Official season prediction thread

[VolFanGBO]

11/9 vs. UT-Martin W
11/14 vs. ETSUW
11/20 N VillanovaL
11/21 N UNC/PurdueW
11/26 vs. Tennessee TechW
11/30 vs. Presbyterian W
12/4 @ ColoradoW
12/7 N Texas TechL
12/11 vs. UNC-GreensboroW
12/14 vs. USC-Upstatew
12/18 N MemphisW
12/22 vs. ArizonaW
12/29 @ AlabamaW
1/5 vs. Ole MissW
1/8 @ LSUL
1/11 vs. South CarolinaW
1/15 @ KentuckyL
1/18 @ VanderbiltW
1/22 vs. LSUL
1/26 vs. FloridaL
1/29 @ TexasW
2/1 vs. Texas A&MW
2/5 @ South CarolinaW
2/9 @ Mississippi StateW
2/12 vs. VanderbiltW
2/15 vs. KentuckyW
2/19 @ ArkansasL
2/22 @ MissouriW
2/26 vs. AuburnL
3/1 @ GeorgiaL
3/5 vs. ArkansasW

 

[walkenvol]

11/9 vs. UT-Martin W
11/14 vs. ETSUW
11/20 N VillanovaL
11/21 N UNC/PurdueW
11/26 vs. Tennessee TechW
11/30 vs. Presbyterian W
12/4 @ ColoradoW
12/7 N Texas TechL
12/11 vs. UNC-GreensboroW
12/14 vs. USC-Upstatew
12/18 N MemphisL
12/22 vs. ArizonaW
12/29 @ AlabamaW
1/5 vs. Ole MissW
1/8 @ LSUL
1/11 vs. South CarolinaW
1/15 @ KentuckyL
1/18 @ VanderbiltW
1/22 vs. LSUL
1/26 vs. FloridaL
1/29 @ TexasW
2/1 vs. Texas A&MW
2/5 @ South CarolinaW
2/9 @ Mississippi StateW
2/12 vs. VanderbiltW
2/15 vs. KentuckyW
2/19 @ ArkansasL
2/22 @ MissouriW
2/26 vs. AuburnL
3/1 @ GeorgiaL
3/5 vs. ArkansasW

So we’re going to lose every tough game?

 

[bleedingTNorange]

So we’re going to lose every tough game?

He has us beating UNC/Purdue, @Colorado, @bama, @Texas and vs. Kentucky….how’s that losing every tough game?

 

[BigOrangeFanatic]

Goodness gracious, a team projected to be ranked around #20 and our fan base is expecting Top 10 results…what could go wrong lol.

What are you expecting?

 

[Volfan1000]

25-6 overall with a 13-5 record in SEC play and a chance at a league title and conference tournament title.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

What are you expecting?

I expect closer to Top 20 results then Top 10.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

25-6 overall with a 12-4 record in SEC play and a chance at a league title and conference tournament title.

We play 18 SEC games

 

[Brick_By_Brick]

I’ll go 19-12. Not as high on the team as some and the schedule is just ridiculously stacked

This^^. . . I understand the poll results are not indicative the entire fan base, but I have a feeling that a good number are unrealistically expecting a Top 5 finish. IMHO, 20-11/19-12 is the more likely range.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

This^^. . . I understand the poll results are not indicative the entire fan base, but I have a feeling that a good number are unrealistically expecting a Top 5 finish. IMHO, 20-11/19-12 is the more likely range.

I guess that’s shows where Barnes has raised the expectation for this program to…we went from “oh no, we suck again” every year to “hell we got 7 new players, I’d say Top 5”.

 

[Volfan1000]

We play 18 SEC games

Fixed my SEC prediction.

 

[zjcvols]

This^^. . . I understand the poll results are not indicative the entire fan base, but I have a feeling that a good number are unrealistically expecting a Top 5 finish. IMHO, 20-11/19-12 is the more likely range.

Pay a coach top 5 money, expectations rise

 

[bleedingTNorange]

.

 

[cncchris33]

Pay a coach top 5 money, expectations rise

I just don't understand the idea of incessantly trying to find a direct correlation of salary to results, especially in a sport where success is primarily defined by so many people as what you do across the final three weeks in tournament settings.

Hypothetically, if Rick Barnes were still making $2 million/yr, and showing the kind of improvement and results he has over the past 4 years, are you saying you'd have no issue with this year's team going 19-14 (9-9), and on the NCAAT bubble, possibly playing in a play-in game? After all, his middling salary ought to dictate middling results?

In contrast to that, if $2 million Barnes managed to take that team to the Elite 8, would you be banging the table saying he needed a raise despite clearly underachieving throughout the season's first four months?

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I just don't understand the idea of incessantly trying to find a direct correlation of salary to results, especially in a sport where success is primarily defined by so many people as what you do across the final three weeks in tournament settings.

Hypothetically, if Rick Barnes were still making $2 million/yr, and showing the kind of improvement and results he has over the past 4 years, are you saying you'd have no issue with this year's team going 19-14 (9-9), and on the NCAAT bubble, possibly playing in a play-in game? After all, his middling salary ought to dictate middling results?

In contrast to that, if $2 million Barnes managed to take that team to the Elite 8, would you be banging the table saying he needed a raise despite clearly underachieving throughout the season's first four months?

Nope, just something for negative Barnes folks to point to…used to be complaining about collecting a check and not recruiting, they can’t do that anymore so it’s on to the next dumb take.

 

[zjcvols]

I just don't understand the idea of incessantly trying to find a direct correlation of salary to results, especially in a sport where success is primarily defined by so many people as what you do across the final three weeks in tournament settings.

Hypothetically, if Rick Barnes were still making $2 million/yr, and showing the kind of improvement and results he has over the past 4 years, are you saying you'd have no issue with this year's team going 19-14 (9-9), and on the NCAAT bubble, possibly playing in a play-in game? After all, his middling salary ought to dictate middling results?

In contrast to that, if $2 million Barnes managed to take that team to the Elite 8, would you be banging the table saying he needed a raise despite clearly underachieving throughout the season's first four months?

I’m honestly trying not to be rude here but do you not follow sports? This is standard for everywhere. Also not just in sports. If you get paid more, you’re expected to perform better. Players/Coaches/FO people…

And yes, if Barnes was making less money and exceeded expectations/salary he would be expected a raise…like he got a couple years ago.

 

[zjcvols]

Nope, just something for negative Barnes folks to point to…used to be complaining about collecting a check and not recruiting, they can’t do that anymore so it’s on to the next dumb take.

Hmmm I remember 2.5 years ago when Barnes got that raise you said the expectations AND RESULTS will rise showing how willing we are to pay a coach that much…now it’s a dumb take to expect the program to be better with the salary increase

 

[cncchris33]

I’m honestly trying not to be rude here but do you not follow sports? This is standard for everywhere. Also not just in sports. If you get paid more, you’re expected to perform better. Players/Coaches/FO people…

And yes, if Barnes was making less money and exceeded expectations/salary he would be expected a raise…like he got a couple years ago.

You dodged the question of the main point I was driving home.

Still, to your point, was Barnes compensated to increase his expectations to that of a top 5 program, nationally, or was Barnes paid for what he had already done and to keep him from leaving? I'm fine with the idea that we should expect him to compete for championships within the SEC, and make the NCAAT and get his team to the second weekend. That's what he did to earn the raise. I just don't think it's fair to make the blanket statement, "He gets paid annually like a top-5 coach, I expect top 5 results, annually." That may be fair at a place like UK or Duke where that summitt has been reached several times over. But at Tennessee, it hasn't happened, ever.

I just think there is a gross misunderstanding of what his raise represented. In my opinion, it was an effort to reward his previous two years, and to make a strong financial commitment to him to keep him as our coach, not some escalator clause that ramped up the expectation that he bring home Elite 8 and Final 4 appearances every year.

 

[zjcvols]

You dodged the question of the main point I was driving home.

Still, to your point, was Barnes compensated to increase his expectations to that of a top 5 program, nationally, or was Barnes paid for what he had already done and to keep him from leaving? I'm fine with the idea that we should expect him to compete for championships within the SEC, and make the NCAAT and get his team to the second weekend. That's what he did to earn the raise. I just don't think it's fair to make the blanket statement, "He gets paid annually like a top-5 coach, I expect top 5 results, annually." That may be fair at a place like UK or Duke where that summitt has been reached several times over. But at Tennessee, it hasn't happened, ever.

I just think there is a gross misunderstanding of what his raise represented. In my opinion, it was an effort to reward his previous two years, and to make a strong financial commitment to him to keep him as our coach, not some escalator clause that ramped up the expectation that he bring home Elite 8 and Final 4 appearances every year.

I did not say that though to the bolded. And yes it was a reward, and he deserved a better compensation. We also rewarded him to not take another job (one he publicly later said he would most likely have taken had they matched the compensation). Then he got another raise this year despite I think most would agree was a disappointing season. I think it’s completely fair for UT to become a consistent top 10-15 program with the salary raise AND now we have a real AD that will provide any necessary resources to help achieve great results.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Hmmm I remember 2.5 years ago when Barnes got that raise you said the expectations AND RESULTS will rise showing how willing we are to pay a coach that much…now it’s a dumb take to expect the program to be better with the salary increase

Doubt you’ll find a post where I said exactly that…we would’ve been coming off a program record # of wins, doubt I said we could only go up from there.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I just think there is a gross misunderstanding of what his raise represented. In my opinion, it was an effort to reward his previous two years, and to make a strong financial commitment to him to keep him as our coach, not some escalator clause that ramped up the expectation that he bring home Elite 8 and Final 4 appearances every year.

Very well said and I think most unbiased folks with some intelligence would get this.

 

[JelloPuddinPup]

I did not say that though to the bolded. And yes it was a reward, and he deserved a better compensation. We also rewarded him to not take another job (one he publicly later said he would most likely have taken had they matched the compensation). Then he got another raise this year despite I think most would agree was a disappointing season. I think it’s completely fair for UT to become a consistent top 10-15 program with the salary raise AND now we have a real AD that will provide any necessary resources to help achieve great results.

Maybe I'm misremembering but I thought it was just an extension he received with the standard/existing step up raises; not an actual raise to current years.

 

[zjcvols]

Maybe I'm misremembering but I thought it was just an extension he received with the standard/existing step up raises; not an actual raise to current years.

If reports are correct he got like a 750K annual raise I believe

 

[cncchris33]

I did not say that though to the bolded. And yes it was a reward, and he deserved a better compensation. We also rewarded him to not take another job (one he publicly later said he would most likely have taken had they matched the compensation). Then he got another raise this year despite I think most would agree was a disappointing season. I think it’s completely fair for UT to become a consistent top 10-15 program with the salary raise AND now we have a real AD that will provide any necessary resources to help achieve great results.

Sorry, I didn't mean to insinuate that you said that. Just that there have been people that have said, either explicitly or implicitly, that if he is going to be paid like a top-5 coach, I expect top-5 results. That is what I meant in my original post that you took exception with. Top-5 pay doesn't necessarily correspond directly to top-5 results, and thus anything less is an underachievement. A belief that you seemingly agree with given your expectations for us to be a top 10-15 program.

 

[agVOL90]

With the new players that will be needed to contribute substantially this season it is hard to predict how good a team can be. Chemistry is so crucial in basketball that until they tip it off a few times it is hard to see what potential is really there.


That said,, final four.

 

[StarRaider]

OMAHA BABY!

oh wait wrong forum