The Official #25 Tennessee @ Vanderbilt Game Thread, 9:00 PM ET, SEC Network

[The Dog]

Barnes beating Pearl who has basically 2 players left? Seems like...parden the pun...a slam dunk. So why do I feel like Auburn's scrubs are gonna look like a group of World B Frees on fire? (Younger guys can look it up)

Wonder if Bruce will press hell out of us or pack the paint? I'm guessing he'll force us to show we can beat the press given our beat down and exhausted look of late...if he has the bodies left to do it. Still, it's a game that...like every other opponent these days...worries me. Nothing ever easy with UT. Always something to deal with. Damned drama U.

Nobody around here remembers World B. Free, except maybe me. I wrote a poem about basketball in the 1st or 2nd grade with a verse that went something like, " Then I hit a three, just like World B. Free". Yeah, I know, should have stuck to poetry. San Diego Clippers were my favorite ABA team and Free was their best player, iIrc

 

[calban]

Barnes was chewing serious butt with about 6 minutes left in this game. Needs to do more of that in the next few to keep these boys from falling asleep on the floor.

 

[BigorangeBoy]

Nobody around here remembers World B. Free, except maybe me. I wrote a poem about basketball in the 1st or 2nd grade with a verse that went something like, " Then I hit a three, just like World B. Free". Yeah, I know, should have stuck to poetry. San Diego Clippers were my favorite ABA team and Free was their best player, iIrc

I liked Lloyd when he was with the Sixers on that team with Dr. J, etc. That was an interesting bunch...

 

[ColinS]

Nobody around here remembers World B. Free, except maybe me. I wrote a poem about basketball in the 1st or 2nd grade with a verse that went something like, " Then I hit a three, just like World B. Free". Yeah, I know, should have stuck to poetry. San Diego Clippers were my favorite ABA team and Free was their best player, iIrc

I remember World B Free. Still got a couple of his basketball cards.

 

[SlyStone]

Auburn appears to have a lot of talent but they are just young. It's not a gimme. I think it's a bad matchup because it appears to be the type of team that has caused us problems.

Auburn appears to have a lot of talent but they are just young. It's not a gimme. I think it's a bad matchup because it appears to be the type of team that has caused us problems.

I'm curious Barnes record against SEC West teams -v- SEC East.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

I'm curious Barnes record against SEC West teams -v- SEC East.

SEC basketball hasn’t had east/west divisions since Pearl’s last season at TN.

 

[BreatheUT]

12 because of free throws, again did you watch the same game everyone else did? Obviously not, this team had no rhythm, was sloppy on offense and just clogged their way through. Put this team in front of Arky, and the result is very different today.

I thought we looked bad. Vandy looked like an elite defense when we know they're not. I don't feel good about our chances if they weren't missing several top scorers. Maybe their defense wouldn't have looked so elite.

 

[Lankykong]

I don’t understand why Nkamhoua isn’t getting more minutes. Yeah he’s a little limited athletically but we got separation in the first half when he was in there and got us a couple easy buckets right at the rim that we don’t get with Fulkerson and I think he’s a better rebounder than Fulky also. I think one thing that hurts us, is that Fulkersons posts are so far away from the basket that it hurts our spacing and takes away some driving lanes.

Olivier should play more because he’s currently better offensively but probably isn’t a better rebounder based on rebounding rate 2020-21 Tennessee Volunteers Roster and Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

His stats are better than fulk in less than half the minutes, I don’t understand why Barnes keeps playing fulk more than ON

What stats are better? It looks like per 40 stats are better for FG and rebounds, but that kinda happens when you’re not playing much. I 100% agree that ON deserves more minutes, but I don’t see a huge stats justification and want to see one. If your argument is that both players play better when they have more equal minutes, then I agree.