Tennessee vs. Mizzou St thoughts

#1
SeanJean

SeanJean

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#1
My thoughts on the game:

1. We saw two Hopsons tonight. 1st Half, Jekyl Hopson. Out of control, bad shots, bad turnovers, bad defense. 2nd Half, he started hustling, playing hard, attacking the basket, and taking care of the ball. He still took some pretty goofy shots, but he made an impact. If he would just hustle, and play smart, the guy is an All-SEC player. I'm not sure it will ever happen though.

2. Brian Williams has no business starting in the SEC. He can't play. It doesn't appear he will be able to play. He can't finish around the basket, he can't play defense, and he can't rebound. I'm not John Wooden, but those are basically the main 3 things you want your big man to do, and he doesn't do any of them well. John Fields and Kenny Hall are both infinitely more aggressive defenders and rebounders and add far more to this team than Williams. It's not even close in my opinion.

3. Harris is already the best offensive option on this team. Once gets his freshman jitters out of the way, he's going to be a rock. He doesn't seem to have a weakness with the ball in his hands.

4. Cam Tatum looks much, much improved from last year. He's great defending and creating loose balls, and he seems to have a great burst off of the dribble. We know about his shooting. I'm loving what I'm seeing out of this guy.

5. Odds and ends: Trae Golden is going to be a very good PG and looks great in the open floor, and John Fields is the type of player very good teams have. And again, we have to shoot FT's better. We won't be able to compete with good teams if we can't.
 
#4
#4
SeanJean said:
2. Brian Williams has no business starting in the SEC. He can't play. It doesn't appear he will be able to play. He can't finish around the basket, he can't play defense, and he can't rebound.
Click to expand...

Last night a poster here was saying Williams will lead us to the promised land.
 
#5
#5
Velo Vol said:
Last night a poster here was saying Williams will lead us to the promised land.
Click to expand...

Obviously that poster hasn't watched him play. He showed nothing neither last night to warrant praising him, nor tonight. Not even in the Exhibitions. Fields should start over him. He might be the only decent big man we have. Hall looks about as uncoordinated as a baby giraffe...
 
#6
#6
It's not like this is a one time thing with Williams. I've been watching him do this for 3 years now. The guy has some of the worst hands I've ever seen. He constantly gets the ball stripped, he turns the ball over far too much for a center, he almost always fouls when he has to play defense, he can't finish around the basket to save his live, and he is too slow on his feet to get rebounds. I'm sorry, but the guy just can't play at this level. We have better players at that position. Plain and simple.
 
#8
#8
Williams is just lazy on the court, he should be dominating but he does not. He cant finish around the basketball and his defense is not good.
 
#9
#9
Another ugly victory, but make no buts about it Missouri State is a very good and experienced ball club.

My thoughts:

1. Tobias Harris is fully capable of taking ball games over and proved it over a 6 minute stretch or so late in the second half.

2. I agree that Golden will be a good point guard eventually, but as to be expected with all freshman his decision making was not great.

3. Scotty Hopson is uber-talented..... he is also uber-turnover prone. I get the feeling he gets the ball on the wing and makes immediately decides what he is going to do regardless of what develops in front of him. For example, he will make the decision to go hard to the rack and if he runs into traffic he either just jacks up an off-balance shot or chucks it back to the top of the key rather recklessly.

4. Brian Williams played better today, but ultimately he needs to sit down and watch about 10 hours of Jared Sullinger tape. That young man knows how to use his body to advantage.
 
#10
#10
Yet Williams was pretty good in the tourney last year. He was a big reason we made it as far as we did. Focus issues?
 
#11
#11
Exactly what I said. Williams has been improving every year. It seems that when Wayne left and he knew the starting spot was his, he slacked. If you compare March Brian with what we've seen, it's not even close and it looks like he took about 5 steps back. If Fields can learn to play smarter on defense, he jumps Brian in a heart beat.

I was also happy with McBrick on defense. i thought he did well on his man and obviously tried pretty hard. he still sucks on offense though.
Thought Golden did about as good as he could. The freethrows at the end of a close game on back to back nights was major! Big steps. He'll be a fine player. I also thought Woolridge came in and played decent defense.
 
#12
#12
It's another good win for a team finding itself. We did have 50% of our offense graduate..It's early and yes there needs to be improvements but it's November not February. See you in NY NY,....GO VOLS!!!
 
#13
#13
windycityvol said:
3. Scotty Hopson is uber-talented..... he is also uber-turnover prone. I get the feeling he gets the ball on the wing and makes immediately decides what he is going to do regardless of what develops in front of him. For example, he will make the decision to go hard to the rack and if he runs into traffic he either just jacks up an off-balance shot or chucks it back to the top of the key rather recklessly.
Click to expand...

Very good point. That is exactly how it looks.

As for Williams, yeah he did have a good stretch in the tourney last year for a game or two. Even then, I'd hardly call that performance dominating or high level. I think that was about as good as he can play, and he was decent. I just don't think the guy is a starting center at this level. I don't think it has to do with focus, laziness or anything else, it's just ability. I just don't see it.
 
#14
#14
I know it's only three games in, but this team has got a long way to go. I think many, including myself, would see a TENN team that could score and compete on the offensive glass. To be honest, they can't really do either of those things right now. I know Mizz St. slowed the tempo, but offensively Hopson and Harris are the only two legitimate scorers (maybe Tatum sometimes). The fact that we got outrebounded by 6 tonight is troubling. That's something Pearl needs to address SOON. There were numerous times Mizz St. big guys got 2nd and 3nd chance opportunities. There were other plays where our guys just didn't box out. Unless Fields or Williams suddenly emerges, I think we'll struggle to find a threat offensively in the post.

Finally, Hopson just hasn't looked like he's been there mentally so far this season. At times tonight, his body language was horrible. I don't know if it's because he's trying to hard or what, but he's already hanging his head more often than not. That is something Pearl needs to nip in the bud immediately.

All in all, Glad we got the W. Experiences like playing in front of a big crowd in NYC will pay off in the long run.
 
#16
#16
It will take time for this team to gell. John Fields will start over Brian Williams before it's all said and done. Cam Tatum played well last night but he still needs to work on his off/on the ball defending. He got beat a lot against Belmont. Last night, I understand he was better but defending has never been his strength. He needs to score in double figures night in and night out and hit a few 3's along the way.
 
#17
#17
i could only listen on the radio, so i can only go on what bob thinks. does anyone know where i can watch the replay? online or on tv.
 
#18
#18
I think Bruce is making some major changes on offense to take advantage of our size, going to the paint for points first, and the guys are having adjustment problems. Point guards have to learn how to get the ball inside and the bigs have to learn to post up better. Last season they shot 76 3 point shots in the first 3 games making 36. This year in the same amount of games they have chucked it 45 times making 12. This is decreasing the point production of Hopson/McBee/Tatum and increasing Williams/Fields/Harris. If he can develop them into a strong inside team I like it. Jury is out thus far.
 
#19
#19
I'm confident that our post presence will improve. And at least we have Maymon to look forward to. I also think our turnover issues will diminish.

The thing that worries me is 3 point shooting. I expected it to improve from last year, so far it's not looking too good. Hopson HAS to do better in this department. Otherwise he needs to give up launching 3s and leave it to Harris and Tatum. Goins, even.
 
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