Tennessee is going no where under Barnes (Good news)

[VolDaddy61]

Consistency of BHH? And Chandler ain’t coming back. Move on from that folks.

Improvement and consistency is what I stated, and I'm not ruling out a return from Kennedy until He makes it official.

 

[Volfan1000]

While emotions are still high and people vent (which they should), the bright side is that Barnes is likely to be top dog in the SEC for the next few years. There were a few surprising coaching changes that have really only created more distance between 3 schools in the SEC from the rest. The one school not making a change will drop off due to graduations. Regardless of the the current views of Barnes, the only knock or negative for us in the short term going forward will be performance in the NCAA tourney. It is no longer March in general as we got the monkey off our back winning the SEC tourney. Add in fact that we will be back in Nashville for a bit going forward, I can thoroughly say I am optimistic for Tennessee under Barnes for the next 2-4 years. I personally think Barnes has 3-5 seasons left before retiring. I also think that we are also set up with the current roster and recruiting classes to turn out another top 5-10 ranked team in preseason and likely be a top 2 team in the league next year.

SEC Changes for next year:
Florida lost White and hired no namer, up and comer
LSU canned Will Wade and prolly going back to the cellar
Georgia got White, but they are literally rock bottom and there is no overnight fix
MSU losing Howland
South Carolina canned Martin
Mizzou lost Cuonzo "Pat Forde" Martin
Arkansas is losing Notae, Lyke, and Umude
Hell, even Alabama is talking crazy about firing Nate Oats


With these coaching changes above, the SEC only got more top heavy with Auburn, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

The coaching changes in the SEC only make me more confident because there are only 3 legit coaches right now in the league with lofty expectations and that is Bruce, Cal, and Barnes. Musselman is fine and all, but they are literally going to lose a giant core of their roster and scoring this offseason.

Am I happy at the fact that we will likely turn out another 25 wins, top 10 ranking, but likely fold in March? No it sucks and is bittersweet. But i'm old enough to remember the days of black curtains in TBA, having the mindset that we need to win the conference tourney to have even a shot at the NCAAT, and our recruiting being in the gutter.

I expect a full amount of trolling and "Carrying water for Barnes" comments, but at the end of the day, we don't have to worry about struggling recruiting classes and being on the bubble. And for all the trolling comments, the cost of paying Barnes $5 million to keep things nationally relevant and a constant NCAAT team far outweighs going the cheap route to play the game of "lets see if we can find the next up and comer"...... There is no "Roy Williams to UNC" type hire that upgrades the coaching staff with the program in its current relevant standing. So any notion we should move on or "force a retirement" without any clear upgrade / national name hire should be tarred and feather'd and laugh out of the discussion.


I fully expect our record next year to be better than this year and for us to compete once again for regular season and tournament championship in the SEC. Like we do every year, we can cross the March Madness bridge when we come to it.

It will be very interesting to see how long Oats and Mussellman stay at their respective jobs before moving on.

 

[JoAllan]

I’m the last 6+ minutes when the outside shooting went cold the coach either:

A) tells team to keep pumping away - they’re bound to land eventually

OR

B) change attack plan and go inside/drive

CRB seemed to stick with Plan A and they couldn’t connect.
Given the way the team had played all year I understand it but there was nothing to lose by mixing it up and putting combinations of Uros/BHH/Fulky in with JJJ, SV and KC to force the issue inside and mix it up.
Oh, well

Tennessee literally missed 17 shots at or near the goal………in that particular game I’m guessing they would have needed even a 3rd option.

 

[Other_Guy]

Yeah it's not like Cal or Pearl did any better.

 

[lastlap]

If Tennessee gets/develops a go to guy similar to Grant Williams to get a bucket when needed they’ll become a National Contender. As of now no one will respect their inside game enough to not try and stop our guard play. When Grant was playing we had that just not enough depth. Before that it was lack of a true point guard. We always seem to be one piece of the puzzle short or a injury away. The stars will line up hopefully this coming season and at least give us a descent shot for going deep in the tournament. Depending a lot on the transfer portal, players turning pro, and such. Arizona or Gonzaga seems to be those teams this year but how many Championships have they won? If it were easy everyone would have a championship!

 

[njvols]

Barnes did not miss a single three last night. Vescovi, ZZ and the rest could not hit the side of a barn last night from 3. It has nothing to do with coaching, Barnes is doing his job getting recruits and coaching them up.

Only thing I would say on coaching...and I'm not one, but I thought we should have mixed in more zone to throw different looks at them

 

[JCP201]

Yeah it's not like Cal or Pearl did any better.

Their teams looked bad, particularly Auburn. Miami had their way with them. Granted, I didn't watch the whole game since I was interested in Louisville women's game for Lady Vols purposes.. I caught the last half when Miami pulled away.

 

[JCP201]

Tennessee literally missed 17 shots at or near the goal………in that particular game I’m guessing they would have needed even a 3rd option.

It didn't help that the refs weren't going to allow Michigan big man to foul out, no matter that he was amputating our guys arms. The game was too close to play favorites. CBS showed replays so there wasn't much doubt that some of those "blocks" were fouls.

 

[Swoll Cracker]

Absolutely. And by the way, here's our refs from the Michigan game...

Larry Scirotto
Some guy on an Illinois message board wonders why they do comparatively poorly in games that Scirotto ref (10 games in a season):
Is Larry Scirotto our kryptonite?
Meanwhile, Scirotto has reffed one Kentucky game, ever, and that was against Michigan State:
Larry Scirotto - Officiated Kentucky Games

Did we draw a Big 10 ref in a game against Michigan?

Earl Walton
Gets tossed from Big East tourney, goes to ref Big 10 tourney instead:
Referee Earl Walton, barred from Big East Tournament, officiates in Big Ten quarterfinals
UConn fan board guy opinion, Walton is one of the best who "let players play"
Referees today

Joe Lindsay
Guess who was around to end our season against Purdue in 2019?
We got hosed by Ref Joe Lindsay

Larry Scirotto did his 7th and 8th Michigan games of the season. over the weekend in Indianapolis. He had done 0 Colorado State games and 0 Tennessee games prior to the weekend. He has officiated 39 games this season and 38 of them involved at least one Big Ten team.

Juwan Howard found his caddie. And the NCAA should be ashamed for assigning him to Indianapolis.

 

[Frozevol]

Absolutely. And by the way, here's our refs from the Michigan game...

Larry Scirotto
Some guy on an Illinois message board wonders why they do comparatively poorly in games that Scirotto ref (10 games in a season):
Is Larry Scirotto our kryptonite?
Meanwhile, Scirotto has reffed one Kentucky game, ever, and that was against Michigan State:
Larry Scirotto - Officiated Kentucky Games

Did we draw a Big 10 ref in a game against Michigan?

Earl Walton
Gets tossed from Big East tourney, goes to ref Big 10 tourney instead:
Referee Earl Walton, barred from Big East Tournament, officiates in Big Ten quarterfinals
UConn fan board guy opinion, Walton is one of the best who "let players play"
Referees today

Joe Lindsay
Guess who was around to end our season against Purdue in 2019?
We got hosed by Ref Joe Lindsay

That last one (Lindsay) got my attention. That was the worst call ever. You cannot call a finger on the hand a foul on a game ending shot.

 

[7maxims]

Larry Scirotto did his 7th and 8th Michigan games of the season. over the weekend in Indianapolis. He had done 0 Colorado State games and 0 Tennessee games prior to the weekend. He has officiated 39 games this season and 38 of them involved at least one Big Ten team.

Juwan Howard found his caddie. And the NCAA should be ashamed for assigning him to Indianapolis.

And to add to that, I read where someone at the game saw the refs were HUGGING Juwan during warmups. No wonder they let UM do whatever they wanted.

 

[VOLtaism]

I think gauging a coach based on his success in the NCAA tournament is a negative approach. It would be like doing the same in football based on making the playoffs. While there is a lot of skill involved in getting there the outcome is mainly luck, unless you have 5 5 star athletes with 2 more coming off the bench. Barnes had a winning gameplan in every game I was able to watch, the players only needed to execute. There is luck in the seeding, upsets in your bracket, hot teams, injuries, and 3 point shooting percentage. The only teams that consistently do well in the tournament are the blue bloods who have their pick of the top players. Barnes is recruiting 5 stars and mixing them with players who he coaches up to a high level. Additionally, he seems to pull the best out of each player and get them to maximize their potential. I don't think he is replaceable.

 

[walkenvol]

Michigan was more physical all night. IMO I think it has to do with how the reg season is played. The SEC calls everything a foul, the B10 lets players shoot each other and its only a foul if they see blood. I think there needs to be an off season conversation about letting the SEC be more physical.

If Michigan was more physical then why was UT called for more fouls?

 

[VolFreakJosh]

If Michigan was more physical then why was UT called for more fouls?

Big 10 Bias

But of course, the naysayers will say the officiating had no impact on the game.

 

[OrangeBeachVol]

I think gauging a coach based on his success in the NCAA tournament is a negative approach. It would be like doing the same in football based on making the playoffs. While there is a lot of skill involved in getting there the outcome is mainly luck, unless you have 5 5 star athletes with 2 more coming off the bench. Barnes had a winning gameplan in every game I was able to watch, the players only needed to execute. There is luck in the seeding, upsets in your bracket, hot teams, injuries, and 3 point shooting percentage. The only teams that consistently do well in the tournament are the blue bloods who have their pick of the top players. Barnes is recruiting 5 stars and mixing them with players who he coaches up to a high level. Additionally, he seems to pull the best out of each player and get them to maximize their potential. I don't think he is replaceable.

I'm think some fans just don't understand how hard it is to win in the NCAA tourney. When its a one loss and go home situation, if you have an off night in any phase of the game your probably gone unless the other team is off to but it usually doesn't happen that way. Even the team that wins the tourney usually has one game they just got lucky and won. Its tough.

 

[VOLtaism]

I'm think some fans just don't understand how hard it is to win in the NCAA tourney. When its a one loss and go home situation, if you have an off night in any phase of the game your probably gone unless the other team is off to but it usually doesn't happen that way. Even the team that wins the tourney usually has one game they just got lucky and won. Its tough.

The 3 point shot was great for a while but I think, in the end, it has ruined the college game. Essentially, it has eliminated a host of 2 point shots that required more touch and skill than a 3 pointer. The pull-up jumper, the hook, 15 ft jumper. Now its a 3 pointer or inside the cylinder 90% of the time. A weak team can get hot from 3 and blow out a more skilled team on any night. This has made it even more difficult to win 6 straight games against tough competition.

 

[onevol74]

Vescovi is not our best player. Top 3 for sure. He is our best shooter.

He is our best player. Over the last month I noticed that he was always getting rebounds at critical points during the games and his shooting and foul shots were very evident in our wins. His persistence on defense took other teams out of their offense. As they said on the broadcast he runs twice the distance in practice than the other players. He is just persistent and his effort and experience is what sets him apart from the freshmen. We would not have won the SEC tournament without him. Or even Auburn or Kentucky.

It is very evident that Michigan also thought he was our best player too and concentrated their defense on him.

 

[OrangeTsar]

Let’s just face it, when the season was on the line in the second half against Michigan, our shooting accuracy would have even embarrassed THESE guys……

 

[VOLtaism]

He is our best player. Over the last month I noticed that he was always getting rebounds at critical points during the games and his shooting and foul shots were very evident in our wins. His persistence on defense took other teams out of their offense. As they said on the broadcast he runs twice the distance in practice than the other players. He is just persistent and his effort and experience is what sets him apart from the freshmen. We would not have won the SEC tournament without him. Or even Auburn or Kentucky.

It is very evident that Michigan also thought he was our best player too and concentrated their defense on him.

He is definitely our best player because he works hard and listens to Barnes. Barnes has him doing what he can do, move without the ball, hit the catch-and-shoot 3 point shot. Vescovi can't create his own shot, he can't drive to the basket, he is not a natural elite player, but he is our best player. Secondly, he has been taught how to play defense and he executes very well. Barnes seems to take the skills his players have and molds those skills into effective weapons that the team can use. I thought Vescovi was too slow and his first year he couldn't stay in front of the opposing guards, now look at him.

 

[ArmchairQB]

Larry Scirotto did his 7th and 8th Michigan games of the season. over the weekend in Indianapolis. He had done 0 Colorado State games and 0 Tennessee games prior to the weekend. He has officiated 39 games this season and 38 of them involved at least one Big Ten team.

Juwan Howard found his caddie. And the NCAA should be ashamed for assigning him to Indianapolis.

Incidentally, what site did you use to get the assignments? I'm subscribing, that's good stuff.

 

[cardvolfan]

Imo Barnes should have found a way to create space for HIS BEST SHOOTER to get shots. That is 100% on coaching....and a blunder that very well might have cost us the game. You draw up plays with set screens to CREATE those opportunities right? I don't see that as out of Barnes control.

Have you ever played or coached at a high level?

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

The 3 point shot was great for a while but I think, in the end, it has ruined the college game. Essentially, it has eliminated a host of 2 point shots that required more touch and skill than a 3 pointer. The pull-up jumper, the hook, 15 ft jumper. Now its a 3 pointer or inside the cylinder 90% of the time. A weak team can get hot from 3 and blow out a more skilled team on any night. This has made it even more difficult to win 6 straight games against tough competition.

Yes. When the 3-PL and the 45 second clock were added simultaneously, something needed to be done to shift the game away from whichever team had the most dominating freak of a big man was going to have a huge advantage and almost certainly wins and championships. Alcindor and Walton, then Ewing, Hakeem, Ralph, etc. The game became very boring. I wonder what would have happened with just a shot clock to make those big posts have to run more.

The 3-PL needs to match the NBA distance. A really radical idea would be to limit them to 4 or 5 per half.

 

[VolArmy74]

I think gauging a coach based on his success in the NCAA tournament is a negative approach. It would be like doing the same in football based on making the playoffs. While there is a lot of skill involved in getting there the outcome is mainly luck, unless you have 5 5 star athletes with 2 more coming off the bench. Barnes had a winning gameplan in every game I was able to watch, the players only needed to execute. There is luck in the seeding, upsets in your bracket, hot teams, injuries, and 3 point shooting percentage. The only teams that consistently do well in the tournament are the blue bloods who have their pick of the top players. Barnes is recruiting 5 stars and mixing them with players who he coaches up to a high level. Additionally, he seems to pull the best out of each player and get them to maximize their potential. I don't think he is replaceable.

All coaches and teams are judged by greatness in the NCAA Tournament. If Coach K or Pat Summitt won't 1000+ games and no championships, their legacy would be much much different. The best coaches are those who are known for making runs in the tournament. The elite coaches and programs seem to do it way more often than others. That's why they are viewed as elite.

Anyone who says different is just trying to sugar coat it.

 

[VOLtaism]

All coaches and teams are judged by greatness in the NCAA Tournament. If Coach K or Pat Summitt won't 1000+ games and no championships, their legacy would be much much different. The best coaches are those who are known for making runs in the tournament. The elite coaches and programs seem to do it way more often than others. That's why they are viewed as elite.

Anyone who says different is just trying to sugar coat it.

Thats right, elite coaches at elite programs, these go together. The elite programs take the majority of the top 50 recruits every year with the balance of coaches getting 1 or 2 if they have a good recruiting season. UT/Texas are not now nor ever were elite basketball schools. Based on this criteria UT has never had an elite coach and they never will have one. I think we have had several elite coaches over the years but none have had consistent NCAA results.

 

[Swoll Cracker]

Incidentally, what site did you use to get the assignments? I'm subscribing, that's good stuff.

kenpom.com has a section that lists all referees and the games they worked over the course of the season.