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1. I'm not going to blame Barnes for putting Gaines in late. I mean, I think there is a different strategy to take to guard Jones (like just don't switch) but it was a great effort by Gaines. Just unfortunate that they called a foul and Gaines bricked the free throws. I just think if you know the play (which great scouting they knew exactly what it was going to be) then just don't switch and go over the screens and hedge. But it worked on defense and we got to the free throw line. Gaines needs to hit one of those.
2) What I will criticize is the absolutely terrible, no good horrible offensive coaching execution at the end for that final play. You get a free timeout below the bucket. Instead of using the full court to try and get Keon moving you call a timeout at half court (also giving you zero timeouts in case you might need it!) then you call a half hearted slip screen and Bailey isn't spaced correctly and the lane clogs. Then Bailey panics and takes a terrible 3 with four seconds remaining. Just horrible.
3. Some of the offensive charges against Tennessee were definitely questionable but 19 turnovers cannot happen. I loved the pace in the first half and I'm fine with some turnovers. The problem is the turnovers in the second half almost all came in the half court. Tennessee doesn't shot the ball well enough to win games with 19 turnovers.
4. I hate calling out players directly, but I have no clue what Victor Bailey's role is on this team. I don't have the +/- in front of me but Tennessee was up 15 and he came in and then it was 3 within 3-4 minutes. It's not all him. But he doesn't seem to fit this team at all right now. His defense has been regressing and offensively he is ball stopping. If Fulkerson can play next week, I think Bailey needs to be out of the rotation right now.
5. The offensive space and gameplay in the first half was excellent. They got Keon moving in the half court sets to get him the ball in space and let him use his athleticism to score. They pushed the pace with purpose knowing they needed to score to have a chance in this game. Unfortunately that stopped in the second half thanks to turnovers. Keon and Jaden hit some tough shots too and that might have maybe inflated the offensive performance. In the second half that slowed down significantly and once again the offense bogged down.
6. Something that will get lost with the turnovers and late game craziness is the offensive rebounding by Alabama and that is where Tennessee really missed Fulkerson. For some reason despite their size Nkamhoua and Plavsic are not good rebounders and Alabama kept the game close in the first half thanks to their effort on the offensive glass. Sometimes even if you miss 3's it's not the worse thing because you can get some offensive rebounds and Alabama was able to do that.
7. I love Jaden. He is going to be a first round pick. I think he can even be an NBA starter and I think he's our best player offensively. But for the love of all that is holy please take the ball to the rim and stop putting yourself in worse spots with midrange jumpers. I pray somebody will coach that out of him. It just bogs the offense and creates tougher shots instead of letting him finish and also try to draw fouls. Plus it gets him in bad spots and is more likely for him to turn the ball over.
8. Bernard King Player of the Game: Keon Johnson. This was pretty easy despite the less impressive second half performance. He was everywhere on offense and defensive and made an effort to grab rebounds. This game is the perfect example of why he is going to a lottery pick.
9. It's hard to feel disappointed by a five point loss but man when you blow a 15 point lead in the second half with poor execution, some calls that didn't go your way and terrible late game strategy it's a tough pill to swallow. We saw the same problems in the second half that we have been seeing for two months now. We didn't have John Fulkerson but Alabama didn't have Primo either. This was a missed opportunity once again. I don't see a major run. They can make the Sweet Sixteen with the right matchups. And they can also lose in the first round. Maybe they can make something happen in the next couple of weeks. You never know in March.
2) What I will criticize is the absolutely terrible, no good horrible offensive coaching execution at the end for that final play. You get a free timeout below the bucket. Instead of using the full court to try and get Keon moving you call a timeout at half court (also giving you zero timeouts in case you might need it!) then you call a half hearted slip screen and Bailey isn't spaced correctly and the lane clogs. Then Bailey panics and takes a terrible 3 with four seconds remaining. Just horrible.
3. Some of the offensive charges against Tennessee were definitely questionable but 19 turnovers cannot happen. I loved the pace in the first half and I'm fine with some turnovers. The problem is the turnovers in the second half almost all came in the half court. Tennessee doesn't shot the ball well enough to win games with 19 turnovers.
4. I hate calling out players directly, but I have no clue what Victor Bailey's role is on this team. I don't have the +/- in front of me but Tennessee was up 15 and he came in and then it was 3 within 3-4 minutes. It's not all him. But he doesn't seem to fit this team at all right now. His defense has been regressing and offensively he is ball stopping. If Fulkerson can play next week, I think Bailey needs to be out of the rotation right now.
5. The offensive space and gameplay in the first half was excellent. They got Keon moving in the half court sets to get him the ball in space and let him use his athleticism to score. They pushed the pace with purpose knowing they needed to score to have a chance in this game. Unfortunately that stopped in the second half thanks to turnovers. Keon and Jaden hit some tough shots too and that might have maybe inflated the offensive performance. In the second half that slowed down significantly and once again the offense bogged down.
6. Something that will get lost with the turnovers and late game craziness is the offensive rebounding by Alabama and that is where Tennessee really missed Fulkerson. For some reason despite their size Nkamhoua and Plavsic are not good rebounders and Alabama kept the game close in the first half thanks to their effort on the offensive glass. Sometimes even if you miss 3's it's not the worse thing because you can get some offensive rebounds and Alabama was able to do that.
7. I love Jaden. He is going to be a first round pick. I think he can even be an NBA starter and I think he's our best player offensively. But for the love of all that is holy please take the ball to the rim and stop putting yourself in worse spots with midrange jumpers. I pray somebody will coach that out of him. It just bogs the offense and creates tougher shots instead of letting him finish and also try to draw fouls. Plus it gets him in bad spots and is more likely for him to turn the ball over.
8. Bernard King Player of the Game: Keon Johnson. This was pretty easy despite the less impressive second half performance. He was everywhere on offense and defensive and made an effort to grab rebounds. This game is the perfect example of why he is going to a lottery pick.
9. It's hard to feel disappointed by a five point loss but man when you blow a 15 point lead in the second half with poor execution, some calls that didn't go your way and terrible late game strategy it's a tough pill to swallow. We saw the same problems in the second half that we have been seeing for two months now. We didn't have John Fulkerson but Alabama didn't have Primo either. This was a missed opportunity once again. I don't see a major run. They can make the Sweet Sixteen with the right matchups. And they can also lose in the first round. Maybe they can make something happen in the next couple of weeks. You never know in March.
