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.

 

[Volfan1000]

Barnes is the guest on the recent Everything Orange podcast on You Tube.

He jokes with the moderator about having to wait 2 years to be on the podcast and she says she wanted to have everything perfect for the interview.

She is rocking a witch costume while Barnes is wearing a Anaheim Ducks hockey sweatshirt.

Barnes said during the interview that he became an Italian food affecionado and learned how to build tough non conference schedules at Providence after one of his Friar teams was first team left out out of a NCAA Tournament.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

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.

Still should have beat them. Ashworth missed a layup near the end of the game

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Still should have beat them. Ashworth missed a layup near the end of the game

I agree. But in any other era VMI is like a December buy game opponent that might lose by 50+ points. 1975-77 was the highest point in their history.

It just adds to the frustration. I don’t know that any other program has had to deal with as much **** in that tournament as TN. TN had some really good teams in the early 1980s and somehow gets bracketed with Virginia when they had the most dominating player in college basketball - one of the greatest in history. And then as the NCAAT developed into a completely different entity, TN runs through a revolving door of coaches.

Back then (late 70s) the NCAAT was no dig deal. The NIT was almost as much of an accomplishment.

Barnes is the right coach at the right time and actually got even better with the NIL/easy transfer changes. TN is right there. Only need to get through to the tournament and have the uncontrollable things start going in our favor. BTW, Sister Jean just turned 105.

 

[The Dog]

Just a few of the more irritable moves

Not giving Charlie Morton a 2 year/$30M deal when he wanted to be a Brave and then turning around and giving Dallas Keuchel and Cole Hamels $31M over those two years

Giving up on Kevin Gausman

Not trading any legitimate pitching capital when we had a bevy of farm system arms

The William Contreras/Sean Murphy swap

Giving relievers long term deals but balking at giving Freddie Freeman a 6th year

How he treated SS after letting Dansby walk

The first Final Four I can remember was the Magic/Bird game in '79, at the age of 8. It was a big deal, then and has been my whole life. Still, those Dake Ellis led teams got screwed facing Virginia and Ralph Sampson in back to back Tournaments. I do know the year UT lost to Indiana and Uwe Blob in the NIT Final 4 was a big deal to me.

My bad @zjcvols , quoted the wrong person from a different thread I looked at yesterday

 

[VolNExile]

The first Final Four I can remember was the Magic/Bird game in '79, at the age of 8. It was a big deal, then and has been my whole life. Still, those Dake Ellis led teams got screwed facing Virginia and Ralph Sampson in back to back Tournaments. I do know the year UT lost to Indiana and Uwe Blob in the NIT Final 4 was a big deal to me.

My bad @zjcvols , quoted the wrong person from a different thread I looked at yesterday

I was so confused…