Official Game Thread - SECT: Friday, 1pm (ESPN) vs. MSU

[GiveHim6InSC]

Are they sulking?

SV just passes instead of shoots. He used to shoot all the time, and when he got hot was dang near unstoppable.
I feel like something is hurt- either his shoulder or his feelings.

 

[Backwards K]

Rewatch the Kentucky game during Tyler bray’s time

Good point. That is a similar example. That team was playing fr a bowl game and the "great" Tyler Bray said, "who wants to play in a crappy bowl anyway."

 

[BradstarVols]

You must be talking about yourself. After winning this tournament 2 years ago, we got the same seed as we were projected going in to the tournament. Other teams besides us are good. MSU played great today and we didn't. We clinched the 18 game marathon with one game to play. Winning at Rupp, Coleman and Stegman down the stretch. We're 24-8 SEC champs and a 1 or 2 seed in the Big Dance. They're anything but embarrassing. You?

He's talking about today. Today was an embarrassment. Not the season.

 

[kyvol98]

Man, we were taken to the woodshed by a much better team (today) Out played in every aspect.
Let's see where we go and who we play next weekend and give the same type effort that kicked our ass today.

 

[GoodTimeVol]

You have the faith of a saint if you can watch what has happened our last two games and still feel some confidence about the NCAA tournament.

I watched the same team win the sec tournament last year…you know the one you are crying about now

 

[barney]

Has Barnes considered getting a sports psychologist to talk to JJJ and Santi?

 

[volfan411]

If Barnes wants to get serious about a tourney run it's time to cut Vescovi and James' minutes.

James is 6-28 his last 5 games.

Vescovi is 5-22.

Neither brings enough on defense or on the boards to justify that lack of production on offense.

I agree neither has played well but when given the shot no one else has taken the reigns either. Mashack probably should get some more minutes but Gainey is as inconsistent as either of the ones mentioned.

 

[Kicker82]

I would definitely give Mashack more minutes....Gainey was just as bad today.

 

[Volstylexx]

There have been bad football teams but I don't remember a team just flat out quitting. I guess you could go back to the SEC Tournament game in the early 90s where Kentucky beat the Vols by 50 or 60 points but that was just a bad team. This team had a lot to play for and they just quit early in the game.

I’d say TN versus SC for a berth in the college football playoff qualifies as far worse than anything this basketball team has done.

 

[Backwards K]

Something tells me you ddn't get the pleasure of watching Kevin O'Neill's last Tennessee squad. The one that scored around 40 points a half dozen times that year. I forget which year, but mid-90s.

Or hell, I remember, barely, some game against Kentucky when Wade was just about done, where Kentucky obliterated Tennesseee. They won by fifty or sixty points, I forget. It was absolute trash fire bad.

Been watching since late 60s. I remembr the O'neill years and the Wade Houston years. I mentioned the 60 pt loss to UK in the SEC tourney earlier. But, those were just bad teams that had nothing to play for. Hard to tell if they quit or if they were just that bad.

 

[NetworkVol]

This is why you don't rest too much. Too much mental time for 18-24 year olds. Cold as ice.

 

[KeyVol14]

What's y'all's thoughts on tourney expectations now?

 

[Tenacjim]

What’s crazy is I think half of fanbase seem to think the season is over with comments like this terrible take after terrible take galore

Well Jimmy D. said no team has ever won the Natty after losing the first game in the conference tourney. Isn’t this team National Championship or bust?

Frankly, I would LOVE to make our first ever Final Four. I would be content with another Elite Eight. I would be “meh” with a Sweet Sixteen. Anything less and we have wasted a generational player in DK. OMO.

 

[djwes]

You must be talking about yourself. After winning this tournament 2 years ago, we got the same seed as we were projected going in to the tournament. Other teams besides us are good. MSU played great today and we didn't. We clinched the 18 game marathon with one game to play. Winning at Rupp, Coleman and Stegman down the stretch. We're 24-8 SEC champs and a 1 or 2 seed in the Big Dance. They're anything but embarrassing. You?

And what did that team do in the tourney, they choked, spanked by an 11 seed. What's your point? Reg season is not worth s sh*t w/o tourney wins. sounds like some Butch Jones champions of life crap.

 

[Orangeslide]

Hey, look at the bright side, most people said an early exit is what the Vols needed to get rested for the big dance. I just don’t see any way the Vols can string together 4 wins with their struggles offensively. I’m afraid the tag regular season Rick will rear its ugly head again in the NCAA’s. Unfortunately, you are judged how you do in the tournament. We certainly cannot use the excuse we will be tired.

 

[tnvols72]

If Barnes wants to get serious about a tourney run it's time to cut Vescovi and James' minutes.

James is 6-28 his last 5 games.

Vescovi is 5-22.

Neither brings enough on defense or on the boards to justify that lack of production on offense.

Those numbers will get you put on the bench a long time ago. But Barnes keep trotting those 2 out there and other teams begs them to shoot

 

[jblank]

I watched the same team win the sec tournament last year…you know the one you are crying about now

Alabama won the SEC Tourney last year, not us.

 

[volbound1700]

I like JJJ as a person and the effort he brings but he has been one of the most disappointing Tennessee players. The guy should be having 30 points a game ever game. He was a 5 star when we got him. Never lived up to the hype and I am not sure why. He is a decent player but wasn't a star.

Outside of Dalton Knecht and Zeigler, we just don't have a lot of stars on this team that take over and lead during the game. Aidoo and Mayshack made strides this year but they aren't quite there yet either.

 

[2EastTnVols]

so they got tired out in practice. One would think Barnes would chage up practice toward the end of the year. That when it seems his teams always runs out of gas or looks gassed come tourney time

They've had a week to rest and are 18-22 year old athletes. Can't blame this one on fatigue. We just got punked today.

 

[Voltopia]

I know their roles changed when Knecht came in, but those guys gave us 20 ppg last year and now they won’t even shoot. It’s bizarre.

Call me crazy, but I'd pay good money to know Calipari's honest assessment of his good friend Rick and why these things keep happening to him. Calipari's a lot of things, but he has a tendency to improve heading into March. I bet he'd have some things to say - if he could say them off the record anyway.

 

[Go47]

I will stay with what I have thought all along:

1. So much depends on matchups and shooting. If UT gets some good matchups and gets on a hot streak shooting the ball, they will be ok in the tournament.

2. Sweet 16 is the ceiling.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

You have the faith of a saint if you can watch what has happened our last two games and still feel some confidence about the NCAA tournament.

Agree

But losing to KY by 4 compared to the garbage today is not even in the same universe.

 

[GoodTimeVol]

Well Jimmy D. said no team has ever won the Natty after losing the first game in the conference tourney. Isn’t this team National Championship or bust?

Frankly, I would LOVE to make our first ever Final Four. I would be content with another Elite Eight. I would be “meh” with a Sweet Sixteen. Anything less and we have wasted a generational player in DK. OMO.

I’d say elite 8 or bust, do you know our history in tournaments prior to Barnes

 

[BowlBrother85]

I feel bad for Rick. Not his fault he has had cases on his team that see ghosts in the big dance.

They aren't in "the big dance" yet? Strange comment.

 

[Chris4Vols22]

I wonder where we would be if they hadn't came back and Carr/Dillione/ Mashack got those minutes.

Who knows. Since you brought it up, I'm going to make one more criticism today, and then I'll probably hang it up until tomorrow at the soonest. Dillione has been extremely disappointing. Out of all the players who got their first PT this season, Dillione does not look like he's been on the team since 2022.