The Official Tennessee vs. #6 Alabama Game Thread, 1:00 PM ET, ESPN

[Sudden Impact]

Vescovi has no guts. Shoulda taken the shot. Instead he panicked and didn't want the responsibility.

It was a 2 pt shot....

 

[djohnnyg]

Throw it to Pons for the airball. Great strategy.

 

[Dougie_D]

I think Barnes should’ve had a timeout/huddle when Gaines missed the first shot. Not sure if they did that. Saying “okay guys, we really need to box out and rebound hard.”.

 

[VOLnVANDYland]

Yeah he was inserted to get the exact stop that he got. Baffling

funny thing about basketball is that you play both ways. And Jones walked really more than it was a great d play

 

[Memphisvol87]

If he was a decent FT shooter then he at least would've been close to the rim regardless of how cold he was. He came in for defense but once again found himself blown to the floor and tragically at the FT line.

It’s just not on Gaines. Having to sit there cold is rough. Like rolling up to the tee box with no warmup and someone says “ need to birdie this par 5, better hit it long and and straight “ Just don’t think he needed to make the switch for a single possession at the end of the game.

 

[VolGee4]

Hmmm... Keon? It’s a one point game but with <30 seconds.. it’s not likely going to OT roll with JJJ. It’s a hell of a lot smarter than plugging in a dude who is a liability and played what? 10 minutes all year. Counter point please

He did his job...that’s all there is to it. Keon was guarding someone else...probably Petty. It was smart to get Vescovi off Jones...although Jones had the 5 step layup down.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

What are you confused about?? JJJ getting his 4th foul was monumental and essentially lost us the game. On top of all the tick tack fouls called in the beginning of the 2nd.

Read what I bolded and put it in English please.

 

[Chris4Vols22]

That is just s tough to stomach. The absolute worst free throw shooter on the team in crunch time....and he isn’t even close on either one! Man, why does being a TN fan have to be so hard?

I agree. Tough to stomach and tough to process for me. They play well enough at times to make me believe they can beat anyone, and I think the stats back that up. But obviously we have issues we're struggling to identify and work through. It makes me sick to say, but I imagine this team is better suited for a coach like Calipari. I really like Barnes, but it's not working as intended this season.

Still holding out a little hope for the NCAA tournament. Honestly, I don't think S16 is out of the question. We could easily draw two favorable matchups. Obviously could just as conceivably lay a dook in the first or second game.

 

[1985Vols]

No I'm saying the original statement is false. There are players who could average 20/8/4 in college and be 50% on the line. Saying someone who missed two high stress FTs who never plays shouldn't be a D1 player is absurd. We have walk ons who probably shouldn't be D1 players either. He was just put in a freak circumstance.

If Shaq had been 6’6” he would never have played either

 

[vavolfan6]

God, these ref blamers. Who let all these third graders in here. Nothing says I know nothing about basketball like blaming the refs every time you lose.

You make a really solid point that the refs sucked

 

[Volfan1000]

Too many turnovers and Alabama's length hurt Tennessee late in this game.

Valiant effort that fell short and JJJ only had four points in this game.

 

[djohnnyg]

It was a 2 pt shot....

He could have got into position for the 3. He was for a moment. He panicked.

 

[VolGee4]

On that possession you don't worry about his 5th.

Not if you have someone else who can do it...and he did the job.

 

[BreatheUT]

You know, if ticket wasn’t so weak he would’ve stayed on his feet and not got fouled .

Believe or not I'm following this logic.

 

[Chris4Vols22]

What really sucks is Gaines was fired up after getting the foul called, yet when he stepped to the line it looked like he immediately got stage fright.

Yes, very much so.

 

[VOLnVANDYland]

OK to disagree. I get that. Gaines certainly isn't a "defensive savant," he's just very quick and he was an unexpected change of pace from Santi who was bleeding points and plays to their guard. It worked. Then he got fouled. Snake eyes, but a good move that just didn't work.

It worked because jones forced a play into help defense, got away with a walk and panic threw the ball back up for a rushed shot

 

[Sudden Impact]

It's all good an extra day of Rest.....and a mask for Fulk to get use to in the process....

 

[1985Vols]

Throw it to Pons for the airball. Great strategy.

It was Bailey not Pons

 

[vol05]

God, these ref blamers. Who let all these third graders in here. Nothing says I know nothing about basketball like blaming the refs every time you lose.

Well. I know a thing or 2 as well... but it’s insane there more than at least a half a dozen calls made that altered momentum. The charge onslaught was ridicules. And the elbow to the face Vescovi took toward the end of the game should have been called....and how many walks did Bama get away going into the paint? Third grade. Ha..moron

 

[Other_Guy]

Can we just stop pretending that Tenn will ever be a final 4 contender? I'm a little tired of getting hyped up every year. This is becoming worse than football season

 

[mr.checkerboards]

Not if you have someone else who can do it...and he did the job.

Kid had barely played all year and is an offensive liability. You don't put him in there if James is available.

 

[Vol49er]

I can understand the complaints about the final offensive play. I do not get the complaints about the use of Gaines. Jones was abusing us, and he made a great defensive stand. It was a lot better than watching Vescovi get beat again.

The people complaining about that sub are either 1. dumb 2. just people who have a bone to pick with Barnes and will do whatever to criticize him and, most commonly 3. both
It was honestly a great sub, and it worked perfectly until he got fouled. In fact with a competent officiating crew, Gaines gets the stop by forcing a travel, we sub him out, and we only have to score 2 to win. With the incompetence, he still got the stop, contested the next shot, then got the tough rebound. Just unfortunately got fouled (in a call that, like another poster mentioned, is not going to be called at any other point in the game). The strategy worked well at the end of the first half and people were commending it
That being said, the real frustrating thing is not that sub, but the lack of any comprehensible offensive set in our posseision at the end. No clue what happened there at all.
Overall, good game, play like that each game in the tourney and we make the Sweet 16, which would be a great result for this squad.

 

[Redheads]

It was an excellent choice to through a change up. Vescovi was getting eaten alive and Gaines gave us the stop we needed. No foul on Gaines and you are all saying Barnes is a genius. It was quick on quick and Gaines won the play he was put in to win.

Anybody who understands the game should be able to see that their offense was to come down and have whoever Santi or Plavsic was guarding set a pick so they got switched on Jones who immediately played one on one. Gaines stepped in and stopped it, should have gotten a charge or a walk. Bad luck to get fouled. He was fighting.

 

[Sudden Impact]

He could have got into position for the 3. He was for a moment. He panicked.

He dribbled inside the FT line by the time he dribbled out with a player hanging on him there was no shot for him to make....

 

[VolFreakJosh]

Can we just stop pretending that Tenn will ever be a final 4 contender? I'm a little tired of getting hyped up every year. This is becoming worse than football season

Nobody has said anything about the Final Four.

Not sure what you’re hearing but it isn’t true.