Things Could Get Better

#101
#101
OrangeBalls said:
Correct. I edited my post with the Maymon inclusion.

I doubt many people thought adding Stokes would improve our position 9 spots. I thought we would be a mid pack team 6-8 or somewhere along the way.

I thought we could finish as high as 3rd or 4th if Maymon was healthy this year.

This year isn't over, but if you base assumptions and records on who has played then you can suggest that not having Maymon is a much bigger loss than not having Stokes.
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OCC and first 3 SEC games last year, Maymon averaged 10.8 pts/gm and 8.7 reb/gm.

Stokes is averaging 10.7 pts/gm and 7.5 reb/gm.

So, I guess Maymon's stats are "slightly" better.
 
#103
#103
johnnybravo said:
OCC and first 3 SEC games last year, Maymon averaged 10.8 pts/gm and 8.7 reb/gm.

Stokes is averaging 10.7 pts/gm and 7.5 reb/gm.

So, I guess Maymon's stats are "slightly" better.
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What leadership qualities does Stokes bring to the court? Does Stokes or Maymon make everyone better when he's on the court?
 
#105
#105
OrangeBalls said:
Show me any media outlet or coaches poll that predicted UT to get a NCAA invite last year. I'll wait.

You were voting with your heart. Anyone that saw what talent was coming back could've never realistically thought this team was going to finish 2nd in the SEC. Hell, who would've predicted that they beat Vandy with 3 NBA picks? Only the true homers.
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Here is what I thought would happen......I was right about Maymon being a stud....wrong about McRae bc I thought he was going to make a huge step forward....surprised by golden bc he was much better than I thought he would...thought tatum would be a good role player and tatum would be more than serviceable (wrong) but adding stokes more than trumped that.

Having a coach that was to be a shut down defense coach using a limited rotation......Add in the fact how bad the sec was and yeah I thought we would be on the bubble.
 
#106
#106
OrangeBalls said:
If you predicted last year's team to finish 2nd then you voted with your heart and not your head. No one in their right mind had them that high. Show me one media outlet that follows basketball that isn't a UT homer that had them that high.
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I didn't say I had picked them to finish second in the sec. But, with 5 4*'s starting I did predict a 20 win season and we should have won 24.
The ones screaming loudest this year about no talent are the same ones last year posting time after time about how CCM could coach players up. It's either or because you can't have it both ways.
 
#107
#107
knowthevols said:
I didn't say I had picked them to finish second in the sec. But, with 5 4*'s starting I did predict a 20 win season and we should have won 24.
The ones screaming loudest this year about no talent are the same ones last year posting time after time about how CCM could coach players up. It's either or because you can't have it both ways.
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Should have won 24? Yeah, and who predicted UT to sweep Fla, beat UCONN and beat Vandy?

So, you're a star gazer? That's problem #1. Unless you're Ky and Cal (which we are neither), you can forget the stars. Hell, Lofton and JaJuan have contributed more than any 4 star on this current team and they were a 3 star and a walk on.
 
#108
#108
OrangeBalls said:
Should have won 24? Yeah, and who predicted UT to sweep Fla, beat UCONN and beat Vandy?

So, you're a star gazer? That's problem #1. Unless you're Ky and Cal (which we are neither), you can forget the stars. Hell, Lofton and JaJuan have contributed more than any 4 star on this current team and they were a 3 star and a walk on.
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And our coach is a walk on. I have no idea why we are paying him.
 
#109
#109
volbeast33 said:
Here is what I thought would happen......I was right about Maymon being a stud....wrong about McRae bc I thought he was going to make a huge step forward....surprised by golden bc he was much better than I thought he would...thought tatum would be a good role player and tatum would be more than serviceable (wrong) but adding stokes more than trumped that.

Having a coach that was to be a shut down defense coach using a limited rotation......Add in the fact how bad the sec was and yeah I thought we would be on the bubble.
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You might have though Maymon was going to be a stud, but nothing showed Maymon could do anything prior to that except look like a bull in a china shop. I'd say Martin got much more out of him than Pearl ever did. Part of that could be that Pearl wanted to play his son and Maymon rushed things when he did get limited playing time.

I thought McRae would be a year older and wiser. It appears it took him an extra year to finally be the player a lot thought he could be.

The SEC is worse this year than last year.
 
#111
#111
knowthevols said:
I didn't say I had picked them to finish second in the sec. But, with 5 4*'s starting I did predict a 20 win season and we should have won 24.
The ones screaming loudest this year about no talent are the same ones last year posting time after time about how CCM could coach players up. It's either or because you can't have it both ways.
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Yeah there was a lot of that....people stating if Scotty hopson had a coach like Zo he would be a first round and almost lottery pick....Almost had me trying out for the team believing Zo could make me an NBA player lol
 
#112
#112
OrangeBalls said:
What leadership qualities does Stokes bring to the court? Does Stokes or Maymon make everyone better when he's on the court?
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We had the exact same record last year with much worse loses in the first 15 games last year. How well did Maymon make everyone when playing AP, Oakland, and Charleston? I think if you replace Maymon with Stokes this year and we see a similar record. No way we are successful this year without both.
 
#113
#113
OrangeBalls said:
You might have though Maymon was going to be a stud, but nothing showed Maymon could do anything prior to that except look like a bull in a china shop. I'd say Martin got much more out of him than Pearl ever did. Part of that could be that Pearl wanted to play his son and Maymon rushed things when he did get limited playing time.

I thought McRae would be a year older and wiser. It appears it took him an extra year to finally be the player a lot thought he could be.

The SEC is worse this year than last year.
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Maymon looked like he just needed to slow down his game, that comes from age and experience. Pearl couldn't play him more bc he forced everything....you could see the skill was there. I think the sec is better although the bottom is atrocious.
 
#114
#114
OrangeBalls said:
So, an announcer making a random comment is now a media outlet? Really? What did he vote them in his pre-season poll? Got a link?
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All commentators during the Duke, Memphis, and Chaminade games. You didn't ask for a poll, you asked for a media outlet.
 
#115
#115
volbeast33 said:
Maymon looked like he just needed to slow down his game, that comes from age and experience. Pearl couldn't play him more bc he forced everything....you could see the skill was there. I think the sec is better although the bottom is atrocious.
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Richardson's ft against KY were closer than 75% of Maymon's ft under Pearl. Shooting 25% from the ft line will probably get you benched under most coaches.
 
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#116
#116
johnnybravo said:
We had the exact same record last year with much worse loses in the first 15 games last year. How well did Maymon make everyone when playing AP, Oakland, and Charleston? I think if you replace Maymon with Stokes this year and we see a similar record. No way we are successful this year without both.
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And that was in Martin's first year still trying to figure out what he was wanting them to do.

I'd be willing to bet our record would be different with Maymon and not Stokes. He can handle the ball and he is a point forward. The offense went through him on almost every possession unless someone jacked up a quick shot. He also helped Golden bring the ball up the court. He was the leader of the team. Stokes? Not even close.

If you really think it's a wash between those two and what they bring to the table then I don't know what else to tell you.
 
#117
#117
johnnybravo said:
All commentators during the Duke, Memphis, and Chaminade games. You didn't ask for a poll, you asked for a media outlet.
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So, every commentator said UT was a NCAA tourney team? I'm not buying that. I watched every game and don't remember everyone saying that. A poll means someone putting their opinion in writing instead of conveying a thought during a game. Maybe Bilas made the comment as he was watching them play against Duke or Memphis, but I'm talking about experts who sat down at the beginning of the year and judged where they would end up.

People's opinion about teams change throughout the year as a team plays. Hell, UT was playing like a NCAA team by the end of the year, but they didn't have the overall body of work to get them in the tourney. The overwhelming majority of experts and sportswriters who follow basketball did not have UT finishing 2nd in the SEC or making the NCAA tourney.
 
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#118
#118
volbeast33 said:
Maymon looked like he just needed to slow down his game, that comes from age and experience. Pearl couldn't play him more bc he forced everything....you could see the skill was there. I think the sec is better although the bottom is atrocious.
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I don't. Ky is nowhere near as strong. Vandy is 6-9 after losing practically every player with any kind of experience (just like UT the year before).

Fla is the best team and Mizzou has injuries they're dealing with. Fla and Mizzou could make the Elite 8, but I don't see one SEC team getting further than that. It's a 3 bid league right now and maybe 4 if they're lucky.
 
#119
#119
OrangeBalls said:
So, every commentator said UT was a NCAA tourney team? I'm not buying that. I watched every game and don't remember everyone saying that. A poll means someone putting their opinion in writing instead of conveying a thought during a game. Maybe Bilas made the comment as he was watching them play against Duke or Memphis, but I'm talking about experts who sat down at the beginning of the year and judged where they would end up.

People's opinion about teams change throughout the year as a team plays. Hell, UT was playing like a NCAA team by the end of the year, but they didn't have the overall body of work to get them in the tourney. The overwhelming majority of experts and sportswriters who follow basketball did not have UT finishing 2nd in the SEC or making in the NCAA tourney.
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How many times are polls right? Not many times I am guessing.....I bet most of the people voting in the poll couldn't have picked most of our players out of a lineup.
 
#120
#120
OrangeBalls said:
I don't. Ky is nowhere near as strong. Vandy is 6-9 after losing practically every player with any kind of experience (just like UT the year before).

Fla is the best team and Mizzou has injuries they're dealing with. Fla and Mizzou could make the Elite 8, but I don't see one SEC team getting further than that. It's a 3 bid league right now and maybe 4 if they're lucky.
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It's close....candy is way down but we added mizzou and a&m....Florida is much improved......Kentucky is down...ole miss, auburn, south Carolina, and LSU all show some improvements.
 
#121
#121
volbeast33 said:
How many times are polls right? Not many times I am guessing.....I bet most of the people voting in the poll couldn't have picked most of our players out of a lineup.
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They're not always right and I don't take them as the end all to everything. However, not one expert or sportswriter predicted UT to finish second that I can remember. Vegas makes a lot of money being right. I guarantee you they didn't have UT anywhere near the Top 2 in the SEC.

I usually respect the opinions of beatwriters and sportswriters that see the team day-in and day-out over other sportswriters. Wes Rucker said they were better than an 11th place team and I agreed. However, he didn't have them 2nd and I didn't either.
 
#122
#122
volbeast33 said:
It's close....candy is way down but we added mizzou and a&m....Florida is much improved......Kentucky is down...ole miss, auburn, south Carolina, and LSU all show some improvements.
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I don't remember what the SEC was rated at the end of the year last year. Right now they're the 8th best conference rpi wise. That's atrocious.
 
#123
#123
OrangeBalls said:
They're not always right and I don't take them as the end all to everything. However, not one expert or sportswriter predicted UT to finish second that I can remember. Vegas makes a lot of money being right. I guarantee you they didn't have UT anywhere near the Top 2 in the SEC.

I usually respect the opinions of beatwriters and sportswriters that see the team day-in and day-out over other sportswriters. Wes Rucker said they were better than an 11th place team and I agreed. However, he didn't have them 2nd and I didn't either.
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That's not the way Vegas works at all....I do a lot of gambling and they try to set lines based on what the public is thinking...they want the line at a spot so an even amount of money is bet on each side so they clear the 10%.

I would have picked us between fourth to sixth place in the sec and a bubble team. We slightly overachieved in conference and underachieved in the out of conference games.
 
#124
#124
OrangeBalls said:
Houston never finished as high as 2nd in the SEC either. Martin did it in his 1st year.

The only thing that Houston did that was memorable (besides losing a lot of games) was guide his team to a miraculous run in the SEC tourney in his 2nd year to fall short in the finals against Bama. They won only 9 games all year coming into the tourney and won 3 in a row and knocked off two of the better teams in the SEC. He finished 12-22 that year. He had an overall record of 65-90. He also had a 5 win season after Allen left. Let me know when Martin only wins 5 games in one season.
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So my brother was in school during this year and the discussion was what seed would we get if we had won the tourney. A major conference tourney winner with a 12-22 record. A 14 seed? Worse?
 
#125
#125
OrangeBalls said:
I don't remember what the SEC was rated at the end of the year last year. Right now they're the 8th best conference rpi wise. That's atrocious.
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We finished 4th last yr but the only real difference would be switching out the Kentucky teams.
 
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