The Official “Regular Posters of the Basketball Forum” Thread

#15,776
#15,776
cncchris33 said:
For those old enough, and bitter enough, to remember, this season has played out almost exactly like the 2000-01 season, Jerry Green's last in Knoxville. The circumstances are different, but the results are eerily similar.

That 00-01 team started 17-2, sky seemed to be the limit, and then tanked to finish the regular season 4-7, going 21-9, overall. They then went 1-1 in the SECT at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, and culminated a very disappointing year with a 1st-rd loss to Charlotte in the NCAAT.

That team was an 8-seed, so I don't necessarily expect a potentially 4-seed Tennessee to lose to a 13-seed, but nothing seems automatic for this bunch, especially without ZZ.
Click to expand...

There are some really good mid-majors this year. Whether it’s a 13-seed or 14-seed we play that first round game won’t be easy with how we’ve been playing. Regardless of this season does end, we need a roster shakeup and somewhat of philosophy change, but that feels like asking for a lot this far into Barnes’ career.
 
  • Like
Reactions: vol94, Govolsman98 and berryvol
#15,777
#15,777
TheMookieMonster said:
There are some really good mid-majors this year. Whether it’s a 13-seed or 14-seed we play that first round game won’t be easy with how we’ve been playing. Regardless of this season does end, we need a roster shakeup and somewhat of philosophy change, but that feels like asking for a lot this far into Barnes’ career.
Click to expand...
Mid majors that make it to March almost always rely on their explosive offense and outside shooting games. Which… doesn’t bode well for us, unfortunately.
 
#15,778
#15,778
berryvol said:
Mid majors that make it to March almost always rely on their explosive offense and outside shooting games. Which… doesn’t bode well for us, unfortunately.
Click to expand...

Nope. It’s a formula not meant for success. I love how hard-nosed defensively we are don’t get me wrong, but the game is changing and we have absolutely got to find a way to be more effective offensively across an entire season to win the conference or to make a Final Four.
 
  • Like
Reactions: berryvol
#15,779
#15,779
Oscar throwing haymakers at Vandy players. Not the first time this has happened this season with him. Hilarious that he whined about Uros talking trash. Oscar is as dirty as any player this league has seen in the last several years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MoCo_Vol and JCP201
#15,782
#15,782
WOW...Congratulations to Vandy on beating Kentucky again. They beat 'em in Rupp and now in the SECT, Wildcat fans can't be happy about that.

It's so annoying how bad some of the fanbase is, seems when we lose there is always a huge influx of negaVOLs and/or trolls just ready to burn the program down. Wish we had gotten to play Missouri at least once with a full deck though. First game no JJJ and Phillips went down then second game no ZZ. Not sure if it would have mattered, but would have liked a fully healthy shot at them.

One big difference with this year's team from last years is we had KC, ZZ, and Santi on the court a ton in small ball which made our team speed on the perimeter excellent. This year we had ZZ and Santi, but Santi is a good bit slower than KC/ZZ though. Mashack, Phillips, and JJJ are all good defenders but they don't have the quickness to hang with guards that are quick and small and willing to drive. Mizzou has Hodge, East, and Honor that are all tough matchups for our bigger guards. Credit to coach Gates though, he brought in all 3 of those guys knowing he needed quickness on that atrocious roster Martin left him.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lukusw and DuckInAPen
#15,783
#15,783
TheMookieMonster said:
Nope. It’s a formula not meant for success. I love how hard-nosed defensively we are don’t get me wrong, but the game is changing and we have absolutely got to find a way to be more effective offensively across an entire season to win the conference or to make a Final Four.
Click to expand...
Our offense has actually been pretty good of late, since February 21st we are 33 on O & 32 on D, but 3-3 overall. Since February 25 we are 27 on O & 45 on D, but 3-2 overall. Our last 4 losses we’ve averaged giving up 73ppg, offense hasn’t been the issue of late.
 
  • Like
Reactions: berryvol and MoCo_Vol
#15,784
#15,784
bleedingTNorange said:
Our offense has actually been pretty good of late, since February 21st we are 33 on O & 32 on D, but 3-3 overall. Since February 25 we are 27 on O & 45 on D, but 3-2 overall. Our last 4 losses we’ve averaged giving up 73ppg, offense hasn’t been the issue of late.
Click to expand...

Yep and honestly 73ppg isn't good enough in SEC play if you're going to rely on offense. Bama is at 82.8 a game, Mizzou 80.1, and Kentucky 75.1

Even if we went for 73 ppg all season that'd still put us 6th in conference (we're 9th now at 71.8). If you remove the South Carolina game (because they are just so bad) we gave up 67.6 ppg since February 21st. Which would slide us from 1st to 5th (just behind Arkansas).
 
#15,785
#15,785
I hate their style of play (tons of free throws), but A&M is one of the better balanced teams this season 5th in PPG at 73.1 and 3rd in PA at 65.4 in the SEC.

It's an interesting season... you have some elite offensive teams with poor defense having success (Bama & Arizona) then you have some teams with better balance Houston is top 100 in both, but top 3 in defense. UCLA is top 125 in both and top 10 in defense. Even Texas top 125 in both, top 50 in offense.
 
#15,786
#15,786
MoCo_Vol said:
Yep and honestly 73ppg isn't good enough in SEC play if you're going to rely on offense. Bama is at 82.8 a game, Mizzou 80.1, and Kentucky 75.1

Even if we went for 73 ppg all season that'd still put us 6th in conference (we're 9th now at 71.8). If you remove the South Carolina game (because they are just so bad) we gave up 67.6 ppg since February 21st. Which would slide us from 1st to 5th (just behind Arkansas).
Click to expand...
We are a lot like a Maryland or Texas A&M right now who are around 20th on KenPom, not great on either end of the court, probably Top 35-40 on both ends. The defense has to come back, the turnovers have to stop and you have to hope the offense stays. Get back to a Top 3 defense and keep playing Top 35 offense and you can make some noise.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DuckInAPen and MoCo_Vol
#15,787
#15,787
MoCo_Vol said:
I hate their style of play (tons of free throws), but A&M is one of the better balanced teams this season 5th in PPG at 73.1 and 3rd in PA at 65.4 in the SEC.

It's an interesting season... you have some elite offensive teams with poor defense having success (Bama & Arizona) then you have some teams with better balance Houston is top 100 in both, but top 3 in defense. UCLA is top 125 in both and top 10 in defense. Even Texas top 125 in both, top 50 in offense.
Click to expand...

I fundamentally do not understand how they consistently shoot so many free throws. It defies all logic. I’ve watched them. Their style of play isn’t all that different than lots of other teams who don’t shoot a million free throws.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MoCo_Vol
#15,788
#15,788
bleedingTNorange said:
Our offense has actually been pretty good of late, since February 21st we are 33 on O & 32 on D, but 3-3 overall. Since February 25 we are 27 on O & 45 on D, but 3-2 overall. Our last 4 losses we’ve averaged giving up 73ppg, offense hasn’t been the issue of late.
Click to expand...

I agree. Our offense has been fairly good lately. But, we lost some important games where our offense couldn’t throw it in the ocean. I know bad shooting nights happen, but I think it’s fair to say that the offense was a struggle for the majority of this season. Defense is great, but there isn’t exactly a defensive fixture for when teams are making NBA range threes like Missouri and Alabama can do. I just think we need an offensive makeover to compete and win the conference and then run in March. I understand that will be hard to do unless we get a new coach. Barnes is Barnes and he isn’t going to make wholesale changes to how he coaches.

But, this team has no one outside of Vescovi who can reliably score. Josiah goes for 20 against Ole Miss and then does nothing the next game. Phillips is timid offensively. And the rest of the team you just kind of throw your hands up in the air because you have no idea who is going to show up that night. It’s going to be a really interesting off-season, because I honestly have no idea where our scoring is going to come from next year unless Phillips stays and makes a huge leap forward. Dillione is supposed to be “a bucket” but we’ve all seen you can’t rely on Freshmen here to produce. Kennedy Chandler has just proven to be a unicorn for this program. We likely never see another freshmen come in and play like he did again.
 
#15,789
#15,789
bleedingTNorange said:
We are a lot like a Maryland or Texas A&M right now who are around 20th on KenPom, not great on either end of the court, probably Top 35-40 on both ends. The defense has to come back, the turnovers have to stop and you have to hope the offense stays. Get back to a Top 3 defense and keep playing Top 35 offense and you can make some noise.
Click to expand...

Honestly, I think that's the biggest factor. Mizzou won by 8 and they had 12 fast break points and 16 points off turnovers. It was the difference in that game.

Against Auburn they had 15 fast break points and 21 points off turnovers. Lost by 9, again the difference in that game. At Kentucky they won by 12, some of that was the FTs (naturally) but they also had 12 fast break points and 8 points off turnovers.

Worst part is we're ranked 299 in fast break points with just 6.65 per game. So it's not like we're trading easy buckets with teams...if we're giving up those easy buckets we're losing. Cause when we beat Bama, they had 5 fast break points and just 2 points off turnovers. We had 26 points off turnovers against them though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DuckInAPen
#15,790
#15,790
TheMookieMonster said:
I agree. Our offense has been fairly good lately. But, we lost some important games where our offense couldn’t throw it in the ocean. I know bad shooting nights happen, but I think it’s fair to say that the offense was a struggle for the majority of this season. Defense is great, but there isn’t exactly a defensive fixture for when teams are making NBA range threes like Missouri and Alabama can do. I just think we need an offensive makeover to compete and win the conference and then run in March. I understand that will be hard to do unless we get a new coach. Barnes is Barnes and he isn’t going to make wholesale changes to how he coaches.

But, this team has no one outside of Vescovi who can reliably score. Josiah goes for 20 against Ole Miss and then does nothing the next game. Phillips is timid offensively. And the rest of the team you just kind of throw your hands up in the air because you have no idea who is going to show up that night. It’s going to be a really interesting off-season, because I honestly have no idea where our scoring is going to come from next year unless Phillips stays and makes a huge leap forward. Dillione is supposed to be “a bucket” but we’ve all seen you can’t rely on Freshmen here to produce. Kennedy Chandler has just proven to be a unicorn for this program. We likely never see another freshmen come in and play like he did again.
Click to expand...
2 of the Top 4 offenses has as many or more losses than we do, so just being a good offense isn’t the trick either, because what happens when you have a cold night and can’t stop the opponent? Same thing as when you are a defensive team and opponent has a hot night and you’re struggling to score. The key is to be balanced, a Top 35-40 offense is good enough to win games if you’re matching it with a Top 3 defense, the issue is we aren’t matching it with a Top 3 defense, we are matching it with a Top 35-40 defense.

I guess my point is which is more likely, Tennessee is a #1 offense and #35 defense, or #35 offense and #1 defense? Both have proven to produce great results, we’ve been the defense part before so to me that seems the more logical strategy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DuckInAPen and berryvol
#15,796
#15,796
TheMookieMonster said:
You’re such a tease. “An exciting yes.”

Next year’s our year! 😬😬[/QUOTE
TheMookieMonster said:
You’re such a tease. “An exciting yes.”

Next year’s our year! 😬😬
Click to expand...

I guess I can say we have a very strong connection with a proven PG, and have contact with a promising big who is currently a not a starter, but has excellent upside. I assume BTO is referring to the former.
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: berryvol, Willy14, MinisterofDef#92 and 5 others
#15,797
#15,797
cncchris33 said:
For those old enough, and bitter enough, to remember, this season has played out almost exactly like the 2000-01 season, Jerry Green's last in Knoxville. The circumstances are different, but the results are eerily similar.

That 00-01 team started 17-2, sky seemed to be the limit, and then tanked to finish the regular season 4-7, going 21-9, overall. They then went 1-1 in the SECT at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, and culminated a very disappointing year with a 1st-rd loss to Charlotte in the NCAAT.

That team was an 8-seed, so I don't necessarily expect a potentially 4-seed Tennessee to lose to a 13-seed, but nothing seems automatic for this bunch, especially without ZZ.
Click to expand...

Yes, I remember it relatively well. Also eerily similar both teams had a previous season where they seemingly had a chance to make a deep run in the NCAAT and choked away leads. That 99-00 team to this day probably had the best path to a FInal Four and it all disappeared when the team went ice cold in the final 5 minutes or so against UNC, and last year we were a hot pick to make the FF and at one point in the second half looked like we were about to go on a run to put Michigan away and again...poof it was over just one game earlier.

I guess at least Barnes hasn't told anyone if they dont' like it then go to K-Mart instead.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cncchris33
#15,800
#15,800
Just my 2 cents on the offense, but I think its better because weve changed it up a bit. SV, JM, and JP are attacking the paint more which is opening up other things. We still post up our bigs sometimes but its not 80% of the offense like it usually is.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top