BTO’s Arizona Postgame Report

#1

bleedingTNorange

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#1
1. Great win, knew Arizona was going to make it a game at some point and when they climbed all the way back I definitely had my doubts we would ultimately win, great resilience from our guys to find a way to pull out the win in what ultimately turned into a wire to wire lead, never once trailing in the game, and beating the #6 team in the nation…that one will pay dividends come March.

2. Man oh man, if that wasn’t flashbacks to Fulky of 2 years ago that was in the running for SEC POY, he was dominant and against a front court that had many googly eyes heading in, not sure anyone saw that coming. There were some reports the last day or two that Fulk seemed to be taking things to another level and Barnes seemed to allude to that postgame as well, if he can do that against Arizona there’s no real reason he shouldn’t be a bigger factor than he has been to this point of the season, and that would make us much better.

3. Somewhat related to #2, but we found a way to get fouled and get to the line, we were one of the worst in the nation heading into that game averaging about 12FTA a game, we took 27 last night, and while on the surface many would think that means we pounded inside and went away from 3 ball that isn’t true, on the year we averaged about 28 3pta game and last night took 24…so it was seemingly either inside rim shot/foul drawn for Fulk, or a 3 ball.

4. I thought Nkamhoua also played a great game for us, he was very good defensively and he seemingly took it personal to rebound the ball, much like Fulk, if he can do that against that frontline he should be much better on a consistent basis than what we’ve gotten. The fact we out rebounded that team is amazing and not something I saw coming, that is for sure, especially considering we played small quite a bit.

5. On small ball…Fulk and Plav played the 5, you got 20 minutes of ON at the 4 which means you got 20 minutes of James at the 4 and small ball, this allowed Powell to see 26 minutes and we saw the shift away from Bailey that many have been asking for. Unfortunately this also meant BHH didn’t see the floor much at all but that’s going to be a side effect of going small unfortunately, especially if Fulk and ON are playing the way that they played last night.

6. Lots of weirdness with that game, never would’ve guess we’d out rebound them, never would’ve thought we’d win with Chandler going 2/14, never thought we’d probably see that Fulky again especially against that type of frontline…definitely thought we’d have to shoot better from 3 to beat them, just a wild game from how you thought if a win were to happen it would play out, but that’s what defense does. We weren’t elite, but that’s the worst offensive showing of the season for Arizona who was considered a very good offensive team coming into that game, you play elite defense and it gives you a chance even against good teams on nights your offense isn’t clicking on all cylinders.

7. Sitting at 9-2 heading into SEC play, wish we could’ve had the Memphis game as the possibility of 10-2 sure sounds nice, but is what it is. Reminder that our start to SEC play is going to be extremely difficult, very good chance we start 2-3, if somehow we can do anything better than that it would be great, but even 2-3 wouldn’t be bad…starting @bama is definitely one way to kick off the conference slate.


GBO!
 
#3
#3
I missed this game because of work (FML!).

But if we beat Arizona, we can beat any one in the country! That to me is the biggest takeaway.

We are a legit contender, doesn’t mean we can’t get beat by anyone on the wrong night but this team could go very deep in the Tourney.
 
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#4
#4
Has to rank right up their with Barnes' best defensive effort in his tenure here. Oh my. If we could just take that on the road in conference, what a wonderful season it would be. 8 days rest had something to do with it but My Laud...
 
#5
#5
I missed this game because of work (FML!).

But if we beat Arizona, we can beat any one in the country! That to me is the biggest takeaway.

We are a legit contender, doesn’t mean we can’t get beat by anyone on the wrong night but this team could go very deep in the Tourney.

Great win, but I think we lose that game on a neutral court. Offensive is so inconsistent.
 
#6
#6
Why is it that the Vols cannot seem to find someone who can consistently hit the 3? I know everyone struggles at times shooting but the Vols just seem to struggle more from 3 than most top 20 teams.
 
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#8
#8
#2 Fulky was on fire, from both ends and from the middle. I cannot see him (or anyone) being able maintain such a pace over the whole SEC schedule. If he can hold this level for say 65-70% of the SEC, then we will be causing several teams trouble.
#6 Our super freshman Chandler looked like just what he is, a freshman. When you play the big boys like AZ., I don't care how good you are as a freshman you are going to be somewhat humbled. This will be a great game for him. That is if he can take it to heart and learn from it. The one thing I hope he takes away from his experience is that he is not the only guy on this team and understands his first job is the "floor general" and starts to use his troops rather than think he must do it all. Last night he look like a "deer in the headlights" Any young deer seeing something like a large truck/team coming at you for the first time has a lot to learn in a hurry, that is if he is to go on to great things.
 
#11
#11
Why is it that the Vols cannot seem to find someone who can consistently hit the 3? I know everyone struggles at times shooting but the Vols just seem to struggle more from 3 than most top 20 teams.
I think Powell is the type guy you are looking for. Being on and off the court like he has been most of the season cannot help his timing for the 3. I think he will be on the floor for more extended periods of time for the rest of the season. (I hope)
 
#12
#12
Why is it that the Vols cannot seem to find someone who can consistently hit the 3? I know everyone struggles at times shooting but the Vols just seem to struggle more from 3 than most top 20 teams.
I thought, after the first few games that we were going to be an excellent 3 ball team. They don't seem to be that exceptional. That's not a good thing when you shoot so many of them.
 
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#13
#13
Great defense in the first half, but 52 points in the 2nd half for Arizona suggests we lost a bit of our edge. Have to be more consistent on that end, but still great effort defensively.

Fulk….man, what a game. I don’t know if he’ll return to this form throughout all SEC Play, but I hope he does. We’re a completely different team if he can play like this. It changes our ceiling.

Kennedy…I’m not sure what to make of him. He seems to be losing some of his confidence against good competition. He needs to elevate his game for us to make a run in March. NBA scouts’ pre-season concerns are materializing as he is really struggling to get anything by driving the lane against big, physical teams. He has to shoot the ball better.

3-Pointers…not a great 3-point effort yet again. We missed quite a few open looks. I’m still not entirely sure what our offensive identity really is. Are we a perimeter team with all these guards? Are we going to start working inside-out with this version of Fulk?

BHH….I hope he can keep his head held high and know that Barnes thinks highly of him. I just have weird concerns with the new transfer portal that if he doesn’t get more playing time he’ll leave.

OVERALL, great, great win. So excited about what this means for SEC Play. It’s going to be a blood bath every night. I hope we’re prepared.
 
#14
#14
I think Powell is the type guy you are looking for. Being on and off the court like he has been most of the season cannot help his timing for the 3. I think he will be on the floor for more extended periods of time for the rest of the season. (I hope)
Powell’s minutes go up when we play JJJ at the 4. If ON continues to bring the intensity we saw last night it will be hard for CRB to keep him on the bench. Will be interesting to watch as we go forward
 
#15
#15
Refs: I thought that TN was getting most of the 50/50 calls and maybe even more than their share of the 60/40 calls. That happens when your experienced staff knows how to work them. I did see a couple of weird calls go AZ’s way though. I don’t get how players that are boxing out in physical games get called for fouls. One thing that I hate is how the refs feel obligated to “even up” the foul totals like when it’s 6-1. That just validates an overly aggressive team to continue hacking and pounding on the other. If that’s going to be the strategy, then the fouls called should justifiably be lopsided.

Chandler: the strategy is to guard him tight beyond the 3PL (which he easily drives around) and then have a rim protector or two prevent him from taking the ball to the basket. If he can consistently make the long 2-pointers he will be impossible to slow down.

Bailey: I was actually wanting him in the game at the end. I think that he is one guy that can be trusted to hit the high pressure free throws. Instead Barnes had KC throw the ball in so that he wouldn’t be taking the free throws.

BHH/JA/QD/JM: not ready for prime time. There’s a valid reason why the most experienced players are getting the bulk of the minutes. There aren’t enough individual defensive stats to make it easy for the knuckle dragging mouth breathers to understand.
 
#16
#16
Powell’s minutes go up when we play JJJ at the 4. If ON continues to bring the intensity we saw last night it will be hard for CRB to keep him on the bench. Will be interesting to watch as we go forward
I think ideally he’d like to play Fulk 25-28mpg, not the 30 he got last night…ON had some foul trouble, if he didn’t Plav probably sees fewer minutes. If you’d give ON & Fulk 25mpg each that takes up the 5 spot and ON for 10mpg at the 4, leaving 30mpg open at the 4.
 
#18
#18
Why is it that the Vols cannot seem to find someone who can consistently hit the 3? I know everyone struggles at times shooting but the Vols just seem to struggle more from 3 than most top 20 teams.

It’s because you watch all of their games. UT is at 33.7% which ranks 159th. But teams like Baylor (ranked 81st), Villanova (ranked 74th), Auburn (108th), Alabama (155th), Texas (120th), Kentucky (169th), LSU (217th), Arkansas (279th) aren’t elite either. You also have to consider that we’ve now played 4 top 36 KenPom teams and another top 80 on the road. Your opponents matter.
 
#19
#19
When most teams hit 3s at a 30-something percent rate, missing 4, 5, 6 in a row isn’t really a statistical anomaly. Make one, miss the next 4, make the 6th… 33%. Pretty average.
 
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#20
#20
It’s pretty much right at average, if you’re saying Top 20 vs. 25 it’s a touch below average.
There had to of been something different with the ball or rim that affected shooting at the garden since all 4 teams shot considerably below their average. Wonder if we removed that game as an outlier if we wouldn’t be a bit above average?
 
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#21
#21
Refs: I thought that TN was getting most of the 50/50 calls and maybe even more than their share of the 60/40 calls. That happens when your experienced staff knows how to work them. I did see a couple of weird calls go AZ’s way though. I don’t get how players that are boxing out in physical games get called for fouls. One thing that I hate is how the refs feel obligated to “even up” the foul totals like when it’s 6-1. That just validates an overly aggressive team to continue hacking and pounding on the other. If that’s going to be the strategy, then the fouls called should justifiably be lopsided.

Chandler: the strategy is to guard him tight beyond the 3PL (which he easily drives around) and then have a rim protector or two prevent him from taking the ball to the basket. If he can consistently make the long 2-pointers he will be impossible to slow down.

Bailey: I was actually wanting him in the game at the end. I think that he is one guy that can be trusted to hit the high pressure free throws. Instead Barnes had KC throw the ball in so that he wouldn’t be taking the free throws.

BHH/JA/QD/JM: not ready for prime time. There’s a valid reason why the most experienced players are getting the bulk of the minutes. There aren’t enough individual defensive stats to make it easy for the knuckle dragging mouth breathers to understand.
On Chandler, I wonder if having a true lob threat (BHH) running the dunker spot would be another option?
 
#22
#22
I think ideally he’d like to play Fulk 25-28mpg, not the 30 he got last night…ON had some foul trouble, if he didn’t Plav probably sees fewer minutes. If you’d give ON & Fulk 25mpg each that takes up the 5 spot and ON for 10mpg at the 4, leaving 30mpg open at the 4.
If BHH will take those Plav minutes, we've got something. ON can play. He just needs to believe he can.
 
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