The Official #8 Tennessee vs. #12 Kentucky Game Thread, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN

#1,851
#1,851
Big thing is I don’t think anyone is at 100% right now.

This could be a year where we lose immediately in SECT & then make an Elite Eight.

Every game we’ve lost has 100% came down to our own poor execution. We could also be a first weekend exit if we have a cold night against a team that can shoot it.
 
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#1,852
#1,852
TartanTurff said:
Talent gap was evident tonight, Kentucky is a notch better than advertised and rebuilt their roster much quicker than Tennessee did in the off season, Vols sit at 4-4, Florida and Mizzou coming to town, with a trip to Norman and up to Lexington, season on the brink, the number one ranking is long gone, hopes for a one or two seed have faded, lose to Florida, you may be out of the top 20, a 6 or 7 seed is looming large, Barnes needs to show us he still has fuel in the tank as once the talent level or execution falls below the waterline, particularly on the home floor, the program begins to regress and the how did we end up here comes to the surface.
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There is not a talent gap. Tennessee played a C level game and got beat because they didn’t play to their identity. That is not that good of Kentucky. Worst defense in sec play or one of the worst. Tonight shouldn’t have happened and why expectations are being tempered
 
#1,857
#1,857
I sure wish we'd quit jackin up 3s. We shot 45 of 'em tonight. That's insane. KY shot half as many and hit 1 more than us. Ugh. I'm feelin pretty doom and gloom right now.

On the bright side Igor looked pretty good tonight.
 
#1,858
#1,858
Vols till I fall said:
Bad, but we were in them besides Florida.

I think it actually says a lot about this team
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Im not sure you understand just how bad this Kentucky team is on defense and how bad it is we can’t beat a team that doesn’t have a field goal the last 5 minutes. We should’ve been more than “in it”. This game shouldn’t have been close.
 
#1,859
#1,859
1 guy on the team shooting over 35% from deep.

Chaz

ZZ, Gainey, Igor, Mashack, & Dubar all have to shoot better from deep.
 
#1,860
#1,860
LegionnaireOfTheMiserable said:
Mark Pope has never coached in the NBA.
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He played in the NBA. They play 82 games a year 1/2 that come down to the last minute. Those guys see more situations in 4-5 years like that than college coaches do in a career.

This is one major reason why NBA teams don’t hire college guys very often.
 
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#1,861
#1,861
OrangeInKy said:
Im not sure you understand just how bad this Kentucky team is on defense and how bad it is we can’t beat a team that doesn’t have a field goal the last 5 minutes. We should’ve been more than “in it”. This game shouldn’t have been close.
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I don't thunk you understand that Kentucky beat Florida, Tennessee, Louisville, A&M, MSU, Duke and Gonzaga
 
#1,863
#1,863
BernardKingGOAT said:
Heavy irony and a lack of self awareness. You think you don't whine? All the damn time, too? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I only countered your claims with undisputable facts. Webster's.com
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No you didn’t. You took Dalton Knecht and acted like that was the norm under Barnes, when he’s the only guy of his ilk that Barnes has had. I simply said the man prioritizes defensive players and acknowledged that it has worked well for him, and you are still tripping over yourself to blubber on about how upset you are.
 
#1,864
#1,864
Hoggervol said:
Didn't we have a hot shot 5 star in attendance for tonight's game. He was either turned off or he saw immediate playing time next year. I'm afraid I already know the answer.
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Yep. Nate Ament got to see the brickyard. It's his 2nd unofficial visit here ..... While I wish we hadn't played such an awful game, I do think we have a good chance with him.
 
#1,865
#1,865
CAVPUT said:
Wonder what we'd look like if Estrella was healthy and Barnes had kept Dillione and Carr? I know, I know...they didn't fit what Barnes was looking for. Thankfully we got Igor and Lanier to fill the void and we we certainly needed to save some scholarships and money so the short bench is a real plus in that regard.
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Estrella was a big loss, massive.

As for Dillione, I never really saw much from him, he had a great dunk this year though.

Carr had a little spark but even with him, he wasn't good enough to see the floor

I think the mistake here is we need to play how we did with Grant. Pound the ball in the paint with Okpara and kick it out to Lanier and others

Need more touches for Okpara
 
#1,867
#1,867
MoCo_Vol said:
My biggest criticism tonight.

We did exactly what Kentucky needed us to do on both ends to win.

On defense they’re slow and struggle defending the drive, we shoot the most 3s of the season.

On offense they want to shoot the 3 & we gave them countless open looks.

This roster isn’t as talented overall as last year’s team. But there is more offensive firepower we just need to see everyone start clicking again like earlier in the year.
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This pretty much nails it. Bad loss, but mainly because we played right into Pope's hands by settling, and at times forcing so many 3's, and allowing them so many open 3's when that is their bread and butter. And the fact that they were just on fire all night.

The key is to be playing well in March. I'm not thinking about seeds or the conference at this point, just that the team is as healthy as they can be and can regain their sharpness up in the next few weeks. The lack of depth is hurting because guys are banged up and with the roster so thin everyone is playing heavy minutes in physical, intense games.
 
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#1,868
#1,868
LegionnaireOfTheMiserable said:
No you didn’t. You took Dalton Knecht and acted like that was the norm under Barnes, when he’s the only guy of his ilk that Barnes has had. I simply said the man prioritizes defensive players and acknowledged that it has worked well for him, and you are still tripping over yourself to blubber on about how upset you are.
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False.

Kevin Punter in his 1 year with Barnes averaged more PPG than DK. And if he doesn’t miss 8 games that team likely finishes with a better record.

Admiral Schofield, his final season 16.5 ppg and shot nearly 42% from deep.
 
#1,869
#1,869
LegionnaireOfTheMiserable said:
No you didn’t. You took Dalton Knecht and acted like that was the norm under Barnes, when he’s the only guy of his ilk that Barnes has had. I simply said the man prioritizes defensive players and acknowledged that it has worked well for him, and you are still tripping over yourself to blubber on about how upset you are.
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It's not even a Barnes thing, but a Tennessee thing. Knecht was an exceptionally gifted offensive player. Tennessee has a long history with streaky shooters and just bad offensive players.

Tennessee traditionally in the past would have the Skylar McBee, Tyreke key types.
 
#1,872
#1,872
LegionnaireOfTheMiserable said:
No you didn’t. You took Dalton Knecht and acted like that was the norm under Barnes, when he’s the only guy of his ilk that Barnes has had. I simply said the man prioritizes defensive players and acknowledged that it has worked well for him, and you are still tripping over yourself to blubber on about how upset you are.
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Both Johnson and Springer came here for Barnes to learn how to play tough defense. They both had high level athlete parents who steered them here because of Barnes. Why do you think Chaz Lanier came here? And Igor? Barnes is on the record quite often insisting his guys shoot open shots.

I'm not the one complaining and you're suggesting, while bitching and moaning, I am the one upset. I am confident we will figure it out during this stretch
 
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#1,873
#1,873
Barnes decided to reload with the portal instead of challenging for 5-star recruits. I thought it was a good decision to continue winning without rebuilding from ground zero. The portal picks looked good, but Lanier is a one-trick pony with no ability to drive to the basket, Igor is inconsistent, Dubar lacks the skill set for SEC basketball, and Opkara is a good rim protector with little offensive capability. Injuries hurt us here. I don't see this changing as the season moves forward. They are middle of the pack.
 
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