Were we the 3rd best team this year?

#27
#27
I’m going to reserve judgment until tomorrow after the game. If UConn runs away from Purdue and holds the big guy to 20 or under, my hats off to UConn as well deserved champion. If UConn plays the Purdue game of holding the score under 70, and looses by 4-8 points, then I will give the Purdue coach credit, although he is a whiner on the scale of Saban.
 
#28
#28
berryvol said:
Absolutely. And a cold reminder of how you perform in January-early March has a major impact on what happens in mid-late March. If we beat Miss state in the SECT, we are likely a 1 seed out west, no matter what happens elsewhere. Bama isn’t the 4 seed. Make your own assumptions from there, but we all know we’re likely partying in PHX, win or lose, in this scenario tonight.
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I thought we had a decent tourney route this year until meeting the 1 seed and that's never gonna be easy. Would have liked to get UNC instead of Purdue. But, if your gonna win it all you've gotta be ready to beat them all.
JO VOL said:
We had one guy who could put the ball in the hoop consistently. Which is the problem Barnes has had his whole tenure here.
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Well, not so much in 2019 (was that it?). We had Grant, Admiral, Bone, plus decent support scorers. Just the collapse vs the Saint when our big was out doomed us. That was our best FF chance ever, minus the one under Pearl w Scotty Hopson missing the 2nd free throw and allowing MSU to get a runout for the win. 😏
 
#29
#29
berryvol said:
I don’t disagree with this. The winner of our game with Purdue was definitely the best team equipped to beat UCONN. Damn shame both of them played in the E8. Unfortunately, this is the way the NCAAT breaks for us the one year we don’t have injury issues or some other wild sh*t going against us.
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We’ve had our bracket break in our favor in the past (FAU & Loyola Chicago) and didn’t capitalize, would’ve been nice to have it break for this team!
 
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#30
#30
“If you’re not first, you’re last”


- Ricky Bobby

But seriously, that might be true. But I suppose it’s also irrelevant. Alabama, a team we beat twice this year, gets to brag about being in the Final Four. We remain on the outside looking in.

Makes you wonder what might have been our path to the Final Four if we hadn’t laid down and got bounced in our first game of the SEC Tournsment. Maybe we’re a #1 seed without a 7’4” obstacle to overcome until the actual Final Four (as opposed to the Elite 8). Who knows?

In any case, I loved watching our team this year. What a great time. It’s just a shame that it ended before the Final Four.
 
#31
#31
barney said:
Two of the four teams in the final four we beat. We swept bama. We lost to Purdue by a combined 10 points.

It's a shame we never got a go at UConn. They played bama very similar to us. I think if we had bama or nc states bracket we would have made the final four too.
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Yep NCAA is definitely about the bracket you get in matchups, matchup's matchups. I think we are right there at the 3rd best but it is so situational its hard to tell. I guess that's why its madness. Baseball has it right by playing rolling series but it is a more laid back sporting event and can play a lot more without taxing the body.
 
#32
#32
TNVOLFN said:
We’ve had our bracket break in our favor in the past (FAU & Loyola Chicago) and didn’t capitalize, would’ve been nice to have it break for this team!
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Yep, if we could avoid injuries and a good bracket matchup at the same time would be epic.
 
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#33
#33
berryvol said:
Absolutely. And a cold reminder of how you perform in January-early March has a major impact on what happens in mid-late March. If we beat Miss state in the SECT, we are likely a 1 seed out west, no matter what happens elsewhere. Bama isn’t the 4 seed. Make your own assumptions from there, but we all know we’re likely partying in PHX, win or lose, in this scenario tonight.
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November-March actually. OOC schedules can bite you as well if you lose too many or don't get quality wins.
 
#34
#34
Wahoooo said:
I’m going to reserve judgment until tomorrow after the game. If UConn runs away from Purdue and holds the big guy to 20 or under, my hats off to UConn as well deserved champion. If UConn plays the Purdue game of holding the score under 70, and looses by 4-8 points, then I will give the Purdue coach credit, although he is a whiner on the scale of Saban.
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I am actually crazy enough to think that Purdue is going to win this game. They give me 2019 Virginia vibes.

UVA lost to 16 seed as a 1 seed in 2018 and followed it with National Title. Purdue could do the same thing.
 
#36
#36
On good days, UT was as good as anyone. On bad days... they weren't even a top 3 team in the SEC. They needed two more reliable scorers and at least one more guy who could shoot 3's to spread the D.
 
#37
#37
volbound1700 said:
I am actually crazy enough to think that Purdue is going to win this game. They give me 2019 Virginia vibes.

UVA lost to 16 seed as a 1 seed in 2018 and followed it with National Title. Purdue could do the same thing.
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If I had a "favorite" Big10 school, it would be Purdue. But I was kind of hoping UConn would win simply because I've grown to dislike Edey... a lot. He hacks as much as anyone and at times just runs over guys without being called.

But my biggest peeve with him was that he absolutely camped out in the lane. Three seconds is seldom called these days primarily because post players learn to have a clock in their heads at a young age. There were times when he entered the key when he reached the offensive end and didn't leave the lane through 20 or more seconds of shot clock. It matters more with him because letting him get away with it multiplies his size advantage against smaller defenders.
 
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#38
#38
sjt18 said:
If I had a "favorite" Big10 school, it would be Purdue. But I was kind of hoping UConn would win simply because I've grown to dislike Edey... a lot. He hacks as much as anyone and at times just runs over guys without being called.

But my biggest peeve with him was that he absolutely camped out in the lane. Three seconds is seldom called these days primarily because post players learn to have a clock in their heads at a young age. There were times when he entered the key when he reached the offensive end and didn't leave the lane through 20 or more seconds of shot clock. It matters more with him because letting him get away with it multiplies his size advantage against smaller defenders.
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I can agree with your dislike od Edey. I can't agree with liking Purdue as best of Big10. Too many bad memories.
 
#41
#41
We finished 5th in the AP. Alabama finished 3rd, as stupid as that is. Last year they lost in the sweet 16 and finished 4th.
 
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#42
#42
sjt18 said:
On good days, UT was as good as anyone. On bad days... they weren't even a top 3 team in the SEC. They needed two more reliable scorers and at least one more guy who could shoot 3's to spread the D.
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Fortunately the good days far outnumbered the bad.
 
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#43
#43
EasternVol said:
Fortunately the good days far outnumbered the bad.
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While that's true, it is the bad days that kept them from winning the SEC and NCAA tournaments.

Just my opinion but I think Barnes emphasizes defense so much to the exclusion of other facets of the game that it produces the outcome we see. They will win a high % but will lose when their few scorers are cold or the style match up is unfavorable. Purdue exposed that.... and the Vol defense wasn't even all that great when it came to Edey. They got the ball to him... and he put it in the basket at close ranger over and over and over...
 
#44
#44
sjt18 said:
While that's true, it is the bad days that kept them from winning the SEC and NCAA tournaments.

Just my opinion but I think Barnes emphasizes defense so much to the exclusion of other facets of the game that it produces the outcome we see. They will win a high % but will lose when their few scorers are cold or the style match up is unfavorable. Purdue exposed that.... and the Vol defense wasn't even all that great when it came to Edey. They got the ball to him... and he put it in the basket at close ranger over and over and over...
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Every team tends to lose when their key scorers are cold though. Or when the other team is shooting lights out. That's basketball. Playing good defense makes overcoming poor shooting easier. Edey scored at will largely because he wasn't whistled for his walks, offensive fouls, or three second violations.
 
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#45
#45
sjt18 said:
While that's true, it is the bad days that kept them from winning the SEC and NCAA tournaments.

Just my opinion but I think Barnes emphasizes defense so much to the exclusion of other facets of the game that it produces the outcome we see. They will win a high % but will lose when their few scorers are cold or the style match up is unfavorable. Purdue exposed that.... and the Vol defense wasn't even all that great when it came to Edey. They got the ball to him... and he put it in the basket at close ranger over and over and over...
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Hard to play defense when you allow a player to camp in the paint and get a call when he’s breathed on.
 
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#46
#46
EasternVol said:
Every team tends to lose when their key scorers are cold though. Or when the other team is shooting lights out. That's basketball. Playing good defense makes overcoming poor shooting easier. Edey scored at will largely because he wasn't whistled for his walks, offensive fouls, or three second violations.
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It isn't entirely Barnes. If JJJ or Vescovi were shooting like they were in the past then that would have given them that other option. Wasn't Purdue's best shooter cold vs UT? But they had some other guys who got it done. UT didn't have those guys with consistency. Other teams knew it and focused on it
 
#47
#47
TNVOLFN said:
We’ve had our bracket break in our favor in the past (FAU & Loyola Chicago) and didn’t capitalize, would’ve been nice to have it break for this team!
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That Kyle Alexander injury cost us. No way he doesn't do at least some if not all of the following. Blocks a couple shots or even alter made baskets to miss and/or make a couple buckets of his own.
 
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#50
#50
sjt18 said:
While that's true, it is the bad days that kept them from winning the SEC and NCAA tournaments.

Just my opinion but I think Barnes emphasizes defense so much to the exclusion of other facets of the game that it produces the outcome we see. They will win a high % but will lose when their few scorers are cold or the style match up is unfavorable. Purdue exposed that.... and the Vol defense wasn't even all that great when it came to Edey. They got the ball to him... and he put it in the basket at close ranger over and over and over...
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If ZZ has just a decent game, we would beat Purdue
 
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