BTO’s Louisiana NCAAT Postgame Report

[bleedingTNorange]

1. Survive and advance, name of the game this time of year, while not pretty I sure wouldn’t trade our result for Arizona, Virginia, Texas A&M etc. winning this time of year should never be taken for granted, with that said. Would have really liked to have seen us put them away when we got up 18, however a silver lining is we didn’t choke it away and we found a way to hit enough free throws and get key baskets when needed to ultimately win.

2. Very encouraging recent play from both Mashack & Key, they’ve been aggressive and we’re again last night, and it was absolutely needed considering the struggles from Vescovi/JJJ/Phillips. Both of those guys will be better served as secondary options to the previous mentioned players, and a post showing up to play, but obviously that’s been the theme all season long.

3. Some of our struggles are obviously not controllable given our lack of PG, but some things we can at least somewhat control/improve are turnovers and FT shooting, those will have to be better going forward. 21 of their 55 points came off us turning the ball over, those also tend to be momentum type possessions and obviously momentum in these tourney games are huge, have to take care of the ball. We got to the line 21 times which is nice to see, but 12-21 isn’t going to cut it this time of year.

4. We could really use Texas Nkamhoua to show up for a game or two, right now we just aren’t getting much of anything from the post positions outside of put backs. Teams are hounding Vescovi which is opening mid range and low post scoring, we just aren’t making teams play, and that’s on JJJ & Phillips too, both guys have to absolutely be better.

5. The good news is we won, and we didn’t play we offensively, we know this team can put together a strong offensive showing on a given night, and they didn’t do it in round 1 and we advanced, maybe it shows up round 2? Obviously no way to know as we are very inconsistent, but get a good showing from the offense and the defense once again show up and we will have a shot at Duke. Given the injuries this roster has suffered making a Sweet 16 by beating Duke would be a great effort from Barnes and his squad.



GBO!!!

 

[TheMookieMonster]

Frustrating game. But, a win is a win. And, that is the only thing that matters. I disagree with a few of Barnes coaching decisions in the game, but it did not cost us an early round exit, so I am thankful for that.

I know Barnes will not change. He’s too far along in his coaching career to do so. But, IMO, his use of timeouts and how he handles players with 2 fouls is disappointing and I wish he handled things differently. We somehow escaped the first half up 11 on ULL with Santi on the bench, but I think we’re very lucky to do so.

I want Barnes to trust his veterans more. Santi finished with 3 fouls. The same thing happened against Mizzou. Two quick fouls and sat the rest of the half. Santi finished with 2 fouls in that game. I get that you don’t want your best players to foul out late, but if you can build a lead and crush your opponent you need to do so. And you need to trust that Santi is smart enough that when he does get in foul trouble, his 4 years of experience is going to lead him to play more conservatively and he won’t be dumb.

If Santi gets in foul trouble against Duke early, we simply will not survive a 12-minute stretch against Duke. We’ll get crushed. He has to be on the court.

I also wish Barnes would have called a timeout much sooner than he did in the 2nd half when ULL was making their run. You have 3 timeouts. Use them! But, I know he won’t at this point. Still frustrating.

When it comes to good things, Mashack is going to be a star before he leaves. His improvement from mid-February to now has been drastic. So much talent and you can see it. I think you also have to be encouraged that we played that poorly and won. Maybe we’re saving our best for Saturday. We’ll need it. At this point, we’ve met my expectations for this squad. Anything that happens on Saturday is what it is. A win is the cherry on top if we can pull it off.

 

[Willy14]

Frustrating game. But, a win is a win. And, that is the only thing that matters. I disagree with a few of Barnes coaching decisions in the game, but it did not cost us an early round exit, so I am thankful for that.

I know Barnes will not change. He’s too far along in his coaching career to do so. But, IMO, his use of timeouts and how he handles players with 2 fouls is disappointing and I wish he handled things differently. We somehow escaped the first half up 11 on ULL with Santi on the bench, but I think we’re very lucky to do so.

I want Barnes to trust his veterans more. Santi finished with 3 fouls. The same thing happened against Mizzou. Two quick fouls and sat the rest of the half. Santi finished with 2 fouls in that game. I get that you don’t want your best players to foul out late, but if you can build a lead and crush your opponent you need to do so. And you need to trust that Santi is smart enough that when he does get in foul trouble, his 4 years of experience is going to lead him to play more conservatively and he won’t be dumb.

If Santi gets in foul trouble against Duke early, we simply will not survive a 12-minute stretch against Duke. We’ll get crushed. He has to be on the court.

I also wish Barnes would have called a timeout much sooner than he did in the 2nd half when ULL was making their run. You have 3 timeouts. Use them! But, I know he won’t at this point. Still frustrating.

When it comes to good things, Mashack is going to be a star before he leaves. His improvement from mid-February to now has been drastic. So much talent and you can see it. I think you also have to be encouraged that we played that poorly and won. Maybe we’re saving our best for Saturday. We’ll need it. At this point, we’ve met me expectations for this squad. Anything that happens on Saturday is what it is. A win is the cherry on top if we can pull it off.

Agreed. After losing Zeigler and seeing our tourney draw, I predicted round of 32. So we got to my expectations. But I would love for them to exceed my expectations and beat Duke tomorrow.

 

[KB vol]

1. Survive and advance, name of the game this time of year, while not pretty I sure wouldn’t trade our result for Arizona, Virginia, Texas A&M etc. winning this time of year should never be taken for granted, with that said. Would have really liked to have seen us put them away when we got up 18, however a silver lining is we didn’t choke it away and we found a way to hit enough free throws and get key baskets when needed to ultimately win.

2. Very encouraging recent play from both Mashack & Key, they’ve been aggressive and we’re again last night, and it was absolutely needed considering the struggles from Vescovi/JJJ/Phillips. Both of those guys will be better served as secondary options to the previous mentioned players, and a post showing up to play, but obviously that’s been the theme all season long.

3. Some of our struggles are obviously not controllable given our lack of PG, but some things we can at least somewhat control/improve are turnovers and FT shooting, those will have to be better going forward. 21 of their 55 points came off us turning the ball over, those also tend to be momentum type possessions and obviously momentum in these tourney games are huge, have to take care of the ball. We got to the line 21 times which is nice to see, but 12-21 isn’t going to cut it this time of year.

4. We could really use Texas Nkamhoua to show up for a game or two, right now we just aren’t getting much of anything from the post positions outside of put backs. Teams are hounding Vescovi which is opening mid range and low post scoring, we just aren’t making teams play, and that’s on JJJ & Phillips too, both guys have to absolutely be better.

5. The good news is we won, and we didn’t play we offensively, we know this team can put together a strong offensive showing on a given night, and they didn’t do it in round 1 and we advanced, maybe it shows up round 2? Obviously no way to know as we are very inconsistent, but get a good showing from the offense and the defense once again show up and we will have a shot at Duke. Given the injuries this roster has suffered making a Sweet 16 by beating Duke would be a great effort from Barnes and his squad.



GBO!!!

Good analysis! JP is a good free throw shooter, but he seems to lose the ball or has it slapped away most of the time he tries to put it on the floor. Hope he adds weight and develops his skill set up to his full potential next year. Their coach had a guy inside Vescovi’s jersey all night! Kudos to them. JJJ just was off on his shot all night. Hope it all comes together tomorrow, GBO!!!

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I know Barnes will not change. He’s too far along in his coaching career to do so. But, IMO, his use of timeouts and how he handles players with 2 fouls is disappointing and I wish he handled things differently. We somehow escaped the first half up 11 on ULL with Santi on the bench, but I think we’re very lucky to do so.

But isn’t that the point, we extended the lead with Santi on the bench, why risk a foul? No need. We had a 18 point 2nd half lead, benching him in the first half isn’t what made the game close.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

But isn’t that the point, we extended the lead with Santi on the bench, why risk a foul? No need. We had a 18 point 2nd half lead, benching him in the first half isn’t what made the game close.

I get that. But, that’s why I said “we were very lucky” to have an 11-point lead. We played great defense, but ULL also missed some bunnies and made some really stupid turnovers. It could have easily been much closer. I’m glad it wasn’t, but I’ll chalk some of it up to luck. Not often can you go 7 minutes without a basket in the first half and lead by 11 at the break.

 

[Volinnooga]

One positive spin- we won with Santi, JJJ and Phillips having bad games. If at least 2 of the 3 play better, we got a shot to continue to advance.

 

[vols 30]

One positive spin- we won with Santi, JJJ and Phillips having bad games. If at least 2 of the 3 play better, we got a shot to continue to advance.

None of those, especially Santi, can pick up 2 quick fouls. We probably have no shot if that happens

 

[KeyVol14]

I haven’t watched Duke much this year…what are their strengths? Post play or guard play?

I would have to think we match up well from a size point.

 

[volfan__18]

I haven’t watched Duke much this year…what are their strengths? Post play or guard play?

I would have to think we match up well from a size point.

Their post is very versatile. Probably their best player. They have some good driving guards too. They are a big team all around.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

I haven’t watched Duke much this year…what are their strengths? Post play or guard play?

I would have to think we match up well from a size point.

Defense. And playing inside out. So, post play. They are an extremely long team. Tallest in the nation.

 

[orangejuice]

I get that. But, that’s why I said “we were very lucky” to have an 11-point lead. We played great defense, but ULL also missed some bunnies and made some really stupid turnovers. It could have easily been much closer. I’m glad it wasn’t, but I’ll chalk some of it up to luck. Not often can you go 7 minutes without a basket in the first half and lead by 11 at the break.

No offense but that argument holds no water. If you hold that same standard to TN, we missed ALOT of bunnies and had MORE really stupid turnovers. It could just as easily been a 20 point lead instead of 11. I guess you can just chalk that up to luck also.

The what if arguments lose all their steam when you apply the same logic to both teams.

Btw, I also wish we had played better but we are who we are at this point but lucky isn’t one of things we are.

 

[wmcovol]

Santi has to play different as a PG than he did as a SG. We need him in the lineup. He can’t get cheap fouls inside battling big guys for rebounds.

 

[rdk4121]

I thought Uros and Aidoo played pretty well. They combined for 7-10 and 15 points, plus 8 rebounds and Aidoo had a steal and 2 blocks. I will certainly take that production.

If people are going to face guard Santi to no end, then others will have to show up. Mashack did yesterday, Key played pretty well, now it is time for Josiah and Phillips to step up as well.

We need the offense to just show up once or twice for a deep run. Obviously can't turn it over as much, but most of that came in the first half and most of that came when Santi got in foul trouble.

 

[njvols]

Agreed. After losing Zeigler and seeing our tourney draw, I predicted round of 32. So we got to my expectations. But I would love for them to exceed my expectations and beat Duke tomorrow.

I liked how Barnes changed it up to zone...seemed much more effective switching up defense. Thought Aidoo was very impactful but Plavsic also had a pretty good game. I really think we'll give Duke a run for their money...we've tended to play better in big games...Bama, Kansas, Texas, even Arizona though lost. For sure need more scoring across the board, and think we'll spring back. Don't figure we'll turn the ball over like we did two games in a row, and I don't know if we'll win, but I do think it will be close at the end.

 

[87&91ALUM]

1. Survive and advance, name of the game this time of year, while not pretty I sure wouldn’t trade our result for Arizona, Virginia, Texas A&M etc. winning this time of year should never be taken for granted, with that said. Would have really liked to have seen us put them away when we got up 18, however a silver lining is we didn’t choke it away and we found a way to hit enough free throws and get key baskets when needed to ultimately win.

2. Very encouraging recent play from both Mashack & Key, they’ve been aggressive and we’re again last night, and it was absolutely needed considering the struggles from Vescovi/JJJ/Phillips. Both of those guys will be better served as secondary options to the previous mentioned players, and a post showing up to play, but obviously that’s been the theme all season long.

3. Some of our struggles are obviously not controllable given our lack of PG, but some things we can at least somewhat control/improve are turnovers and FT shooting, those will have to be better going forward. 21 of their 55 points came off us turning the ball over, those also tend to be momentum type possessions and obviously momentum in these tourney games are huge, have to take care of the ball. We got to the line 21 times which is nice to see, but 12-21 isn’t going to cut it this time of year.

4. We could really use Texas Nkamhoua to show up for a game or two, right now we just aren’t getting much of anything from the post positions outside of put backs. Teams are hounding Vescovi which is opening mid range and low post scoring, we just aren’t making teams play, and that’s on JJJ & Phillips too, both guys have to absolutely be better.

5. The good news is we won, and we didn’t play we offensively, we know this team can put together a strong offensive showing on a given night, and they didn’t do it in round 1 and we advanced, maybe it shows up round 2? Obviously no way to know as we are very inconsistent, but get a good showing from the offense and the defense once again show up and we will have a shot at Duke. Given the injuries this roster has suffered making a Sweet 16 by beating Duke would be a great effort from Barnes and his squad.



GBO!!!

You nailed it! Go Vols!

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I get that. But, that’s why I said “we were very lucky” to have an 11-point lead. We played great defense, but ULL also missed some bunnies and made some really stupid turnovers. It could have easily been much closer. I’m glad it wasn’t, but I’ll chalk some of it up to luck. Not often can you go 7 minutes without a basket in the first half and lead by 11 at the break.

But that’s what I’m saying, luck or not we weren’t in a spot we needed to bring him back in. How pissed would people be if he comes back in up 7 and picks up a 3rd foul with 2 mins left???

 

[TheMookieMonster]

But that’s what I’m saying, luck or not we weren’t in a spot we needed to bring him back in. How pissed would people be if he comes back in up 7 and picks up a 3rd foul with 2 mins left???

I would be upset with Santi for not playing smarter. Not Rick for playing him. Again, I know Rick will not change. I’m not under an illusion he will. But, how often does Santi foul out? How often does he play with even 4 fouls? I just think you have to trust your veteran guards to be smarter when in foul trouble because we need him on the court. I realize this isn’t going to change though. Rick will sit Santi tomorrow if he picks up his 2nd foul early.

 

[87&91ALUM]

The Cajun who "face guarded" Santi was in his jersey, slapping, bumping, knocking him around, all night. I would be sending film highlights of that lousy officiating job last night to the crew officiating the Duke-Tennessee game. Second, we are not getting fair and equal treatment from officiating and that is a fact we have to play through and around. Coach em up Rick! Don't let them get the officials in their heads. Just keep digging deep and playing their best. Agree 100% on not turning the ball over and also making bunnies and free throws. Go Vols!

 

[turbovol]

Frustrating game. But, a win is a win. And, that is the only thing that matters. I disagree with a few of Barnes coaching decisions in the game, but it did not cost us an early round exit, so I am thankful for that.

I know Barnes will not change. He’s too far along in his coaching career to do so. But, IMO, his use of timeouts and how he handles players with 2 fouls is disappointing and I wish he handled things differently. We somehow escaped the first half up 11 on ULL with Santi on the bench, but I think we’re very lucky to do so.

I want Barnes to trust his veterans more. Santi finished with 3 fouls. The same thing happened against Mizzou. Two quick fouls and sat the rest of the half. Santi finished with 2 fouls in that game. I get that you don’t want your best players to foul out late, but if you can build a lead and crush your opponent you need to do so. And you need to trust that Santi is smart enough that when he does get in foul trouble, his 4 years of experience is going to lead him to play more conservatively and he won’t be dumb.

If Santi gets in foul trouble against Duke early, we simply will not survive a 12-minute stretch against Duke. We’ll get crushed. He has to be on the court.

I also wish Barnes would have called a timeout much sooner than he did in the 2nd half when ULL was making their run. You have 3 timeouts. Use them! But, I know he won’t at this point. Still frustrating.

When it comes to good things, Mashack is going to be a star before he leaves. His improvement from mid-February to now has been drastic. So much talent and you can see it. I think you also have to be encouraged that we played that poorly and won. Maybe we’re saving our best for Saturday. We’ll need it. At this point, we’ve met my expectations for this squad. Anything that happens on Saturday is what it is. A win is the cherry on top if we can pull it off.

Very good point about our guys with 2 fouls--especially Santi. You've got to trust that the guy can play with 2/3 fouls; you can't be too cautious and sit the a scorer for 10 minutes. Harper does the same thing with the women.

 

[Woodlawn VOL]

Everybody glowing over Phillips at the foul line, but the truth is him or Vescovi nor anybody has been hitting them good lately. Plus the way Phillips has been handling the ball it kind of works against you when he is in the game late. I don’t know what Phillips problem was last night he was simply having trouble catching the ball on the wing. If his feet wasn’t slipping the ball was slipping out of his hands. It is really perplexing. He has all the physical ability but right now he has miles and miles to go. Mashack and Keys appear to be improving especially Mashack, but we need Vescovi and James to play much better than they have. But we have to start taking it to the rim more and get the ball down low more. If we want to get good outside looks we have to be able to work inside out. We can’t all run around 30-40 ft outside and expect to get open looks. GBO!!!!

 

[kckempf]

Very good point about our guys with 2 fouls--especially Santi. You've got to trust that the guy can play with 2/3 fouls; you can't be too cautious and sit the a scorer for 10 minutes. Harper does the same thing with the women.

In her case Jackson is a middling defender who reaches in too much and has fouled out. She's such a great offensive player and when she's attentive on D she's great, but if you want her available late you can't risk the fouls. Véscovi on the other hand can rein it in.

 

[tn4elvis]

The Cajun who "face guarded" Santi was in his jersey, slapping, bumping, knocking him around, all night. I would be sending film highlights of that lousy officiating job last night to the crew officiating the Duke-Tennessee game. Second, we are not getting fair and equal treatment from officiating and that is a fact we have to play through and around. Coach em up Rick! Don't let them get the officials in their heads. Just keep digging deep and playing their best. Agree 100% on not turning the ball over and also making bunnies and free throws. Go Vols!

We have to shoot good from 3 land to have a chance at winning against Duke. They are playing really well right now and we have not been. Pat Adams is a horrible ref. I can’t believe the announcers last night were bragging about how he has called 4 or 5 final fours.

 

[Volfan1000]

1. Survive and advance, name of the game this time of year, while not pretty I sure wouldn’t trade our result for Arizona, Virginia, Texas A&M etc. winning this time of year should never be taken for granted, with that said. Would have really liked to have seen us put them away when we got up 18, however a silver lining is we didn’t choke it away and we found a way to hit enough free throws and get key baskets when needed to ultimately win.

2. Very encouraging recent play from both Mashack & Key, they’ve been aggressive and we’re again last night, and it was absolutely needed considering the struggles from Vescovi/JJJ/Phillips. Both of those guys will be better served as secondary options to the previous mentioned players, and a post showing up to play, but obviously that’s been the theme all season long.

3. Some of our struggles are obviously not controllable given our lack of PG, but some things we can at least somewhat control/improve are turnovers and FT shooting, those will have to be better going forward. 21 of their 55 points came off us turning the ball over, those also tend to be momentum type possessions and obviously momentum in these tourney games are huge, have to take care of the ball. We got to the line 21 times which is nice to see, but 12-21 isn’t going to cut it this time of year.

4. We could really use Texas Nkamhoua to show up for a game or two, right now we just aren’t getting much of anything from the post positions outside of put backs. Teams are hounding Vescovi which is opening mid range and low post scoring, we just aren’t making teams play, and that’s on JJJ & Phillips too, both guys have to absolutely be better.

5. The good news is we won, and we didn’t play we offensively, we know this team can put together a strong offensive showing on a given night, and they didn’t do it in round 1 and we advanced, maybe it shows up round 2? Obviously no way to know as we are very inconsistent, but get a good showing from the offense and the defense once again show up and we will have a shot at Duke. Given the injuries this roster has suffered making a Sweet 16 by beating Duke would be a great effort from Barnes and his squad.



GBO!!!

Good write up and I would like to add a few points..........

JJJ and Phillips have to show up in order for Tennessee to win going forward.

We need to win the battle of the glass against Duke tomorrow to stay within striking distance of an upset.

Vescovi has to stay out of foul trouble tomorrow.

Enjoy the moment against Duke tomorrow because we do not play against them very often although this will probably change with the creation of the ACC/SEC Challenge that begins next season.

 

[Johnnyreb#VFL]

Everyone who picked Louisiana deserves every bit of bracket misfortune that’s coming to them. Those people must have never heard of Jahmai Mashack. And those who picked Duke to the final four (who lost to Virginia not long ago) as well. Tennessee is busting up a lot of brackets as a 4 seed. S16 here we come