Rick Barnes discussion (merged)

[Sudden Impact]

Ray Mears probably would have made a FF if he had not resigned because of mental health issues and the loss of King did not help him in one of his previous NCAA Tournament appearances.

Ray Mears could not reach the E8 with King, Grunfeld and Darden, Jackson and ?. I know he left for medical reasons but......

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

Ray Mears could not reach the E8 with King, Grunfeld and Darden, Jackson and ?. I know he left for medical reasons but......

King was injured and didn’t play in the VMI game in 76. Most would say we would’ve gone to the FF that year. We crapped the bed in 77 vs (Syracuse?) and that was definitely a bad game. It was a very different tournament then with only conference winners and a few at large teams.

 

[Sudden Impact]

Mears had a medical condition years before he retired. We had the talent to make reach the FF. Remember the SI article with the two of them on the front cover and many believed that we would win it all with a Football NC as well. King was experiencing the problems of a Black living in the South as well but he kept his nose to the grind and stuck it out. Who knows.

King was injured and didn’t play in the VMI game in 76. Most would say we would’ve gone to the FF that year. We crapped the bed in 77 vs (Syracuse?) and that was definitely a bad game. It was a very different tournament then with only conference winners and a few at large teams.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

King was injured and didn’t play in the VMI game in 76. Most would say we would’ve gone to the FF that year. We crapped the bed in 77 vs (Syracuse?) and that was definitely a bad game. It was a very different tournament then with only conference winners and a few at large teams.

At large bids with multiple teams from conferences began in 1975. But seeding didn’t begin until after King and Grunfeld left. TN would have never drawn Syracuse as an opening round game had the seeding been in place in 1977. TN was ranked #7 in the country and Syracuse was ranked 10th and was #6 in the final AP poll. That game went into overtime and King, Grunfeld, and Mike Jackson had all fouled out by the final buzzer.

 

[cwbytruckers]

But… but… but… $5 million.

“Regular Season Rick”.

Better than a losing record or NIT every year

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

VMI had nearly the same starting roster a year later and was ranked in the AP poll for the ONLY time in its history. They were a very good basketball program when they beat TN in the 1976 NCAAT game which King missed due to an injury.