Predictions/expectations/2018-2019

[BruinVol]

I can't help but think this season isn't going to be full of sunshine and good times. It's not that I think this team isn't going to be wildly successful it's more centered around what us the fans expect to happen.

Here are a number of things I think we see this year.


1) This season a new wave of fans will join the bandwagon and many of those will act as if the team is a failure with every loss.


2) Because of 1 this season won't be nearly as fun as last year for many of us


3) Grant Williams will be seen by many to have a down year. He won't win POTY


4) Admiral ends up winning POTY in the SEC


5) Every single player spends a portion of the year in Barnes doghouse.


6) Vols go into the final 2 weeks of the year fighting for the SEC regular season title.


7) Bone will receive daily criticism with every missed shot and TO.


8) Vols get 2-4 seed in NCAA tourney


9) anything less than a final 4 will make many fans feel this season is a failure. 25% we get there imo



I know this has somewhat of a negative feel for it but it's coming and I am determined not to let such things ruin what is going to be a great season.

 

[calban]

Lordie. Thought I was the Resident Pessimist.
Looks like you're thinking we'll get a bleed over from the football forum. Seems most of those have given up and gone away.

 

[VEKZY]

chicken little

 

[StrangeVol]

While I hope your summation and conclusion is wrong, I agree that there is the potential for folks to be overly disappointed if we don't win virtually all our games. Before brandishing their sharp knives and going after individual players or the whole team and coaches, people need to remember that a lot of getting to the top depends on having a bit of good luck or at least avoiding, to the extent one can, bad luck. A rolled ankle, sprained knee, or a concussion sustained in practice, can throw a major wrench into the works. We were very fortunate last season to pretty much avoid the serious injury bug until the very end of our season. Given that, is it realistic that we'll avoid injuries or other misfortunes in this season as well? I sure hope so, but we need to be aware that a "dream season" most often happens in our fantasies.

Having watched the exhibition game last night I am comfortable with our team's performance in the early season and its potential for greatness is crystal clear. I hope we can all remain highly optimistic tempered by just a touch of reality!

GO VOLS!!!!!

 

[calban]

Only negative I took from last nights game is that our guys still get bored when they get those big leads. A lot of that had to do with playing the whole bench but would like to see them develop that killer instinct by end of season where they put teams away and then focus on blood spilling and finishing them off. If not we'll get tripped up by teams like GT that we should bury.

 

[BruinVol]

I am not saying I think this season isn't going to be great I am just saying that many won't see it that way. Last year we lost 9 games. We may improve that by a game or two but many won't be happy with 6-8 losses. I will be

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I’ve been saying this for awhile, when you look at the predictions thread fans are expecting arguably the best year in program history, hard to live up to those expectations.

Definitely feels like 23-7 and a 4 seed is gonna draw disappointment from quite a few people, and that shouldn’t be the case.

 

[BruinVol]

I’ve been saying this for awhile, when you look at the predictions thread fans are expecting arguably the best year in program history, hard to live up to those expectations.

I would need to go back and look but my guess is this is the deepest most talented SEC schedule we will have faced when comparing such years. Can't win the all if that's correct

 

[StrangeVol]

I am not saying I think this season isn't going to be great I am just saying that many won't see it that way. Last year we lost 9 games. We may improve that by a game or two but many won't be happy with 6-8 losses. I will be

I agree, and in fact, I projected 7 losses for the regular season which is pretty much the average of a lot of posters I respect both here and on other sites. I project two losses in our OOC games and five losses in the SEC schedule. The SEC is no cake walk. There are at least four or five teams that will give us all we want on any given night and we play some of those teams twice.

The good news we can take from the competitiveness of the SEC is simply that "steel sharpens steel.' I think we'll be just fine!

 

[VEKZY]

I am not saying I think this season isn't going to be great I am just saying that many won't see it that way. Last year we lost 9 games. We may improve that by a game or two but many won't be happy with 6-8 losses. I will be

I think it is reasonable for people to expect a good season, but anyone who is upset with 6-8 losses would be clearly irrational.

I also think it is good to have high expectations for a team that is returning its top 6 players and was a 3 seed / conference champion. We lost on a last second lucky shot to a team that went to the final four.

 

[BruinVol]

I think it is reasonable for people to expect a good season, but anyone who is upset with 6-8 losses would be clearly irrational.

I also think it is good to have high expectations for a team that is returning its top 6 players and was a 3 seed / conference champion. We lost on a last second lucky shot to a team that went to the final four.

I agree just feel strongly that after every loss we are going to hear the noise of criticism.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I would need to go back and look but my guess is this is the deepest most talented SEC schedule we will have faced when comparing such years. Can't win the all if that's correct

I don’t think there’s any question...last year set the record for NCAAT bids and this year projects to be even deeper and more balanced through the middle.

 

[JCP201]

I’ve been saying this for awhile, when you look at the predictions thread fans are expecting arguably the best year in program history, hard to live up to those expectations.

Definitely feels like 23-7 and a 4 seed is gonna draw disappointment from quite a few people, and that shouldn’t be the case.

I think most rational people would be happy with that. Barnes is a great coach, we are lucky to have him.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

22-8
26-10

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

My expectations are lower than most for the following: I think we will have a very good team (21 regular season wins and something in the 5-6 seed range) but see some regression in the W/L total..

1. The schedule is tough. Last year, we got to face the bottom 4 teams in the SEC twice. There's some regression that may occur there.
2. The component "Luck" in the advanced rankings was positive for us last year. Assuming we regress to the median, that may mean an extra loss or 2.
3. We are the hunted, not the hunter. Its a different mindset and we saw how that worked out against Loyola.
4. Final 4 teams typically are very efficient offensively. We were efficient early in the season but that lagged towards the end of the year.
5. We are deep but we saw what happened to us when Alexander got hurt last year. We were fortunate from an injury perspective last year. What happens if we regress towards the median?
6. I don't know if we have good enough guard play to be a Final 4 team.

 

[BruinVol]

I just hope the measureimg stick for success isn't making the final 4. Top much luck involved in getting there imo

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

My expectations are lower than most for the following: I think we will have a very good team (21 regular season wins and something in the 5-6 seed range) but see some regression in the W/L total..

1. The schedule is tough. Last year, we got to face the bottom 4 teams in the SEC twice. There's some regression that may occur there.
2. The component "Luck" in the advanced rankings was positive for us last year. Assuming we regress to the median, that may mean an extra loss or 2.
3. We are the hunted, not the hunter. Its a different mindset and we saw how that worked out against Loyola.
4. Final 4 teams typically are very efficient offensively. We were efficient early in the season but that lagged towards the end of the year.
5. We are deep but we saw what happened to us when Alexander got hurt last year. We were fortunate from an injury perspective last year. What happens if we regress towards the median?
6. I don't know if we have good enough guard play to be a Final 4 team.

I'd only disagree with:

3). I think being the hunted won't be a problem for this group's mentality. I think that they might thrive from the challenge.

5). This year our depth has much more experience. Walker wasn't ready as a true freshman to replace KA in the NCAAT without a drop off and Fulk never got back on track. Plus Kent should be a capable backup by tourney time. If we lost 2 guards we're in trouble... BUT at least, in an emergency, Woodson is a senior with a lot of experience for a walk-on AND everybody on the roster is a very good ball handler.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

I just hope the measureimg stick for success isn't making the final 4. Top much luck involved in getting there imo

I'll call it the greatest season ever if we make the second Elite 8 this season. Barnes started with a complete dumpster fire. Missing the NCAAT 3 consecutive years and ending up in the EE in 2 years would be amazing.

 

[zjcvols]

I’ve been saying this for awhile, when you look at the predictions thread fans are expecting arguably the best year in program history, hard to live up to those expectations.

Definitely feels like 23-7 and a 4 seed is gonna draw disappointment from quite a few people, and that shouldn’t be the case.

If this team 23-7 they’ll get a 2 seed and a 3 at worst

 

[BruinVol]

This is the kind of post that made me write the op

season is a failure unless we win the SEC tourney imo I want the tourney championship

 

[VEKZY]

I agree just feel strongly that after every loss we are going to hear the noise of criticism.

There will be vocal people after each loss upset that we didn't win, and that is understandable, this team will have the chance to win each game. It is unrealistic to expect this, even from the best teams of all-time. Teams have off-nights, sometimes the shots don't fall your way, etc.

I don't think it's wrong to be upset with each loss, I'm sure Barnes will be upset as well as the team. It becomes an issue when people blow it out of proportion.

There are a lot of posters on this site that are very bipolar, after wins, we have the best team ever; after losses, we need to fire the coach and cut half the roster. You can see this across all sports.

Luckily, these people aren't in charge of any decision making so their over reactions have no true effect on anything (other than the sanity of other posters).

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Over/under on times Lamonte "Turnover" is posted in the In-Game threads?

#5 in OP... Barnes was critical of Williams' rebounding effort last night. Said he's expected to put up double doubles every game. Also was critical of Turner turning it over 3 times in 15 minutes.

 

[VEKZY]

Over/under on times Lamonte "Turnover" is posted in the In-Game threads?

#5 in OP... Barnes was critical of Williams' rebounding effort last night. Said he's expected to put up double doubles every game. Also was critical of Turner turning it over 3 times in 15 minutes.

People will say Lamonte Turnover then immediately after he makes a clutch 3 hail him as the greatest shooter of all time. VN is like that.

 

[cncchris33]

Over/under on times Lamonte "Turnover" is posted in the In-Game threads?

#5 in OP... Barnes was critical of Williams' rebounding effort last night. Said he's expected to put up double doubles every game. Also was critical of Turner turning it over 3 times in 15 minutes.

I would agree with Barnes. Someone with GW’s size should get more than 3 rebounds almost by accident, and following his shot would have afforded him a couple more offensive boards, most likely.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

I would agree with Barnes. Someone with GW’s size should get more than 3 rebounds almost by accident, and following his shot would have afforded him a couple more offensive boards, most likely.

He was also critical that there were only 10 offensive boards last night. IMO, the more minutes Walker plays, the more that stat goes up.