cncchris33
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I was prepared for this to be my final report of the season, and for the better part of 34 minutes, save for some periodic glimpses of hope, it looked like it would be. Within that 34 minutes, I saw a highlight of errors that were a microcosm of the many things that have ailed us this season. Vandy was shooting 50%+, Tennessee couldn't find the open shooters, Tennessee couldn't create offensive looks, Tennessee went long stretches without scoring, a lot of silly fouls (with plenty of phantom calls), etc. I had planned on using this game as a general reflection of the deficiencies of the entire season.
And then...this team went out and totally redeemed themselves in one of the least likely comeback wins I've seen in a long time. Should I be shocked though? This is the 3rd time these two teams have played, and in all three games, the eventual loser has had the lead with under 8 to play, and in 2 of the 3 games, the eventual loser had a double-digit 2nd half lead with roughly 12 minutes or less to play.
The Good...
1. Josh Richardson simply willed this team to win. He started the game shooting 2-9, and finished hitting 6 of his last 7 shots and going 6-6 at the FT line. You don't get more clutch than that, and you can tell he wasn't ready for his career to end on March the 12th. 22 pts, 6 rebs, 2 stls, 3 assts, and only 1 TO while playing 38 minutes. That fatigue will likely catch up to him today, but what a performance.
2. Robert Hubbs hit a huge 3 to start the comback surge that really lifted the team, and then hit another to give Tennessee the lead for good at the 2:30 mark. He really came on in the 2nd half from a scoring perspective. 16 pts, 1 reb, 1 asst, and 0 TOs.
3. Devon Baulkman was key too. He really has a beautiful stroke, probably best on the team in terms of aesthetics. He also attacked the basket and rebounded well. 12 pts, 6 rebs, 1 asst, 2 stls, and 0 TOs. Maybe his best all-around game of the year.
4. Derek Reese had his typical couple WTH plays, but he led the team in rebounding, and did while strapped with 4 fouls from roughly the 15-minute mark of the 2nd half. He also had a clutch 3 in the stretch run when we came back.
5. 9 stls to Vandy's 2, only 6 TOs to Vandy's 12, and 17 pts scored off of TOs to Vandy's 8.
6. If you had told me that we finished tied at 33 on the boards and that we outrebounded Vandy on the offensive boards 11-9, I'd have called you a liar. In fact, I'd have guessed Damian Jones, who is a fantastic player btw, outrebounded us by himself.
7. The decision to switch up the defensive look was genius, and an answer to my personal plea to please ditch the zone when we allowed Vandy to run the exact same play to isolate the corner 3 about 137 times.
The Bad...
1. We let Vandy run the exact same play to isolate the corner 3 about 137 times. We have to learn to rotate quicker and find the open shooter, especially against a good outside shooting team like Vandy. Fortunately, they weren't hot on this particular night, or they'd have run us out of the gym.
2. Not Armani's best performance. From the cheap shot to pick up his 1st foul, he just looked frustrated for the rest of the game. He is very emotiona, which fuels his fire as an undersized PF, but he has to have more composure when things don't go his way early. It affects the entire team.
3. Wade Baldwin is someone I'm going to love to hate the next three years.
4. We got very little from the 3 freshmen, and it is apparent that CDT prefers to simply ride his 6 upperclassmen into the dirt at this point. Can't say I blame him, but that will backfire in a tournament setting. We had 4 guys play over 30 minutes last night, and they come back to face a rested Arkansas team that likes to press and run on a 24-hour turnaround. We will be running purely on adrenaline.
5. Officiating is just bad right now. From D. Jones' foot being entirely out of bounds, to the phantom foul on Reese for going for a loose ball. Even the commmentators seemed miffed by several of the calls.
Bottom line...
With 8 minutes to go, I thought our season was over, and we'd have a losing record for the first time in 10 years. I didn't think this team had enough fight in them to overcome a 12-point deficit with 6:30 to play. That was a defining moment for a team that has been very up and down, and a fitting tribute to their leader, Josh Richardson, despite what happens today. A great adjustment by CDT to switch up the defense when the 2-3 wasn't working. Just an awesome win to beat Vandy like that in Nashville, and live to fight another day. Survive and advance. It's tourney time.
And then...this team went out and totally redeemed themselves in one of the least likely comeback wins I've seen in a long time. Should I be shocked though? This is the 3rd time these two teams have played, and in all three games, the eventual loser has had the lead with under 8 to play, and in 2 of the 3 games, the eventual loser had a double-digit 2nd half lead with roughly 12 minutes or less to play.
The Good...
1. Josh Richardson simply willed this team to win. He started the game shooting 2-9, and finished hitting 6 of his last 7 shots and going 6-6 at the FT line. You don't get more clutch than that, and you can tell he wasn't ready for his career to end on March the 12th. 22 pts, 6 rebs, 2 stls, 3 assts, and only 1 TO while playing 38 minutes. That fatigue will likely catch up to him today, but what a performance.
2. Robert Hubbs hit a huge 3 to start the comback surge that really lifted the team, and then hit another to give Tennessee the lead for good at the 2:30 mark. He really came on in the 2nd half from a scoring perspective. 16 pts, 1 reb, 1 asst, and 0 TOs.
3. Devon Baulkman was key too. He really has a beautiful stroke, probably best on the team in terms of aesthetics. He also attacked the basket and rebounded well. 12 pts, 6 rebs, 1 asst, 2 stls, and 0 TOs. Maybe his best all-around game of the year.
4. Derek Reese had his typical couple WTH plays, but he led the team in rebounding, and did while strapped with 4 fouls from roughly the 15-minute mark of the 2nd half. He also had a clutch 3 in the stretch run when we came back.
5. 9 stls to Vandy's 2, only 6 TOs to Vandy's 12, and 17 pts scored off of TOs to Vandy's 8.
6. If you had told me that we finished tied at 33 on the boards and that we outrebounded Vandy on the offensive boards 11-9, I'd have called you a liar. In fact, I'd have guessed Damian Jones, who is a fantastic player btw, outrebounded us by himself.
7. The decision to switch up the defensive look was genius, and an answer to my personal plea to please ditch the zone when we allowed Vandy to run the exact same play to isolate the corner 3 about 137 times.
The Bad...
1. We let Vandy run the exact same play to isolate the corner 3 about 137 times. We have to learn to rotate quicker and find the open shooter, especially against a good outside shooting team like Vandy. Fortunately, they weren't hot on this particular night, or they'd have run us out of the gym.
2. Not Armani's best performance. From the cheap shot to pick up his 1st foul, he just looked frustrated for the rest of the game. He is very emotiona, which fuels his fire as an undersized PF, but he has to have more composure when things don't go his way early. It affects the entire team.
3. Wade Baldwin is someone I'm going to love to hate the next three years.
4. We got very little from the 3 freshmen, and it is apparent that CDT prefers to simply ride his 6 upperclassmen into the dirt at this point. Can't say I blame him, but that will backfire in a tournament setting. We had 4 guys play over 30 minutes last night, and they come back to face a rested Arkansas team that likes to press and run on a 24-hour turnaround. We will be running purely on adrenaline.
5. Officiating is just bad right now. From D. Jones' foot being entirely out of bounds, to the phantom foul on Reese for going for a loose ball. Even the commmentators seemed miffed by several of the calls.
Bottom line...
With 8 minutes to go, I thought our season was over, and we'd have a losing record for the first time in 10 years. I didn't think this team had enough fight in them to overcome a 12-point deficit with 6:30 to play. That was a defining moment for a team that has been very up and down, and a fitting tribute to their leader, Josh Richardson, despite what happens today. A great adjustment by CDT to switch up the defense when the 2-3 wasn't working. Just an awesome win to beat Vandy like that in Nashville, and live to fight another day. Survive and advance. It's tourney time.
