BTO’s Texas Postgame Report

[bleedingTNorange]

1. What a game from our Vols, and way to show out Vol fans…once again Tennessee had center stage on the national scene with College Gameday here and they didn’t disappoint. This team clearly came out with focus and energy and made it clear from the start that this was gonna be a hard fought game, they weren’t going to be out toughed and good luck to their opponent, one of the better games of a Vol team in recent memory.

2. Tennessee is now the #1 team on KenPom, this has never happened before in the history of KenPom, so take a second and savor it. Obviously in the grand scheme of success this is a great sign, are we the best team in the country, who knows? However analytics think that we are and worst case that means we are one of the very best in the country at this time, and that can’t possibly be seen as a bad thing.

3. Not to make this a review of tooting my horn, but sorry I'm going to a bit…folks wanted Nkamhoua benched, wanted Awaka instead, wanted Plav or Aidoo, give me anybody, just don’t play Nkamhoua, why’s he starting it doesn’t make sense? I routinely said that he has the highest ceiling and Barnes was trying to get the light to come on, does it? Idk. However he just put up a performance that no other player ever has, 27 & 8 on 12/15 shooting, he was an absolute force and looked like a terror. Now the key is what the key has always been, does he vanish or can he do it again? Consistency is the key. But again, he did things only he could do, that’s why he’s starting folks.

4. Might as well keep tooting my horn…I have mentioned small ball and shorter rotations and it’s not been received super well, many have disliked the idea. Well tonight we played 31/40 minutes small ball and we essentially played a 6 man rotation tonight, found some minutes in the first half with some foul trouble but pretty clear who the 6 were. Those are the 5-6 who are going to decide our season, I get that some might not like it but that’s just what it is.

5. Zeigler continues his play, not only pushing for All-SEC honors but this man might be working his way on to the national scene. Yet another double double with assist, 22 & 10 tonight on just 3 turnovers, absolutely incredible! He’s literally the QB out there and not only running things offensively for us he’s also his usual pest defensively, he’s so damn good and it’s so nice to know we’ve got a PG like that for years to come!

6. This game was huge, adds a marquee win to our resume, and as I said 9-2 to finish the year was the target, well you get a tough one out of the way and now you’re talking 8-2 to finish things out. We don’t have an easy upcoming slate but it’s manageable, at Florida, home to Auburn, at Vandy, home to Missouri and then showdown with Bama at home as well? Can the Vols get to 4-0 heading into the Bama game? Probably a tall task, but it’s possible. Again, 8-2 to finish the season and you’re almost certainly looking at a 1 seed, 7-3 and it’s still very much on the table. This team has to bring it, when they do they can beat anyone, but overlook anyone and they can lose, that’s gonna be the trick. But for tonight we enjoy it!



GBO!!!

 

[The Dog]

1. What a game from our Vols, and way to show out Vol fans…once again Tennessee had center stage on the national scene with College Gameday here and they didn’t disappoint. This team clearly came out with focus and energy and made it clear from the start that this was gonna be a hard fought game, they weren’t going to be out toughed and good luck to their opponent, one of the better games of a Vol team in recent memory.

2. Tennessee is now the #1 team on KenPom, this has never happened before in the history of KenPom, so take a second and savor it. Obviously in the grand scheme of success this is a great sign, are we the best team in the country, who knows? However analytics think that we are and worst case that means we are one of the very best in the country at this time, and that can’t possibly be seen as a bad thing.

3. Not to make this a review of tooting my horn, but sorry I'm going to a bit…folks wanted Nkamhoua benched, wanted Awaka instead, wanted Plav or Aidoo, give me anybody, just don’t play Nkamhoua, why’s he starting it doesn’t make sense? I routinely said that he has the highest ceiling and Barnes was trying to get the light to come on, does it? Idk. However he just put up a performance that no other player ever has, 27 & 8 on 12/15 shooting, he was an absolute force and looked like a terror. Now the key is what the key has always been, does he vanish or can he do it again? Consistency is the key. But again, he did things only he could do, that’s why he’s starting folks.

4. Might as well keep tooting my horn…I have mentioned small ball and shorter rotations and it’s not been received super well, many have disliked the idea. Well tonight we played 31/40 minutes small ball and we essentially played a 6 man rotation tonight, found some minutes in the first half with some foul trouble but pretty clear who the 6 were. Those are the 5-6 who are going to decide our season, I get that some might not like it but that’s just what it is.

5. Zeigler continues his play, not only pushing for All-SEC honors but this man might be working his way on to the national scene. Yet another double double with assist, 22 & 10 tonight on just 3 turnovers, absolutely incredible! He’s literally the QB out there and not only running things offensively for us he’s also his usual pest defensively, he’s so damn good and it’s so nice to know we’ve got a PG like that for years to come!

6. This game was huge, adds a marquee win to our resume, and as I said 9-2 to finish the year was the target, well you get a tough one out of the way and now you’re talking 8-2 to finish things out. We don’t have an easy upcoming slate but it’s manageable, at Florida, home to Auburn, at Vandy, home to Missouri and then showdown with Bama at home as well? Can the Vols get to 4-0 heading into the Bama game? Probably a tall task, but it’s possible. Again, 8-2 to finish the season and you’re almost certainly looking at a 1 seed, 7-3 and it’s still very much on the table. This team has to bring it, when they do they can beat anyone, but overlook anyone and they can lose, that’s gonna be the trick. But for tonight we enjoy it!



GBO!!!

Tooting the hell out of that horn, do that in the shower, man . But, I give props when you deserve it and you do. But, it still wouldn't surprise me, if ON doesn't have 27 points in the next 3 games. Would be cooler if he did, tho

 

[The Dog]

What's the chances ON comes back for his super senior year ? I believe you said of all the eligible players, Olivier was the most likely to return, right?

 

[feathersax]

Listened to Bob & Bert on radio as we travelled back home from Florida. John Wilkerson almost made me run off the road when he said: "It's the Tennessee Big Orange versus the Texas big BROWN."

 

[Special Ed]

Looks like the Vols are trending for a no. 1 seed right now.
If we can maintain our defensive dominance and keep our offense cooking, it might stay that way all the way to the Big Dance.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

The league for the most part took it on the chin yesterday in the SEC big 12 challenge. I’m really glad the Vols represented the conference securing the victory. I was on the road coming back from ATL and couldn’t watch the game last night. Going to try to find a replay. Go Vols!

 

[walkenvol]

 

[omghulkhands]

I don’t think it can be understated how good ZZ was in this game. Not taking anything away from Olivier, but nearly a dozen of his point were from ZZ’s playmaking.

That pick and roll was just… unstoppable

Cunningham is a punk.

The flow of this game was weird. Texas hit at least two pull-up 3’s. It might have been 3. That combined with the awful minutes we got when we subbed ZZ and Vescovi (pretty sure we were like -8 in those like 3 minutes) and this game is an even bigger blowout.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

Texas is a very good offensive team, with rangy long guards that cover the three well. Beating them is big for our record, and for our confidence. It has to be said, they overcommitted on Santi, Key and JJJ and caused problems with our screens, and inside out passing. If ORN had not played out of his mind, decent chance we lose. Luckily, they had no one who could handle him one on one. Has to be mentioned that the refs really changed the flow of that game, and missed some big calls. Doing so, backed our D off, and gave Texas lots of looks. ZZ continues to play defense beyond anything I would’ve imagined, and outside of a couple of mistakes, also played great offense. He’s not the pure scorer Chandler was, but I actually think he creates the best team flow of any pg in a long time. It takes matchups and flow to go far in the tournament. Ultimately I like this team’s consistency and trust in the system. If we get some breaks, we could make a run.

 

[BigBabyWilliams]

The key is to make it last THROUGH the dance. Hell of a win yesterday. I love seeing this type of basketball. Please don’t give me crap about this thought, but Barnes still needs to prove it in the tournament. Sec tourney championship was unbelievable last year. I cried in Connecticut on my couch lol. And before more crap gets thrown my way. I’m beyond a diehard fan, and I’m moving to Knoxville early 2024 because of my love for Tennessee and our Vols. Don’t even know a soul down there, but I know that’s where I belong! Regardless of seeding I just can’t get over the nervousness about another early bounce from the tournament. Don’t get me wrong, the regular season wins over the past 5 years have been great. But it’s time for Barnes to have the team ready for when it matters most, and make a Final Four run.

Looks like the Vols are trending for a no. 1 seed right now.
If we can maintain our defensive dominance and keep our offense cooking, it might stay that way all the way to the Big Dance.

 

[Willy14]

1. What a game from our Vols, and way to show out Vol fans…once again Tennessee had center stage on the national scene with College Gameday here and they didn’t disappoint. This team clearly came out with focus and energy and made it clear from the start that this was gonna be a hard fought game, they weren’t going to be out toughed and good luck to their opponent, one of the better games of a Vol team in recent memory.

2. Tennessee is now the #1 team on KenPom, this has never happened before in the history of KenPom, so take a second and savor it. Obviously in the grand scheme of success this is a great sign, are we the best team in the country, who knows? However analytics think that we are and worst case that means we are one of the very best in the country at this time, and that can’t possibly be seen as a bad thing.

3. Not to make this a review of tooting my horn, but sorry I'm going to a bit…folks wanted Nkamhoua benched, wanted Awaka instead, wanted Plav or Aidoo, give me anybody, just don’t play Nkamhoua, why’s he starting it doesn’t make sense? I routinely said that he has the highest ceiling and Barnes was trying to get the light to come on, does it? Idk. However he just put up a performance that no other player ever has, 27 & 8 on 12/15 shooting, he was an absolute force and looked like a terror. Now the key is what the key has always been, does he vanish or can he do it again? Consistency is the key. But again, he did things only he could do, that’s why he’s starting folks.

4. Might as well keep tooting my horn…I have mentioned small ball and shorter rotations and it’s not been received super well, many have disliked the idea. Well tonight we played 31/40 minutes small ball and we essentially played a 6 man rotation tonight, found some minutes in the first half with some foul trouble but pretty clear who the 6 were. Those are the 5-6 who are going to decide our season, I get that some might not like it but that’s just what it is.

5. Zeigler continues his play, not only pushing for All-SEC honors but this man might be working his way on to the national scene. Yet another double double with assist, 22 & 10 tonight on just 3 turnovers, absolutely incredible! He’s literally the QB out there and not only running things offensively for us he’s also his usual pest defensively, he’s so damn good and it’s so nice to know we’ve got a PG like that for years to come!

6. This game was huge, adds a marquee win to our resume, and as I said 9-2 to finish the year was the target, well you get a tough one out of the way and now you’re talking 8-2 to finish things out. We don’t have an easy upcoming slate but it’s manageable, at Florida, home to Auburn, at Vandy, home to Missouri and then showdown with Bama at home as well? Can the Vols get to 4-0 heading into the Bama game? Probably a tall task, but it’s possible. Again, 8-2 to finish the season and you’re almost certainly looking at a 1 seed, 7-3 and it’s still very much on the table. This team has to bring it, when they do they can beat anyone, but overlook anyone and they can lose, that’s gonna be the trick. But for tonight we enjoy it!



GBO!!!

Agree with everything you said, Nkamhoua is starting to play like he did last year before he got injured. Praying that everyone on the team can stay healthy for the rest of the season. 8-2 would be an amazing finish, that would put us with only 6 losses going into NCAAT if we lose in the SECT. Gotta think that’s enough for a 1 seed with the way most of the higher teams have been losing lately. Still need the likes of Arizona, UCLA, Purdue, Alabama, Houston, Kansas to drop a couple of games if we are going to drop a couple though.

 

[TROLLVOL]

Key isn’t giving us much at all. Why do we play him so much.

 

[walkenvol]

Key isn’t giving us much at all. Why do we play him so much.

He’s our 3rd guard, plays solid D and occasionally scores some buckets. Can’t play ZZZ and SV 40 minutes every game. Unless Mashack becomes better in CRB’s eyes then Key will continue to play. Only other option would be going big with Phillips or JJJ at the 2.

 

[TrippieRedd]

Dillon Mitchell currently crying, should've picked the real UT.

 

[CAVPUT]

Spot on BTO. As disconcerting as it is to say, our post season success will come down to Nkamhoua. When he plays like that, the sky is the limit. Of all our bigs, he alone has the ability to take full control of a game. One would think that a game like this would flip his switch. The ability is there.

Gotta say that we've had a lot of really good teams on the hill that have obviously fallen short. This team wouldn't have made my top 10 in terms of post season chances. While it's just one game, I'm starting to wonder....heaven help me....if this team just might have the goods to FINALLY break thru our glass ceiling in the NCAAT. With all the greats we've had, wouldn't it just be so nuts that this team is the one that finally gets it done? Kinda like how we thought Peyton's last 2 years were our best bets only to grab the brass ring the year after he leaves? Trying not to get too far out over my skis with this team, but last night really showed me what we're capable of. We've got the size. We've got the depth. We've got the shooters. Most importantly, we've got the defense.

Let's hope Nkamhoua doesn't pull another disappearing act and this is the team we get the rest of the season.

 

[Dr H Lecter]

He’s our 3rd guard, plays solid D and occasionally scores some buckets. Can’t play ZZZ and SV 40 minutes every game. Unless Mashack becomes better in CRB’s eyes then Key will continue to play. Only other option would be going big with Phillips or JJJ at the 2.

I, too, think Key is very valuable to us. I really appreciate those players whose numbers don’t jump out at you but are key to a really good (great?) Tennessee team. Uros for all the abuse he takes is important. This is the first time in quite awhile that we have enough quality help inside that another team will have difficulty dominating inside. The rebound difference against the Big Brown was huge yesterday.

 

[walkenvol]

Hunter played 32 minutes, 7 points & 4 assists. I expected a lot more from him. Maybe he’s another who should have chosen the real UT?

 

[ALStateLineVol]

Not sure if defenses have changed, but SV has looked different since he re-injured his shoulder in the KY game. I would love to see this team get some big leads and be able rest some starters during the next two weeks. Fresh legs this time of year can help tremendously down the stretch.
Nice win and now onto the next one.

Go Vols!!

 

[TrippieRedd]

Hunter played 32 minutes, 7 points & 4 assists. I expected a lot more from him. Maybe he’s another who should have chosen the real UT?

Yup, Mitchell and Hunter should've chosen the real UT. But tbh idk why I keep saying Mitchell, he hasn't been impressive at all this year.

 

[cardvolfan]

ON was special. His energy and effort were the best it’s been all year. I don’t know why, but “wow” is all I can say. His ceiling has never been the issue with him, just his desire to touch the ceiling.

ZZ brings things to the table that I never imagined. Tonight he was special. A play that I thought was symbolic tonight about the identity of this team is when he went KungFu crazy on Tyrese Hunter and pushed him back out to near mid court. Hunter didn’t know what hit him. Tonight was the first time I truly believed that we could make a huge run with Zeigler at the helm without having Chandler.

Brock Cunningham laughing openly at ON during those last Texas free throws was rich. He was lined up directly across from ON with a big grin directed right at O, who just ignored him. I respect guys who play hard, but guys who add the dirty component are playing a different game.

Rebound, rebound, rebound.

 

[walkenvol]

Spot on BTO. As disconcerting as it is to say, our post season success will come down to Nkamhoua. When he plays like that, the sky is the limit. Of all our bigs, he alone has the ability to take full control of a game. One would think that a game like this would flip his switch. The ability is there.

Gotta say that we've had a lot of really good teams on the hill that have obviously fallen short. This team wouldn't have made my top 10 in terms of post season chances. While it's just one game, I'm starting to wonder....heaven help me....if this team just might have the goods to FINALLY break thru our glass ceiling in the NCAAT. With all the greats we've had, wouldn't it just be so nuts that this team is the one that finally gets it done? Kinda like how we thought Peyton's last 2 years were our best bets only to grab the brass ring the year after he leaves? Trying not to get too far out over my skis with this team, but last night really showed me what we're capable of. We've got the size. We've got the depth. We've got the shooters. Most importantly, we've got the defense.

Let's hope Nkamhoua doesn't pull another disappearing act and this is the team we get the rest of the season.

I’ve been told basketball is a game of matchups and ON matched up well against Texas’ smallish post players. Like everyone else I’m hoping this game springboards ON to a level of consistent quality play. I wonder if when he’s being guarded by bigger stronger guys if he will be as productive? He’s shown nice shooting range in the past so maybe he pulls them away from the basket? Will be interesting to see

 

[BigOrangeFanatic]

I'm not a Nkamhoua hater, even though I've been down on him several time and with good reason. He's been severely inconsistent in his time here but he certainly has loads of potential. He at many times throughout his career will make you want to pull your hair out. Go 15 of 15 or 18 of 18, whatever it was over a 2 game stretch, then turn the ball over a gazillion times, throw the ball away, driblle it off his foot all game the next game. Drives you crazy! But.....He was unstoppable last night. I agree with Stoerner above, we probably don't win without his performance.

There is nothing that points to he will now start doing this every game or even come close to it, but I surely do hope he can become more consistent down the stretch. With as good as ZZ is playing right now, together with Santi getting healthy and JJJ returning to full strength we are going to be a force to be reckoned with. But I'm not getting too excited just yet. Seen this story before.

 

[ColinS]

1. What a game from our Vols, and way to show out Vol fans…once again Tennessee had center stage on the national scene with College Gameday here and they didn’t disappoint. This team clearly came out with focus and energy and made it clear from the start that this was gonna be a hard fought game, they weren’t going to be out toughed and good luck to their opponent, one of the better games of a Vol team in recent memory.



2. Tennessee is now the #1 team on KenPom, this has never happened before in the history of KenPom, so take a second and savor it. Obviously in the grand scheme of success this is a great sign, are we the best team in the country, who knows? However analytics think that we are and worst case that means we are one of the very best in the country at this time, and that can’t possibly be seen as a bad thing.



3. Not to make this a review of tooting my horn, but sorry I'm going to a bit…folks wanted Nkamhoua benched, wanted Awaka instead, wanted Plav or Aidoo, give me anybody, just don’t play Nkamhoua, why’s he starting it doesn’t make sense? I routinely said that he has the highest ceiling and Barnes was trying to get the light to come on, does it? Idk. However he just put up a performance that no other player ever has, 27 & 8 on 12/15 shooting, he was an absolute force and looked like a terror. Now the key is what the key has always been, does he vanish or can he do it again? Consistency is the key. But again, he did things only he could do, that’s why he’s starting folks.



4. Might as well keep tooting my horn…I have mentioned small ball and shorter rotations and it’s not been received super well, many have disliked the idea. Well tonight we played 31/40 minutes small ball and we essentially played a 6 man rotation tonight, found some minutes in the first half with some foul trouble but pretty clear who the 6 were. Those are the 5-6 who are going to decide our season, I get that some might not like it but that’s just what it is.



5. Zeigler continues his play, not only pushing for All-SEC honors but this man might be working his way on to the national scene. Yet another double double with assist, 22 & 10 tonight on just 3 turnovers, absolutely incredible! He’s literally the QB out there and not only running things offensively for us he’s also his usual pest defensively, he’s so damn good and it’s so nice to know we’ve got a PG like that for years to come!



6. This game was huge, adds a marquee win to our resume, and as I said 9-2 to finish the year was the target, well you get a tough one out of the way and now you’re talking 8-2 to finish things out. We don’t have an easy upcoming slate but it’s manageable, at Florida, home to Auburn, at Vandy, home to Missouri and then showdown with Bama at home as well? Can the Vols get to 4-0 heading into the Bama game? Probably a tall task, but it’s possible. Again, 8-2 to finish the season and you’re almost certainly looking at a 1 seed, 7-3 and it’s still very much on the table. This team has to bring it, when they do they can beat anyone, but overlook anyone and they can lose, that’s gonna be the trick. But for tonight we enjoy it!

#3 I mean, we all know he can do it but is the consistency finally coming or is it just gonna be every 5 or 6 games? What's great is that this team has options if he is a no-show.





GBO!!!

 

[VolPack22]

Nkamhoua could be an All-SEC, All-American caliber player with his athleticism if he played with consistency. I’ve been frustrated at times with him because he tends to have “brick hands” in the post but he put it all together this game. Complete game from start to finish. This is what Vol fans have been waiting to see from him. He just had him a Grant Williams game and he should be proud of that performance. If he brings that intensity and aggression every single game then that will be a huge game changer. Hopefully he is starting to realize how great he can be.

 

[Dudleys87]

Huge win for Tennessee

Didn’t realize how nasty they are on Defense. It’s like a pack once the defender has his man in trouble the hounds smell blood.

The only other thing I noticed and it wasn’t at all Tennessees fault. There was a stretch late in the game where the game was all but decided and the refs let the game get crazy. Letting Texas make a late run and making it closer than it ever should have been. Tennessee deserves better and has earned it.

Great win for Tennessee and the program. If they keep up the energy on defense they can absolutely beat anyone and win it all.