The Official “Regular Posters of the Basketball Forum” Thread

[VolArmy74]

Wes is playing with fire lol. Grant about to throw hands.

This team would struggle with Grant's team it feels like. I'm honestly not even sure there's a starter on the roster now that would hands down start for the 2018-19 team, maybe Santi or JJJ at SG over Turner/Bowden.

That team was absolutely loaded. It's not even a slight against this team to admit that. That was probably the most talented team we've hard since Ernie/Bernie.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

If you're asking why Barnes gets flack for the postseason and Pearl didn't, that's not entirely true. There was a small portion of the fanbase that was not satisfied with Pearl. However, to your point, way more people were just happy that we had sustained success. Imo, Barnes getting more flack in 2023 than Pearl at any point while he was at UT is the logical flow of fan emotions. Now that we've experienced sustained success for the most part since 2005, fans are getting more antsy and expectations are growing, especially when other SEC coaches are going further than us in the tournament with arguably lesser teams.

I will also throw out there that not all fans who express dissatisfaction with Barnes are necessarily advocating for him to be replaced. Certainly speaking for myself, I think it's a very valid concern that UT/Barnes can't seem to find a way to win the tournament games we really should win. Does that mean I think he's doing a bad job and should be fired? Of course not. It is just so disappointing and deflating to see us flop on the big stage after we played an entire season so well. The fact that UT has been a historically unsuccessful basketball program is irrelevant to my criticisms on Barnes; it doesn't matter how bad we were without him - what matters is that we've had great teams complete great regular seasons and no corresponding post season successes (though I think making the Sweet 16 is a notable achievement, the '18-19 team was and still is Barnes's best UT squad, and they could have won it all imo).

One of the teams in the Sweet 16 is also #9 in the country. But many not so bright posters think that the SS should be the floor for TN.

Another swing and a miss is when a higher seed is beaten by a lower seed then the higher seed lost to a team that they shouldn’t have. This assumes that those making the seeds are correct. And it also ignores matchups and refs and injuries and the venue and other more critical variables. Lower seeds have the home crowd as long as the site isn’t considerably closer to the higher seed’s home. Even then the lower seed might have more support from the crowd.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

In that case it should be made known to reporters who put these blurbs out that his redshirt is him and his family not wanting him to play this year. That way at least some of the crazy comments on the tweet would probably not happen.

I feel like that was put in many of the articles they did, no? Do they have to continue to repeat that?

 

[VolArmy74]

I feel like that was put in many of the articles they did, no? Do they have to continue to repeat that?

For the twitter complaining crowd, yes. Especially if you go out of your way to make another tweet complaining about people complaining.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Wes is playing with fire lol. Grant about to throw hands.

Jordan Bone vs. Zakai Zeigler
Lamonte Turner vs. Santiago Vescovi
Admiral Schofield vs. Julian Phillips
Grant Williams vs. Josiah Jordan-James
Kyle Alexander vs. Olivier Nkamhoua
Jordan Bowden vs. Tyreke Key
John Fulkerson vs. Uros Plavic
Yves Pons vs. Jonas Aidoo

Here’s pretty much the rotation, obviously sophomore Fulk & Pons people probably are going to overvalue a bit because we know how they finished. That team scored 82 and gave up 70, 12pt difference, this current team scores 74 and gives up 54, a 20 point difference. That Tennessee team finished with a 26.24adjem on KenPom, this current team is at 28.91adjem, so project 2.67 point difference over 100 possessions which on a 70 possession game so 1.5-2pt difference per KenPom in this teams favor.

Obviously will never know, largely would come down to, could this defense slow down that offense?

 

[DowntownVol]

Here’s another angle/view/way to look at it whatever, sustained success is much harder than a fluke run in March. Yes on one hand you would think by now we’d have lucked into a run, but it isn’t just Barnes that hasn’t been able to hear at Tennessee. However my point is, doing what he’s done, over the course of the last 5 years is much more impressive imo than 1 NCAAT run to the F4 such as Frank Martin did at South Carolina.

My main point to this though is that big picture, when it’s time to make a new hire, this should really help. Candidates likely viewed this job before as 4-5 at best in the SEC, tough spot to consistently win or recruit to, and maybe Top 25 national type program. It can no be viewed as Top 2 in league, Top 10 program nationally that can pull Top 10 classes routinely, and has everything you need to be successful. IMO candidates will be much more attracted to that, and feeling THEY can make a NCAAT run, than looking at a program like a South Carolina this past year.

This is a great point. I can't imagine Barnes coaching much past 70, and he's 68 now. He's setting the program for long term success, provided Danny White doesn't somehow botch the next hire.

 

[VolArmy74]

This is a great point. I can't imagine Barnes coaching much past 70, and he's 68 now. He's setting the program for long term success, provided Danny White doesn't somehow botch the next hire.

I feel like he will coach at least 5 more years. He seems happy and is still loving the job. Granted health issues could change that.

My greatest hope from the day he was hired is that he would stabilize the program. We'd already seen that it could fly high with the right coach. Him keeping it high for a decade should answer the question of "can it be sustained?" here.

I feel like when he retires we will be in position to be the top job on the market at the time.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

If Barnes gets us our first Final Four, I’ll get my first tattoo.

 

[DowntownVol]

If Barnes gets us our first Final Four, I’ll get my first tattoo.

If Barnes gets us our first Final Four, it will shut up the Bring Back Bruce brigade once and for all, and that's just priceless.

 

[omghulkhands]

If Barnes gets us our first Final Four, I’ll get my first tattoo.

Better be a tramp stamp

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Better be a tramp stamp

But then I won’t be able to see it.

 

[The Dog]

But then I won’t be able to see it.

Your boyfriend will describe it to you

 

[PandamoniumReigns]

If Barnes gets us our first Final Four, I’ll get my first tattoo.

If We get a FF, I'll also give you a tattoo

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Maybe I should say win a game in the FF. It’s getting kind of creepy in here.

 

[The Dog]

Maybe I should say win a game in the FF. It’s getting kind of creepy in here.

I couldn't help myself, you served that softball on a silver platter, I had to swing

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Your boyfriend will describe it to you

Your boyfriend liked your post.

 

[The Dog]

Your boyfriend liked your post.

@BadJerry20 ?

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

@BadJerry20 ?

Add 10.

 

[Volprofch05]

If Barnes gets us our first Final Four, I’ll get my first tattoo.

I’ve got a screenshot, just in case

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

I’ve got a screenshot, just in case

Probably w/b a Power T with “Houston 2023”.

 

[ColinS]

Several of us have posted similar points, but it falls on deaf ears of the ones who just want to complain. I’ve even used the South Carolina angle.



Who would honestly trade our last 7 years for South Carolina’s? Sure, they had the F4, but they also missed the tournament entirely 5 times and have a 109-95 record. Tennessee in that span is 151-65 with 4 NCAAT appearances (and a 5th one coming) and a S16. Give me that record and 5 shots in the big dance. I enjoy basketball for 5 months from November to March, not just a couple weeks in at the end of the year, so I can’t and won’t determine an entire season’s level of success based solely on that. That’s extremely myopic.

There is absolutely nothing in the DNA of our program that says we would go in the dumps after a Final Four run. In fact I think we would almost certainly build off of it. With South Carolina it was actually fairly predictable what would happen.

 

[vols 30]

Your boyfriend liked your post.

He's cool. I don't dig fake vegetarians. You don't have a shot

 

[walkenvol]

Better be a tramp stamp

Neck tat

 

[orangemadam]

This is a great point. I can't imagine Barnes coaching much past 70, and he's 68 now. He's setting the program for long term success, provided Danny White doesn't somehow botch the next hire.

He brought in his guy Heuple. Maybe he'll bring in his other guy, Mike White.

 

[Volprofch05]

He brought in his guy Heuple. Maybe he'll bring in his other guy, Mike White.

His other guy was Nate Oats