but it is not beyond happening.
Also, the 360 of that could happen.
Well, this team has good games and then games where they didn't even score 20 in a half. So, I'm not surprised that they all had bad games and got bumped the first round.

As others have pointed out, the team seems to be lacking confidence and no one seems to want the ball to shoot it. They pass it around until the clock forces them to shoot. You want players begging for the ball, and the chance to score----but I don't see that happening on our team

 

[first time caller]

So hard to watch this team. You just don't know what to expect from one game to the next. Every player seems inconsistent. And they seem to all be on the same pattern. They are either all great or all bad .

 

[landscapingvol]

Maybe this is Rick’s best coaching job ever. He’s taken a roster short on ability and coached them to twenty wins.

If you are in year 10 or so with the same team and you have a roster issue, that isn’t good coaching. It may be a good job of coaching with what you have but coaching with what you have not what you need is the problem

 

[sami]

When we get behind by about 10 pts, we don't have a reliable shooter that can get you a few 3 pointers and get you back in the game. I wouldn't be surprised if we get bounced in the first game. At this stage of the season, you hope the team has seasoned and getting better each game but they don't seem to progress much above having a decent game every now and then.

Because they are what they are - an excellent defensive team that is challenged offensively due to lack of consistent shooters and especially a guy that can create his own shot.

You can't get blood from a stone, and the Vols are entirely reliant on Vescovi and Ziegler hitting 3's without James and Phillips in the lineup. Even with them, it's still all drive and kick, catch and shoot. Barnes needs to recruit or find in the portal one or two guys who are shot creators, something that has been lacking on his teams since he's been here.

 

[cardvolfan]

To me the biggest problem is that we don't have a go-to guy who can create for himself and score in a big spot. Everything in this offense is off of drive and kick or back screens to create catch and shoot opportunities. We don't have a single player you can hand the ball to and say "go get us a bucket", and we rarely get any easy baskets in transition. Teams that advance in March generally have both of those things.

I know defense is his focus, and while I love the way his teams play D the fact is that Rick has to start recruiting some offensive creators and shooters, even if they aren't quite at the level he likes defensively. In March, one bad half like this and you're out of the tournament, and his teams the last few seasons, as good as they've been, have been prone to bad shooting halves and games.

The free throw shooting is indefensible. Successful college programs just cannot shoot 4-14 and expect to compete on the biggest stage.

You’re certainly not wrong about any of that.

 

[cardvolfan]

This is one of many reasons why you aren’t the coach.

This is one of the many reasons why I wouldn’t allow him inside a gym. Geez.