Next season predictions

#126
#126
On paper, last year's team should've been elite 8 and this team should get to the Sweet 16. Jmo
 
#128
#128
Catbone said:
On paper, last year's team should've been elite 8 and this team should get to the Sweet 16. Jmo
Click to expand...
I guess that depends on what you put on the paper. I don’t think the math is stars plus coaching equals trophy. If you count strikes for injuries, lack of experience, and lack of time together, that team may have overachieved. While I don’t think every team needs 3.2 years average experience, this team lacked meaningful off and on court time together, and it showed. Our athleticism on defense was great, until mature teams exposed our lack of experience on assignments and off-ball defenses in shooting spots. Drive and kick is always a vulnerability in a CRB D, but this team overplayed the drive, missed switches and helps, and leaned on their speed and Pons blocking to cover it up. It worked sometimes. That OSU loss was a prime example. A smart senior guard who could shoot abused our lack of discipline. Our offense was completely hobbled by Fulk’s injuries and lost mass. Springer and Keon both nursed leg injuries. JJJ couldn’t hold up to long playing times given his lack of off season training and healing time. SV tried to create off the drive in a way that just doesn’t work on loose D. Packing it in proved to be a bulletproof strategy against us. Rebounding was not great. Fulk’s lost weight led to him being moved off the block, and left Pons to rebound half his balls over the back of their 4/5. Fouls ensued. Our lineups with the best chemistry rarely played long minutes together due to fatigue, fouls, and an inexperience. This team had some good players “on paper”. Obviously Keon’s journey in the NBA is going to reveal a lot more than we saw, if he stays healthy. Pons is the best face up shot blocker we’ve ever had. His dribble D and space holding was also A+, but he had to move at least two people for every O rebound with Fulk being hobbled. Springer is the kind of player who could change speed and make offense in the college game, but we almost never gave him space he didn’t make on his own. This was a very weird year. If we had Fulkerson at 2020 intensity, this team probably wins 4-5 more games. If the team played together more, I’d add even more wins. This year really favored experienced teams due to loss of practice. On paper, I like last year’s team. In reality, they had a rough shake. I like this year’s team too, but mostly because it’s my team. They still have to work Chandler into the system, and see if BHH’s high motor play fits with (a hopefully 100%) Fulkerson. If JJJ stays healthy, and Chandler works in early, this can be a good team. They’ll be playing a loaded SEC. They should be ready for the tournament by March, on paper.
 
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#131
#131
Stoerner Fumbles said:
I guess that depends on what you put on the paper. I don’t think the math is stars plus coaching equals trophy. If you count strikes for injuries, lack of experience, and lack of time together, that team may have overachieved. While I don’t think every team needs 3.2 years average experience, this team lacked meaningful off and on court time together, and it showed. Our athleticism on defense was great, until mature teams exposed our lack of experience on assignments and off-ball defenses in shooting spots. Drive and kick is always a vulnerability in a CRB D, but this team overplayed the drive, missed switches and helps, and leaned on their speed and Pons blocking to cover it up. It worked sometimes. That OSU loss was a prime example. A smart senior guard who could shoot abused our lack of discipline. Our offense was completely hobbled by Fulk’s injuries and lost mass. Springer and Keon both nursed leg injuries. JJJ couldn’t hold up to long playing times given his lack of off season training and healing time. SV tried to create off the drive in a way that just doesn’t work on loose D. Packing it in proved to be a bulletproof strategy against us. Rebounding was not great. Fulk’s lost weight led to him being moved off the block, and left Pons to rebound half his balls over the back of their 4/5. Fouls ensued. Our lineups with the best chemistry rarely played long minutes together due to fatigue, fouls, and an inexperience. This team had some good players “on paper”. Obviously Keon’s journey in the NBA is going to reveal a lot more than we saw, if he stays healthy. Pons is the best face up shot blocker we’ve ever had. His dribble D and space holding was also A+, but he had to move at least two people for every O rebound with Fulk being hobbled. Springer is the kind of player who could change speed and make offense in the college game, but we almost never gave him space he didn’t make on his own. This was a very weird year. If we had Fulkerson at 2020 intensity, this team probably wins 4-5 more games. If the team played together more, I’d add even more wins. This year really favored experienced teams due to loss of practice. On paper, I like last year’s team. In reality, they had a rough shake. I like this year’s team too, but mostly because it’s my team. They still have to work Chandler into the system, and see if BHH’s high motor play fits with (a hopefully 100%) Fulkerson. If JJJ stays healthy, and Chandler works in early, this can be a good team. They’ll be playing a loaded SEC. They should be ready for the tournament by March, on paper.
Click to expand...

A rational and objective summary. I would add that we also didn't have an elite eight quality PG or even an experienced PG. That was a huge negative, IMO. And to your point about defensive liabilities, recall how in the first game with Bama Nate Oats spread our defense out so far our defenders were each on an island and had to guard one-one-one with no help. And they couldn't do it.
 
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#132
#132
Stoerner Fumbles said:
I guess that depends on what you put on the paper. I don’t think the math is stars plus coaching equals trophy. If you count strikes for injuries, lack of experience, and lack of time together, that team may have overachieved. While I don’t think every team needs 3.2 years average experience, this team lacked meaningful off and on court time together, and it showed. Our athleticism on defense was great, until mature teams exposed our lack of experience on assignments and off-ball defenses in shooting spots. Drive and kick is always a vulnerability in a CRB D, but this team overplayed the drive, missed switches and helps, and leaned on their speed and Pons blocking to cover it up. It worked sometimes. That OSU loss was a prime example. A smart senior guard who could shoot abused our lack of discipline. Our offense was completely hobbled by Fulk’s injuries and lost mass. Springer and Keon both nursed leg injuries. JJJ couldn’t hold up to long playing times given his lack of off season training and healing time. SV tried to create off the drive in a way that just doesn’t work on loose D. Packing it in proved to be a bulletproof strategy against us. Rebounding was not great. Fulk’s lost weight led to him being moved off the block, and left Pons to rebound half his balls over the back of their 4/5. Fouls ensued. Our lineups with the best chemistry rarely played long minutes together due to fatigue, fouls, and an inexperience. This team had some good players “on paper”. Obviously Keon’s journey in the NBA is going to reveal a lot more than we saw, if he stays healthy. Pons is the best face up shot blocker we’ve ever had. His dribble D and space holding was also A+, but he had to move at least two people for every O rebound with Fulk being hobbled. Springer is the kind of player who could change speed and make offense in the college game, but we almost never gave him space he didn’t make on his own. This was a very weird year. If we had Fulkerson at 2020 intensity, this team probably wins 4-5 more games. If the team played together more, I’d add even more wins. This year really favored experienced teams due to loss of practice. On paper, I like last year’s team. In reality, they had a rough shake. I like this year’s team too, but mostly because it’s my team. They still have to work Chandler into the system, and see if BHH’s high motor play fits with (a hopefully 100%) Fulkerson. If JJJ stays healthy, and Chandler works in early, this can be a good team. They’ll be playing a loaded SEC. They should be ready for the tournament by March, on paper.
Click to expand...
This is a really good breakdown of last year's issues. Thanks for this
 
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#134
#134
Catbone said:
Debatable. What's not debatable is having a mediocre coach in March. Just not very good.
I would rather have a coach that develops players and wins in the regular season. Winning in the NCAA is about draws and luck, to an extent as to the fact it's one and done. Mid-majors can have the game of their lives and catch the powers off guard. It's over! Is it always the coach's fault. Sometimes players follow directions and sometimes they don't
Click to expand...
 
#136
#136
Catbone said:
On paper, last year's team should've been elite 8 and this team should get to the Sweet 16. Jmo
Click to expand...

On paper it certainly did look like that, but Covid did have an affect on this team unfortunately. There was no team chemistry and Fulky did not look lime him old self.

Plus, every time we go the tourney, it seems we face Darkhorse teams that no one knows and they go deep. It's not like we are losing to crappy teams

We got screwed in the Purdue game.

Loyola was blessed by God.

Oregon state looked like they could have went the the final 4
 
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#137
#137
Tennessee Vols Fan!!!! said:
On paper it certainly did look like that, but Covid did have an affect on this team unfortunately. There was no team chemistry and Fulky did not look lime him old self.

Plus, every time we go the tourney, it seems we face Darkhorse teams that no one knows and they go deep. It's not like we are losing to crappy teams

We got screwed in the Purdue game.

Loyola was blessed by God.

Oregon state looked like they could have went the the final 4
Click to expand...
We also didn’t have Kyle in that Loyola game IIRC and that killed us
 
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#141
#141
Look a lot better offensively have to see how we look defensively. Early guess is top ten team and at least a three seed in the tourney.
 
#144
#144
I just read a top 25 list compiled by a “Busting Brackets” writer within the past 24 hours. He has UT 20th, and he said the only reason he ranked the Vols is because Kennedy Chandler reclassified from the 2022 class to the 2021 class (of course, this is totally untrue). No mention was made of any other recruits on the team. The ranking is not so bad, but I hate it when so-called basketball writers don’t do their homework.
I’m a retired teacher, so I come by this disdain for unprepared writers honestly.
I’ve seen other sites ranking the 2021-22 Vols anywhere from 8th to 15th. IMHO, 15th seems reasonable.
 
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#145
#145
Rrcox1951 said:
I just read a top 25 list compiled by a “Busting Brackets” writer within the past 24 hours. He has UT 20th, and he said the only reason he ranked the Vols is because Kennedy Chandler reclassified from the 2022 class to the 2021 class (of course, this is totally untrue). No mention was made of any other recruits on the team. The ranking is not so bad, but I hate it when so-called basketball writers don’t do their homework.
I’m a retired teacher, so I come by this disdain for unprepared writers honestly.
I’ve seen other sites ranking the 2021-22 Vols anywhere from 8th to 15th. IMHO, 15th seems reasonable.
Click to expand...

Well said. I too notice this ignorance amongst basketball writers who don't do their homework and rank teams either because of their name or a magical run in the tournament (example UCLA). I remember I was up in arms when everyone in the media was picking Tennessee to finish like 2nd to last during the 2015 season.

A lot of people are sleeping on Tennessee, this roster is as good as anyone else's in the nation.

Honestly, I would rank Tennessee at 13 right now. Should be a better year without Covid
 
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