tennesseejim
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I would like to submit to all angry Tennessee fans that Coach Pearl has accomplished more in four years than any coach in Tennessee basketball history.
Two things stand out as I reflect on the 64-61 win by Mississippi State over Tennessee. One, the Bulldogs played better defense than Ive ever seen, and two, J.P. Prince and Tyler Smith played the worst offensive basketball Ive ever seen.
Tyler Smith continued to try to take the ball in the paint and he repeatedly got the ball crammed back in his face by Phil Turner. Why he kept trying to shoot over Turner who schooled him is anybodys guess. Turner finished the game as the star for MSU in my opinion, scored 12 points and pulled down ten rebounds. His best work was on the defensive end where he showed Tyler Smith that he has a ways to go before he is NBA material.
J.P. continued his poor offensive play by committing multiple turnovers and he had a monumental one with 8 seconds left when he tried to skip pass the ball to Tyler Smith who was covered. Tennessee had three chances to tie or take the lead in the last nine seconds, but poor execution left Tennessee with one made free throw, a five second call on Tyler Smith and a turnover by J.P. Prince.
I dont think you look any more inept than Tennessee did in the last nine seconds. Give a lot of credit to the Bulldogs who despite being tired from the four game gauntlet, defended the Vols better than anyone has all season with the possible exception of Kentucky. Tennessee shot 7 of 33 from the field in the second half. What amazes me about that stat is the fact that Tennessee was in the game at all. If Mississippi State had been fresh this one would have been really ugly.
Tennessee shot 21% from the field in the second half and 29% for the game. The Bulldogs blocked nine shots and contested every attempt the Vols made. Phil Turner made Tyler Smith, a first team All-SEC performer look like a boy among men. Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism combined for 7 for 31 from the field.
I guess it was just too much to ask of the Vols who had played so well in their two previous SEC tournament games. Today, the Vols looked more like the team that we witnessed all year long. Tennessee never really gave themselves much of a chance to win today, too many turnovers in key situations, just dreadful shooting, and well simply, just too many stupid plays. It was not a smart effort by the Vols.
Ive heard a lot of talk the last couple of days about Tennessee wanting to prove that it is the best team in the Southeastern conference. Mississippi State showed today that this is just not true. Tennessee has had its moments this year, but they are not the best team in the SEC. Im not sure who is, but Mississippi State clearly showed today that they are the better team. They play better defense and they certainly play much smarter basketball. Tennessee leaves you scratching your head with ridiculous decisions offensively.
The Good:
I thought the Vols had a solid defensive effort. Tennessee forced 17 turnovers, held Mississippi State to only 17 field goals for the game, and held to the Bulldogs to 29% shooting in the second half.
I thought Cameron Tatum gave the Vols a spark today offensively and he played outstanding defense as well. Cameron finished the game 2 of 5 from three point range and scored 8 points. I would have liked to see the other guys get him the ball a little more often.
The Vols out-rebounded the Bulldogs 47-39 and had fewer turnovers (14) than Mississippi State (17).
The Bad:
It would be hard to match todays dreadful offensive performance. Im not sure if you can play any worse than the Vols did today. I realize that most of the credit has to go to Mississippi State, but one word would describe the Vols play offensively today and that word is stupid. They kept trying to go into the paint only to get rejected by big Jarvis Vernado. He was a man among boys today and really made Tennessee look bad.
J. P. Prince has such talent and potential, but sometimes you wonder how in the world he gets as much playing times as he does. He was brilliant Friday against Alabama, but the last two games he has committed enough turnovers to cost the Vols both games.
The Vols finished the game 20 for 69 from the field, 8 of 27 from three point range and 13-19 from the free throw line.
I dont know what Tyler Smith was thinking today, but he certainly didnt help the Vols at all. Just a woeful performance by the All-SEC performer. Give credit to Phil Turner who caused Smith to look lost all day long.
This is definitely a disappointing loss today to any Vol fan that is for sure. After all, how many chances like this is Tennessee going to get? However, you cant deny that the Vols did accomplish quite a bit this year. I realize that the Vols were picked to win the SEC, but lets face it. Tennessee did well to win 21 games and share the SEC East championship with the players that Pearl had to put on the floor this year.
Tennessee is blessed with good size and great athleticism, but they are not blessed with a roster full of basketball savvy players. This team is not a smart team but hopefully coach Pearl can mold them into smart basketball players before their time expires on Rocky Top.
I think Coach Pearl has to be commended for the coaching job he has done this year. He has taken an average team to a championship, and he guided them to Tennessees first SEC tournament championship game appearance since 1991. Considering the fact that Tennessees defense was dreadful for most of the season, and the fact that they were last in the SEC in three point shooting, I find it remarkable that they won 21 games and accomplished what they did.
Two things stand out as I reflect on the 64-61 win by Mississippi State over Tennessee. One, the Bulldogs played better defense than Ive ever seen, and two, J.P. Prince and Tyler Smith played the worst offensive basketball Ive ever seen.
Tyler Smith continued to try to take the ball in the paint and he repeatedly got the ball crammed back in his face by Phil Turner. Why he kept trying to shoot over Turner who schooled him is anybodys guess. Turner finished the game as the star for MSU in my opinion, scored 12 points and pulled down ten rebounds. His best work was on the defensive end where he showed Tyler Smith that he has a ways to go before he is NBA material.
J.P. continued his poor offensive play by committing multiple turnovers and he had a monumental one with 8 seconds left when he tried to skip pass the ball to Tyler Smith who was covered. Tennessee had three chances to tie or take the lead in the last nine seconds, but poor execution left Tennessee with one made free throw, a five second call on Tyler Smith and a turnover by J.P. Prince.
I dont think you look any more inept than Tennessee did in the last nine seconds. Give a lot of credit to the Bulldogs who despite being tired from the four game gauntlet, defended the Vols better than anyone has all season with the possible exception of Kentucky. Tennessee shot 7 of 33 from the field in the second half. What amazes me about that stat is the fact that Tennessee was in the game at all. If Mississippi State had been fresh this one would have been really ugly.
Tennessee shot 21% from the field in the second half and 29% for the game. The Bulldogs blocked nine shots and contested every attempt the Vols made. Phil Turner made Tyler Smith, a first team All-SEC performer look like a boy among men. Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism combined for 7 for 31 from the field.
I guess it was just too much to ask of the Vols who had played so well in their two previous SEC tournament games. Today, the Vols looked more like the team that we witnessed all year long. Tennessee never really gave themselves much of a chance to win today, too many turnovers in key situations, just dreadful shooting, and well simply, just too many stupid plays. It was not a smart effort by the Vols.
Ive heard a lot of talk the last couple of days about Tennessee wanting to prove that it is the best team in the Southeastern conference. Mississippi State showed today that this is just not true. Tennessee has had its moments this year, but they are not the best team in the SEC. Im not sure who is, but Mississippi State clearly showed today that they are the better team. They play better defense and they certainly play much smarter basketball. Tennessee leaves you scratching your head with ridiculous decisions offensively.
The Good:
I thought the Vols had a solid defensive effort. Tennessee forced 17 turnovers, held Mississippi State to only 17 field goals for the game, and held to the Bulldogs to 29% shooting in the second half.
I thought Cameron Tatum gave the Vols a spark today offensively and he played outstanding defense as well. Cameron finished the game 2 of 5 from three point range and scored 8 points. I would have liked to see the other guys get him the ball a little more often.
The Vols out-rebounded the Bulldogs 47-39 and had fewer turnovers (14) than Mississippi State (17).
The Bad:
It would be hard to match todays dreadful offensive performance. Im not sure if you can play any worse than the Vols did today. I realize that most of the credit has to go to Mississippi State, but one word would describe the Vols play offensively today and that word is stupid. They kept trying to go into the paint only to get rejected by big Jarvis Vernado. He was a man among boys today and really made Tennessee look bad.
J. P. Prince has such talent and potential, but sometimes you wonder how in the world he gets as much playing times as he does. He was brilliant Friday against Alabama, but the last two games he has committed enough turnovers to cost the Vols both games.
The Vols finished the game 20 for 69 from the field, 8 of 27 from three point range and 13-19 from the free throw line.
I dont know what Tyler Smith was thinking today, but he certainly didnt help the Vols at all. Just a woeful performance by the All-SEC performer. Give credit to Phil Turner who caused Smith to look lost all day long.
This is definitely a disappointing loss today to any Vol fan that is for sure. After all, how many chances like this is Tennessee going to get? However, you cant deny that the Vols did accomplish quite a bit this year. I realize that the Vols were picked to win the SEC, but lets face it. Tennessee did well to win 21 games and share the SEC East championship with the players that Pearl had to put on the floor this year.
Tennessee is blessed with good size and great athleticism, but they are not blessed with a roster full of basketball savvy players. This team is not a smart team but hopefully coach Pearl can mold them into smart basketball players before their time expires on Rocky Top.
I think Coach Pearl has to be commended for the coaching job he has done this year. He has taken an average team to a championship, and he guided them to Tennessees first SEC tournament championship game appearance since 1991. Considering the fact that Tennessees defense was dreadful for most of the season, and the fact that they were last in the SEC in three point shooting, I find it remarkable that they won 21 games and accomplished what they did.
