If you were the TN coach today, how do approach the SEC tourney?

#1
O

OrangeBeachVol

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#1
With a NCAA spot and 3 seed probably locked in and winning the tourney only gets you the leagues automatic bid, do you:

1. Go full out and play to win the tourney and keep the momentum going?

2. Rest some of your starters with limited playing time to let them heal up and not risk injuries when winning the tourney doesn't win you anything you don't already have?

I know the second strategy is done by college BB teams in the SEC tourney to rest pitchers when they know they have a regional already locked up.

I think someone like Fulky would benefit from not playing much but it;s his last yr so it would be tough to hold him out. I'm torn on what I would do.
 
#3
#3
Pretty sure Barnes plays his style at full strength unless injuries disallow that. Never known him to intentionally hamper his teams chances of winning. I can respect that.

I have no real issue with teams that feel it's necessary to do that, that's their choice. Just doesn't strike me as Barnes and his staff's mindset.
 
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#8
#8
OrangeBeachVol said:
With a NCAA spot and 3 seed probably locked in and winning the tourney only gets you the leagues automatic bid, do you:

1. Go full out and play to win the tourney and keep the momentum going?

2. Rest some of your starters with limited playing time to let them heal up and not risk injuries when winning the tourney doesn't win you anything you don't already have?

I know the second strategy is done by college BB teams in the SEC tourney to rest pitchers when they know they have a regional already locked up.

I think someone like Fulky would benefit from not playing much but it;s his last yr so it would be tough to hold him out. I'm torn on what I would do.
Click to expand...
Personally,I don't know why there'd even be a #2 option.
 
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#12
#12
Personally, I don't give a flip about the SEC tourney. Most of the fans I know feel the same way. Teams that need wins to get in the NCAA and Kentucky fans, seem to be the ones that care the most. I'd like to see us roll out a roster of dudes that rarely get to play. Preserve the legs for the dudes that play heavy minutes and diminish the possibility of injury. With that said tho, there's no way as a coach that you can ask your team to play without trying to win. You just can't do that.
 
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#15
#15
Watch a lot of film. Learn how to defeat an inbounds press or full court press. Shoot free throws and threes for hours. Give Aidoo, BHH, as much time as possible. Make dang sure we don’t walk into the gym Friday night well rested but, not ready to play physical ball.
 
#16
#16
If we win against Kentucky we’re locked into a 2 seed instead of a 3. I genuinely think if we run the table with neutral court wins against Top 5 Kentucky and Top 5 Auburn we have a legitimate shot at a 1 seed.

Here’s the way I see it.

1 seeds
Gonzaga
Arizona
Baylor/Kansas
Auburn/Kentucky/Tennessee

Hard to imagine a scenario in which Tennessee would have had wins against Arizona, Kentucky x2, Auburn x2 and not be a one seed.
 
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#17
#17
This week should help get the guys necessary rest heading into the SECT. I'm sure they'll keep doing exactly what they've been doing in terms of player rotations, etc. Of course, game situations dictate a lot of that, but I can't imagine they won't play to win.
 
#18
#18
I don’t see why we wouldn’t go all out to win it. Doing so would surely elevate us to a 2 seed. And call me crazy, but if we were to beat both UK and Auburn in the SECT and several of the teams ahead of us get early exits in their respective conference tournaments, I think there is a sliver of a chance that we could steal a 1 seed. The stars would need to align, but it’s possible.
 
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#19
#19
Persian Vol said:
If we win against Kentucky we’re locked into a 2 seed instead of a 3. I genuinely think if we run the table with neutral court wins against Top 5 Kentucky and Top 5 Auburn we have a legitimate shot at a 1 seed.

Here’s the way I see it.

1 seeds
Gonzaga
Arizona
Baylor/Kansas
Auburn/Kentucky/Tennessee

Hard to imagine a scenario in which Tennessee would have had wins against Arizona, Kentucky x2, Auburn x2 and not be a one seed.
Click to expand...
Beat me to it, lol.
 
#22
#22
JVol1986 said:
1. Outside of potentially getting a #2 seed, every game Aidoo and BHH seem to get more comfortable so the more game experience they can get in the SEC tourny by making a run the better off they should be for the NCAA tournament.
Click to expand...

It's a shame BHH didn't get more playing time earlier this year. Of course, Aidoo had mono at the beginning of the year which slowed his progress. You'd be hard pressed to find a 5* and a 4* big men get as little playing time at a school as they did. I think Barnes made a mistake by not playing them more. I think Barns should manage the minutes of anyone who is still injured, but not playing until Friday gives everyone an extra 2 days to rest and heal.
 
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#23
#23
volfanbill said:
I know Fulky has been around long enough to be tenured, but a good portion of the main players are young, with little or no tourney experience. Play to win the SECT to get a better understanding of win or go home mentality
Click to expand...

Yeah looking at it that way makes sense. Maybe you limit a couple of players minuets if they really need to heal something but the pressure and atmosphere would be good training ground for several players.
 
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#25
#25
You can still improve your seed in the tourney. Winning it would almost certainly make us a two seed. I don't think that is much better than a three, but regardless of when or where your playing you want to play to win and give all out effort.
 
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