Theory + a couple of observations

#26
#26
You know, this is a very in depth analysis. The irony is that I've been saying for a long time that uf needs less shooters, more inside bulk. Tale of two teams.

You get by round 1 and imo elite 8 is in the picture.

But absence of offense = early exit
You skipped bruisers and went straight to felons.
 
#27
#27
The story of our lives in basketball, it doesnt matter how easy you make our road in the ncaa tournament we will not take it. I mean heck a few years ago all that stood between us and a final four was a little mediocre team named loyola chicago. Im convinced you could give us the worst teams in basketball time after time and we still wouldnt make it to the final four. I know im just being pessimistic but man nothing good ever happens for UT, at this point im convinced its not just bad luck.
The jinx is still in effect
 
#28
#28
How dare you sir!!! This team had the same fatal flaws all year and never did anything to fix them!!! If we had a good shooting night from 3 we were good and if we didnt we were screwed!!! How dare you say that anything could have possibly been done to adjust to our weaknesses or the obvious gameplans that were out on us after the first handful of games!!! Listen be thankful for what you have because if Rick Barnes the god of college basketball ever leaves we shall literally never win another game I tell you!!!! Not another game ever, we never won one before Rick Barnes and we shall never win one after Rick Barnes.
😂😂😂😂
 
#29
#29
Here’s a theory. Josiah Jordan James is not a good player...at all. He had no business being rated a 5 star, or even a 4 star for that matter.
 
#30
#30
1. This team was better BEFORE the freshmen moved into the starting lineup. The team ran through Fulky, Yves, and JJJ. At around the time the freshmen entered the starting line-up, the offense started bogging down and we played roughly .500 ball.

Theory:
Starting the freshmen botched the on-floor chemistry. I think everyone on the roster are great kids and outstanding teammates. However, the older guys don’t seem to be “alpha” personalities. As the freshmen were pushed forward, those veterans shrank back. Keon seems like an “alpha”, and I think guys like Fulky/Yves/JJJ slipped into more comfortable secondary roles and as a result regressed. It felt like Fulky reverted to Grant/Admiral years Fulky. I really believe much of Fulky’s regression came as a result of the two freshmen being pushed forward.

2. It’s tough to keep future lottery picks on the bench. I don’t necessarily fault Barnes, because they are better players. But I think the timeline would reveal that change altered the trajectory of the season for the worse.

3. I think Barnes skipped a step. It’s fun seeing the spotlight that came to our program when we signed Keon / Springer. I enjoyed cheering for them and I’m glad they came, BUT, I think college programs are better served trying to sign guys ranked between 25-75. Now we have gaping holes on the roster, and lower ranked guys on the roster have lacked the minutes necesssry to actually develop.

4. Everyone has said it, but I’ll confer...Barnes has to recruit / sign some pure shooters. We have a bunch of legit athletes, who are not natural shooters and are trying to develop a shot. Gotta sign a couple of guys who came out of the womb bombing 3’s. Bowden, and Vescovi to a lesser degree, are the only two pure shooters I can recall on our roster in the Barnes years.

5. All that said, this was my least favorite of Barnes 6 teams in Knoxville. They were painfully frustrating to watch. I love the individual parts, but the sum of those parts was not a fun team to follow.
Obviously guys who thought they might have a role were relegated to the bench. A few of those have no business being at a school like UT. Anosike, Uros, Gaines, Pember. UTs best post prospect in years put up double digits on Villanova last night. But, if you can’t recite the Lords Prayer you ain’t gonna cut it with Barnes. It’s only a matter of time before Bobby Maze gets tired of seeing his young talent wasted. UTs recruiting success is very much his doing.

If you cover your players draft stock would you want scouts seeing that hot garbage on display yesterday?? Hell no. And before you start saying “what about UK and Duke.” Barnes doesn’t have the equity that Cal and Coach K have.

Barnes needs to change himself and make some staff changes. He won’t do that on his own. Hope that English and Oliver get a job. I met Oliver when he first arrived and was surprised how out of his element he seemed. English is no Lanier. The other guy does a lot of shouting in he sideline and not much else as far as I can see.

Barnes needs to be more involved in all aspects of his team. It’s a problem when a coach thinks he doesn’t have to keep the knob at 11. Also a problem when his assistants think he’s “earned it.” Today, I could give two shats which one of you bball gestapo gets their panties in a wad over $5 million dollar thing. Don’t like it? You better get intimate with the ignore feature.
 
#31
#31
I would bet the farm what caused things to fall apart as the season progressed, the freshmen played more minutes, and team chemistry was non existent is selfishness. The older players absolutely despised all the attention given to the “young stars”.
 
#32
#32
I would bet the farm what caused things to fall apart as the season progressed, the freshmen played more minutes, and team chemistry was non existent is selfishness. The older players absolutely despised all the attention given to the “young stars”.

If the elder statesmen on this roster were that jealous of the younger kids then they are mentally soft and wouldn't have won anything of merit anyway.

I honestly can't believe how many are blaming the freshmen for our woes this year. They aren't without fault, but if you are to list the 10 reasons this season was disappointing, Springer and Keon are not on that list.
 
#33
#33
We have a top point guard coming in and we need a dominant center and a PF imo from the transfer portal and possibly a very good 3 point shooter. I believe we have at least 3 scholarships to fill because of transfers etc.
 
#34
#34
To me it is quite simple. Jam the middle defensively against the Vols and you shut down the offense.

Problem is we had no Answer and CRB never adjusted the Offense to Counter defenses the jamming of the Middle.

He didn't have the Horses Inside he once had to balance the offensive threat.

This is a Coaching Issue without Adjustments.

Barnes is not a 3 point Guy and is a Pound the Middle and 2 fer Guy...He has not figured out the balance of a 3 point and a 2 point offense.

Maybe he will eventually.
 
#36
#36
It wasn’t the freshmen taking in a bigger role or being put in the starting lineup. It was we played a weak schedule before SEC play and then we got exposed

Except that we got well into SEC play and dominated Kansas in the b12 Challenge and looked the part of a S16-E8 team. Pons 17 pts, Fulky 11 - JJJ, Bailey, Vescovi all at or near double figures. Outrebounded KS 38 to 23. JJJ 11 rebs in 27 minutes...

Pons never built on the 3 or 4 mid-season games when he looked like he might be an offensive force inside, and Fulky never did round into form. OSU's Silva gave us a pretty good clue about what a difference a scorer in the post can make.
 
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#37
#37
Except that we got well into SEC play and dominated Kansas in the b12 Challenge and looked the part of a S16-E8 team. Pons 17 pts, Fulky 11 - JJJ, Bailey, Vescovi all at or near double figures. Outrebounded KS 38 to 23. JJJ 11 rebs in 27 minutes...

Pons never built on the 3 or 4 mid-season games when he looked like he might be an offensive force inside, and Fulky never did round into form. OSU's Silva gave us a pretty good clue about what a difference a scorer in the post can make.

Both Springer and Johnson started the Kansas game.

It had nothing to do with the freshmen being inserted in the lineup. They should have been starting day one from the beginning. This team’s offensive scheme prevented them from getting far
 
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#38
#38
1. This team was better BEFORE the freshmen moved into the starting lineup. The team ran through Fulky, Yves, and JJJ. At around the time the freshmen entered the starting line-up, the offense started bogging down and we played roughly .500 ball.

Theory:
Starting the freshmen botched the on-floor chemistry. I think everyone on the roster are great kids and outstanding teammates. However, the older guys don’t seem to be “alpha” personalities. As the freshmen were pushed forward, those veterans shrank back. Keon seems like an “alpha”, and I think guys like Fulky/Yves/JJJ slipped into more comfortable secondary roles and as a result regressed. It felt like Fulky reverted to Grant/Admiral years Fulky. I really believe much of Fulky’s regression came as a result of the two freshmen being pushed forward.

2. It’s tough to keep future lottery picks on the bench. I don’t necessarily fault Barnes, because they are better players. But I think the timeline would reveal that change altered the trajectory of the season for the worse.

3. I think Barnes skipped a step. It’s fun seeing the spotlight that came to our program when we signed Keon / Springer. I enjoyed cheering for them and I’m glad they came, BUT, I think college programs are better served trying to sign guys ranked between 25-75. Now we have gaping holes on the roster, and lower ranked guys on the roster have lacked the minutes necesssry to actually develop.

4. Everyone has said it, but I’ll confer...Barnes has to recruit / sign some pure shooters. We have a bunch of legit athletes, who are not natural shooters and are trying to develop a shot. Gotta sign a couple of guys who came out of the womb bombing 3’s. Bowden, and Vescovi to a lesser degree, are the only two pure shooters I can recall on our roster in the Barnes years.

5. All that said, this was my least favorite of Barnes 6 teams in Knoxville. They were painfully frustrating to watch. I love the individual parts, but the sum of those parts was not a fun team to follow.

Excellent post.

Your #1 is something that I have thought about a lot, and agree with. Not sure if scouting just finally caught up with us, or something else happened. I do think the other members on the team were fine taking a back seat and watching the FR do their thing which is never a good thing. Teams started shutting down the middle drive and this created a huge problem for Springer, and to a lesser degree, Johnson. I also don't think that the two FR were ready for this role of being the leaders. Maybe I am forgetting some, but I don't recall Springer making as many passes for easy baskets to other teammates (he was too intent on scoring) - he made several of these earlier in the year. I have said it in other posts, but I have played against teams that have one or two stars, and the other guys take on a tendency to stand around and watch.
 
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#39
#39
1. This team was better BEFORE the freshmen moved into the starting lineup. The team ran through Fulky, Yves, and JJJ. At around the time the freshmen entered the starting line-up, the offense started bogging down and we played roughly .500 ball.

Theory:
Starting the freshmen botched the on-floor chemistry. I think everyone on the roster are great kids and outstanding teammates. However, the older guys don’t seem to be “alpha” personalities. As the freshmen were pushed forward, those veterans shrank back. Keon seems like an “alpha”, and I think guys like Fulky/Yves/JJJ slipped into more comfortable secondary roles and as a result regressed. It felt like Fulky reverted to Grant/Admiral years Fulky. I really believe much of Fulky’s regression came as a result of the two freshmen being pushed forward.

2. It’s tough to keep future lottery picks on the bench. I don’t necessarily fault Barnes, because they are better players. But I think the timeline would reveal that change altered the trajectory of the season for the worse.

3. I think Barnes skipped a step. It’s fun seeing the spotlight that came to our program when we signed Keon / Springer. I enjoyed cheering for them and I’m glad they came, BUT, I think college programs are better served trying to sign guys ranked between 25-75. Now we have gaping holes on the roster, and lower ranked guys on the roster have lacked the minutes necesssry to actually develop.

4. Everyone has said it, but I’ll confer...Barnes has to recruit / sign some pure shooters. We have a bunch of legit athletes, who are not natural shooters and are trying to develop a shot. Gotta sign a couple of guys who came out of the womb bombing 3’s. Bowden, and Vescovi to a lesser degree, are the only two pure shooters I can recall on our roster in the Barnes years.

5. All that said, this was my least favorite of Barnes 6 teams in Knoxville. They were painfully frustrating to watch. I love the individual parts, but the sum of those parts was not a fun team to follow.

Yeah he is that, he just can't make the shots. Ant to good at anything else to me. Just a fair working man player, who does all he can to accomplish what chores he is given. Not his fault he asked to do things that are beyond his ability.
 
#40
#40
1. This team was better BEFORE the freshmen moved into the starting lineup. The team ran through Fulky, Yves, and JJJ. At around the time the freshmen entered the starting line-up, the offense started bogging down and we played roughly .500 ball.

Theory:
Starting the freshmen botched the on-floor chemistry. I think everyone on the roster are great kids and outstanding teammates. However, the older guys don’t seem to be “alpha” personalities. As the freshmen were pushed forward, those veterans shrank back. Keon seems like an “alpha”, and I think guys like Fulky/Yves/JJJ slipped into more comfortable secondary roles and as a result regressed. It felt like Fulky reverted to Grant/Admiral years Fulky. I really believe much of Fulky’s regression came as a result of the two freshmen being pushed forward.

2. It’s tough to keep future lottery picks on the bench. I don’t necessarily fault Barnes, because they are better players. But I think the timeline would reveal that change altered the trajectory of the season for the worse.

3. I think Barnes skipped a step. It’s fun seeing the spotlight that came to our program when we signed Keon / Springer. I enjoyed cheering for them and I’m glad they came, BUT, I think college programs are better served trying to sign guys ranked between 25-75. Now we have gaping holes on the roster, and lower ranked guys on the roster have lacked the minutes necesssry to actually develop.

4. Everyone has said it, but I’ll confer...Barnes has to recruit / sign some pure shooters. We have a bunch of legit athletes, who are not natural shooters and are trying to develop a shot. Gotta sign a couple of guys who came out of the womb bombing 3’s. Bowden, and Vescovi to a lesser degree, are the only two pure shooters I can recall on our roster in the Barnes years.

5. All that said, this was my least favorite of Barnes 6 teams in Knoxville. They were painfully frustrating to watch. I love the individual parts, but the sum of those parts was not a fun team to follow.
I think you pretty much nailed it on your theory. It's a tough position... Also, don't know if anyone watched the Nova/Winthrop game last night, but took me about half the game to realize the monster inside, DJ Burns, for Winthrop was a former Vol. We could have used that kind of muscle inside this year.
 
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#41
#41
Both Springer and Johnson started the Kansas game.

It had nothing to do with the freshmen being inserted in the lineup. They should have been starting day one from the beginning. This team’s offensive scheme prevented them from getting far

I'm not arguing about freshmen minutes and your point about our offensive scheme is the rub. Not having a physical big man down low who could give you at least 8-10 pts a game limits what any offense can do. That - and not having a true PG....
 
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#42
#42
To me it is quite simple. Jam the middle defensively against the Vols and you shut down the offense.

Problem is we had no Answer and CRB never adjusted the Offense to Counter defenses the jamming of the Middle.

He didn't have the Horses Inside he once had to balance the offensive threat.

This is a Coaching Issue without Adjustments.

Barnes is not a 3 point Guy and is a Pound the Middle and 2 fer Guy...He has not figured out the balance of a 3 point and a 2 point offense.

Maybe he will eventually.

I don’t necessarily agree. The adjustment is to shoot the 3...and we shot plenty of 3s...we just didn’t make enough of them.
 
#43
#43
I think that coaches look better when there are more upperclassmen in the mix. With Fulk out, Pons in foul trouble, and even JJJ getting hurt late TN just didn’t have a good mix to put on the court. Talent alone won’t get it done.
As noted, Oregon State started 3 seniors and a junior.
 
#44
#44
1. This team was better BEFORE the freshmen moved into the starting lineup. The team ran through Fulky, Yves, and JJJ. At around the time the freshmen entered the starting line-up, the offense started bogging down and we played roughly .500 ball.

Theory:
Starting the freshmen botched the on-floor chemistry. I think everyone on the roster are great kids and outstanding teammates. However, the older guys don’t seem to be “alpha” personalities. As the freshmen were pushed forward, those veterans shrank back. Keon seems like an “alpha”, and I think guys like Fulky/Yves/JJJ slipped into more comfortable secondary roles and as a result regressed. It felt like Fulky reverted to Grant/Admiral years Fulky. I really believe much of Fulky’s regression came as a result of the two freshmen being pushed forward.

2. It’s tough to keep future lottery picks on the bench. I don’t necessarily fault Barnes, because they are better players. But I think the timeline would reveal that change altered the trajectory of the season for the worse.

3. I think Barnes skipped a step. It’s fun seeing the spotlight that came to our program when we signed Keon / Springer. I enjoyed cheering for them and I’m glad they came, BUT, I think college programs are better served trying to sign guys ranked between 25-75. Now we have gaping holes on the roster, and lower ranked guys on the roster have lacked the minutes necesssry to actually develop.

4. Everyone has said it, but I’ll confer...Barnes has to recruit / sign some pure shooters. We have a bunch of legit athletes, who are not natural shooters and are trying to develop a shot. Gotta sign a couple of guys who came out of the womb bombing 3’s. Bowden, and Vescovi to a lesser degree, are the only two pure shooters I can recall on our roster in the Barnes years.

5. All that said, this was my least favorite of Barnes 6 teams in Knoxville. They were painfully frustrating to watch. I love the individual parts, but the sum of those parts was not a fun team to follow.
MUST hit on players in the Transfer Portal this offseason in order to improve this team. Far too many players who aren't Power 5 players on the Vols bench!
 
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#45
#45
I would bet the farm what caused things to fall apart as the season progressed, the freshmen played more minutes, and team chemistry was non existent is selfishness. The older players absolutely despised all the attention given to the “young stars”.

I just think this is a stretch with no real evidence. It’s an attack on the character of guys like Fulkerson and Yves. They have done nothing in 4+ years to demonstrate anything other than INAM.

But I do think both shrunk back into more familiar / maybe more comfortable “complementary roles” as the freshmen were pushed forward.

Unfortunately, we were better early in the year when those two guys were in more primary roles.
 
#46
#46
If the elder statesmen on this roster were that jealous of the younger kids then they are mentally soft and wouldn't have won anything of merit anyway.

I honestly can't believe how many are blaming the freshmen for our woes this year. They aren't without fault, but if you are to list the 10 reasons this season was disappointing, Springer and Keon are not on that list.

I’m not blaming the freshmen. Both guys are some of the most elite talent ever to walk into Thompson Boling wearing orange.

I am saying as they became more featured, the on-court chemistry bogged down.

Not those kids faults. Not necessarily all on the coaches either. Anyone who has led knows that sometimes it just doesn’t come together.
 
#47
#47
I think you pretty much nailed it on your theory. It's a tough position... Also, don't know if anyone watched the Nova/Winthrop game last night, but took me about half the game to realize the monster inside, DJ Burns, for Winthrop was a former Vol. We could have used that kind of muscle inside this year.

For better or worse. Burns is clearly overweight. Which is an indicator of why he didn’t last in Knoxville. He just wasn’t willing to meet the standard in the work ethic department it seems.
 
#48
#48
I don’t necessarily agree. The adjustment is to shoot the 3...and we shot plenty of 3s...we just didn’t make enough of them.

Because we haven’t recruited natural shooters.

JJJ - Keon - Springer - Bailey - Yves

all very athletic guys who have had to develop a shot.
We need guys who were born to shoot.
 
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#49
#49
I just think this is a stretch with no real evidence. It’s an attack on the character of guys like Fulkerson and Yves. They have done nothing in 4+ years to demonstrate anything other than INAM.

But I do think both shrunk back into more familiar / maybe more comfortable “complementary roles” as the freshmen were pushed forward.

Unfortunately, we were better early in the year when those two guys were in more primary roles.
As Rucker puts it this season was a total collapse, explain why? It’s easy to me, the “elder statesmen” didn’t live up to their ability, why, my theory stands?
 
#50
#50
Because we haven’t recruited natural shooters.

JJJ - Keon - Springer - Bailey - Yves

all very athletic guys who have had to develop a shot.
We need guys who were born to shoot.

I don’t disagree. But I responded to the post claiming that Barnes didn’t make any adjustments. I believe he did, but as you point out, we just didn’t have guys who could make enough shots.
 
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