The Official #4 Tennessee vs #15 Kentucky Game Thread, Saturday 4:00 PM EST/CBS

#2,127
#2,127
vol94 said:
Yeah. I hate it for the players, esp the seniors. My son is a jr @ UT and he’s still frustrated with the loss. But he will be fine tomorrow when they head to spring break - 😆.

I just read Barnes’ comments regarding Knecht needing to pass to an open man rather than shooting a three. Plus he seems to be a loss for words regarding Santi lacking confidence.
Hopefully we can rest and then get to the semis next weekend.

We will be a 2 seed, imo, as Arizona, or possibly UNC, could leapfrog us. But we can still win it all and this team believes.
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My son is a freshman and is definitely beyond frustrated. He doesn’t leave for spring break until Monday morning, so I’ve got another day of pouting ahead of me. To be fair, I’m probably the one that will be pouting the most.

This team has the potential to win it all. Today doesn’t change my perspective on that. In fact, the fight to get back into it when getting left for dead at least twice really reinforces that for me.

The problem with that is in the tourney, you are going to get everything and the kitchen sink thrown at you. When 4/5 players don’t even show up for an entire half and leave it all to one guy, that’s going to get you beat by a mid-major on a mission. We’ve got to get the offense straightened out and working like it should. Aidoo and Awaka have to not get rattled when the post guys start making things tough. Santi has to figure out what’s wrong - he is a key to making a run. Take the pressure off DK and give another scoring option.
 
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#2,129
#2,129
DooleyOrangePants said:
My son is a freshman and is definitely beyond frustrated. He doesn’t leave for spring break until Monday morning, so I’ve got another day of pouting ahead of me. To be fair, I’m probably the one that will be pouting the most.

This team has the potential to win it all. Today doesn’t change my perspective on that. In fact, the fight to get back into it when getting left for dead at least twice really reinforces that for me.

The problem with that is in the tourney, you are going to get everything and the kitchen sink thrown at you. When 4/5 players don’t even show up for an entire half and leave it all to one guy, that’s going to get you beat by a mid-major on a mission. We’ve got to get the offense straightened out and working like it should. Aidoo and Awaka have to not get rattled when the post guys start making thing tough. Santi has to figure out what’s wrong - he is a key to making a run. Take the pressure off DK and give another scoring option.
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Agree. I posted the same thing about Aidoo. He goes missing against players his size or those who are physical. At least he tried to dunk it on the defender today (forgot the player’s name), but it was blocked.

Idk what’s going on with Santi but we will need him, JJJ, and/or Gainey. ZZ and Knecht can’t do it all.
 
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#2,131
#2,131
vol94 said:
Agree. I posted the same thing about Aidoo. He goes missing against players his size or those who are physical. At least he tried to dunk today but it was blocked.

Idk what’s going on with Santi but we will need him, JJJ, and/or Gainey. ZZ and Knecht can’t do it all.
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Aidoo dunks often, you know that right. He didn’t “at least try to dunk” today…

But yes, he got one blocked today
 
#2,132
#2,132
vol94 said:
Agree. I posted the same thing about Aidoo. He goes missing against players his size or those who are physical. At least he tried to dunk today but it was blocked.

Idk what’s going on with Santi but we will need him, JJJ, and/or Gainey. ZZ and Knecht can’t do it all.
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JJJ has been a great presence on the defensive end and rebounding. No gripes from me on that. Offensively, well, I’m happy to get whatever we can and leave it at that.

Santi, to me, is the missing piece and the most inexplicable. Early in the season, it was said that he was having issues being upstaged by DK but I don’t really buy that. Barnes seems exasperated by it as well.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the young guys - Dillione, Carr, Estrella see some time in the SEC tourney if Barnes doesn’t like what’s he’s seeing as a response from the core 5.
 
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#2,133
#2,133
TheMookieMonster said:
Yankee is slipping. Let’s hope our win streak in these threads continue.

———————————————

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After winning the SEC regular season title outright for the first time since the 2007-08 season with its win at South Carolina Wednesday night, the fourth-ranked Tennessee men's basketball team is set to battle 15th-ranked Kentucky on Senior Day at Food City Center Saturday. Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m. ET.

NEWS AND NOTES

• For the 11th time in program history, Tennessee is the SEC regular season champion. This is the Volunteers' sixth outright title.
• Rick Barnes' last win was his 100th in SEC play and his next one will be his 200th overall at UT.
• UT is in both the first (vs. Illinois) and last (vs. Kentucky) CBS broadcast of the regular season.
• Dalton Knecht's 24.6 ppg average in SEC play is the second-highest mark of any player in league action (min. two GP), behind only Zach Edey (25.4 in Big Ten). They are on pace to be the first Power Six players at 24.0 in league play since Markus Howard (28.7) and Luka Garza (26.2) in 2019-20. The only SEC players to do that in the last 22 years (2002-24) are Devan Downey (26.2) in 2009-10 and Jodie Meeks (24.9) in 2008-09.
• Knecht and Mason Jones (2019- 20) are the only SEC players in the last 14 seasons (2010-24) with six 30-point games and/or four 35-point games in a year. Knecht is the first since Jones—and only Vol ever—to win four SEC Player of the Week honors in a year.

• Kentucky is the fourth straight ranked team—all are top-20—on UT's slate. The Vols have faced four straight AP-ranked foes just once (Jan. 20-31, 2004) and never played four top-20 teams in a row.
• In the last 20 years (2004-24), only twice has an SEC team played four straight top-25 teams in a regular season: Vanderbilt from 1/7-17/23 and South Carolina from 1/16-27/18. In the past 56 years (1968-2024), that Vanderbilt team is one of four from the SEC to play four AP top-20 teams in a row in the regular season.
• UT has beat AP top-25 teams in three straight outings for the first time. It has also won back-to-back games, both on the road versus an AP top-25 foe, for the first time.
• UT is the second team in the last 24 years (2000-24) to play Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina—the three winningest DI programs—a total of four times in the regular season while facing each at least once, joining Florida in 2014-15. It is the only team in that time to play all three away from home in the regular season.
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This is not a bad loss heading into tournament action.........

We have to get more bench production in the tournament and we cannot be a one man show on offense.
 
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#2,134
#2,134
Lefteye said:
Aidoo dunks often, you know that right. He didn’t “at least try to dunk” today…

But yes, he got one blocked today
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Yes, I know. I’m referring to when he is a step or two from the goal. I like the fact he went for the dunk though it was contested. Most of his other dunks were uncontested as he was wide open.
 
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#2,137
#2,137
DooleyOrangePants said:
JJJ has been a great presence on the defensive end and rebounding. No gripes from me on that. Offensively, well, I’m happy to get whatever we can and leave it at that.

Santi, to me, is the missing piece and the most inexplicable. Early in the season, it was said that he was having issues being upstaged by DK but I don’t really buy that. Barnes seems exasperated by it as well.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the young guys - Dillione, Carr, Estrella see some time in the SEC tourney if Barnes doesn’t like what’s he’s seeing as a response from the core 5.
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Agree about JJJ. My point is we need someone to step up beyond ZZ and Knecht. Some say Santi is injured and others say it’s mental. He is an asset on the boards and plays good defense. Hopefully it works out.
 
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#2,138
#2,138
Kentucky just hit everything.

For my sanity, did anybody else notice Sheppard take like 12 steps on an inbound pass there at the end? It wasn't off a made basket. They had just inbounded and called timeout. 28" left on shot clock. How did they miss this???
 
#2,139
#2,139
vol94 said:
Agree about JJJ. My point is we need someone to step up beyond ZZ and Knecht. Some say Santi is injured and others say it’s mental. He is an asset on the boards and plays good defense. Hopefully it works out.
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I don’t really give the injury theory much thought when it comes to Santi. Barnes hasn’t been one to stick with someone as much as he has with Santi and not also start heavily rotating. He's gotten his minutes and mainly seen reductions due to foul issues. Barnes responses on this have never indicated injury, just pure exasperation and reinforcing how good he is and how important he can be.

I don’t think his passion and love for Tennessee is any less than it ever has been. But mental is a wide surface to cover, so who knows.

Hopefully he figures it out or someone else can step up.
 
#2,140
#2,140
vol94 said:
Yes, I know. I’m referring to when he is a step or two from the goal. I like the fact he went for the dunk though it was contested. Most of his other dunks were uncontested as he was wide open.
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Gotcha. Agree and hopefully he gains confidence and ability to maneuver his throw downs instead of going str8 ahead.
 
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#2,143
#2,143
DooleyOrangePants said:
I don’t really give the injury theory much thought when it comes to Santi. Barnes hasn’t been one to stick with someone as much as he has with Santi and not also start heavily rotating. He's gotten his minutes and mainly seen reductions due to foul issues. Barnes responses on this have never indicated injury, just pure exasperation and reinforcing how good he is and how important he can be.

I don’t think his passion and love for Tennessee is any less than it ever has been. But mental is a wide surface to cover, so who knows.

Hopefully he figures it out or someone else can step up.
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When I say mental I mean “lacking confidence.”
We both agree we need someone to step up.
 
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#2,144
#2,144
vol94 said:
Fingers crossed My wording may have been poor so I edited.
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All good, hope my first response didn’t come off wrong. He keeps improving but is still a little stiff with the ball outside of a couple of comfort zone moves. He hasn’t reached his ceiling yet, and that alone has me excited already for next year cause he isn’t going anywhere. 🤞
 
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#2,145
#2,145
Final word on this one: sucks losing Kentucky, but thankful for all the seniors. JJJ and SV have been frustrating to watch at times, but they’ve been mainstays on four straight ncaa tournament teams. Big contributors to the program and both class acts.

Dalton Knecht is just a special player. We’re blessed to have all witnessed him wear the orange and white this season. Appreciate him for choosing to come here and for putting in the work the way he has. Despite today’s results, those guys are SEC champs and have a whole lot more left to play for.
 
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#2,147
#2,147
BisonVol said:
Final word on this one: sucks losing Kentucky, but thankful for all the seniors. JJJ and SV have been frustrating to watch at times, but they’ve been mainstays on four straight ncaa tournament teams. Big contributors to the program and both class acts.

Dalton Knecht is just a special player. We’re blessed to have all witnessed him wear the orange and white this season. Appreciate him for choosing to come here and for putting in the work the way he has. Despite today’s results, those guys are SEC champs and have a whole lot more left to play for.
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Agreed. They are who and what they are. Just cheer 'em on and hope for the best. If we make the elite 8, I'll be a very happy camper.
 
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#2,148
#2,148
BisonVol said:
Final word on this one: sucks losing Kentucky, but thankful for all the seniors. JJJ and SV have been frustrating to watch at times, but they’ve been mainstays on four straight ncaa tournament teams. Big contributors to the program and both class acts.

Dalton Knecht is just a special player. We’re blessed to have all witnessed him wear the orange and white this season. Appreciate him for choosing to come here and for putting in the work the way he has. Despite today’s results, those guys are SEC champs and have a whole lot more left to play for.
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Couldn't of said it better. SEC Champions 🏆. In CHRIST Alone
 
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#2,149
#2,149
vol94 said:
For some reason I thought KY would be a three seed.

They may end up being a three in the dance. They played well today but I don’t think they can shoot 50% every game.
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They can get pretty damn close. Their offensive numbers are ridiculous
 
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#2,150
#2,150
UTS4EVR said:
They can get pretty damn close. Their offensive numbers are ridiculous
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They really are, especially after they got through their losing streak.

Another thing that they did today was actually play defense. They haven’t played a lick of defense most of the season and actually showed up today on that end. We still took them to the wire when our shooting was ice cold and they were hitting everything beyond 3 that they threw up there.

Stings, but I remember just a couple weeks ago we were debating whether going 2-2 or 3-1 was possible in that closing murderers row of a schedule.
 
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