Our problem all year

#26
#26
I don't think many here actually perceived us as the best team in the nation. But even then, the NET has us as the #4 team in the nation. We are now 8-5 in Quad 1 games.Which is still near the top for most Q 1 wins. So we have backed it up. It's just really hard to win on the road against top 15 teams.
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#27
#27
Lanier doesn’t always fight to get open when the other team denies him the ball, it’s like he’s content to just not shoot the ball at times. Also zeigler tends to not get him the ball quick enough for him to score when he does come off a screen open. It’s almost like Zeigler hesitates just enough with his passes to Lanier that he can’t get the ball off. Not sure if they just don’t jive, but the ball seems to move so much better with zeigler not on the floor. Seemingly every time zeigler comes out we start scoring.
There were several curls last night that ZZ was late on the pass or just didn't pass it.
 
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#29
#29
I don't think many here actually perceived us as the best team in the nation. But even then, the NET has us as the #4 team in the nation. We are now 8-5 in Quad 1 games.Which is still near the top for most Q 1 wins. So we have backed it up. It's just really hard to win on the road against top 15 teams.
It's much harder to win road games when you can't shoot the basketball. UK had to shoot 50% to win, UT did not. Still, we could not make a basket here and there to keep pace at the end. No consistency from night to night. A lot of the offense is wasted trying to get Lanier an open shot, and the success rate is very low. When he then misses most of those shots it hurts. I think the time would be better spent head down going to the rim with ZZ, Gainey and even Mashack. Get the layup or get fouled.
 
#30
#30
Our offense does not provide many wide open looks. We cannot win a big game when Lanier and Gainey shoot poorly from 3... Kentucky did hit a bunch of open 3s. We over help on defense and that leads to open looks by our opponents...
It seems like most possessions we pass it around looking for the perfect shot and then toward the end of the shot clock we either turn it over with one pass too many or are forced to hoist up a poor percentage shot before the shot clock expires. The offensive scheme itself sometimes leads to woeful outside shooting. IMO the coaching staff needs to do a better job of taking pressure off the shooters, instead of putting them in must-make situations late in the shot clock.
 
#31
#31
Another problem, is that when our guys drive the ball to the basket, they are not looking to score most of the time. Most of the time they are looking to dish the ball, or kick it back out. I watch Igor, Mashack, ZZ and Lanier all do this so much. Drive the ball down hill and look to finish, then crash the boards. We're too tentative and not aggressive enough on offense. Kentucky did this to us time and time again last night and it worked for them.

Also, when are we ever going to get an aggressive big man with some skilled post moves, who isn't awkward and has good hands? We haven't had a guy on the inside like that since Grant Williams and he was undersized. Get out there and find them Barnes and staff !!!
 
#34
#34
If the national championships were held the first month of the season, the Vols would push for a final four spot every year. At this point, I doubt the Vols can put together enough good games in a row to make noise in the tournament, too inconsistent. Not enough depth on offense. It seems there's always at least one, sometimes two, player(s) on the floor who pose very little threat on offense. Ziegler is a great player in many ways. But, on offense he seems to be dribbling too much, late with passes. Yet, in postgame press conferences Barnes is effusive in his praise. There is much to praise. Has Barnes's man crush on Ziegler gotten to the point he cannot see the flaws in Zakai's game? Just my opinions. So, have at me. I won't engage in debate nor be offended by disagreement
 
#35
#35
Our style leads to playing alot in the half court where defenses have a better chance at contesting shots.

Plus, its hard to shoot well on the road.

But, sure, still a bit inconsistent. I just also think we have shown we are hard to beat on a nuetral court.

A "bit" inconsistent? Lol, I am no Rick Barnes hater and he has done a good job at Tennessee but this team has the same problem everyone of his teams have had; long stretches of no offense. I don't know why he doesn't practice a handful of set plays or strategies to help alleviate the obvious glaring issue, and maybe he does but it doesn't feel like he does. It is what it is at this point in his career.
 
#36
#36
If the national championships were held the first month of the season, the Vols would push for a final four spot every year. At this point, I doubt the Vols can put together enough good games in a row to make noise in the tournament, too inconsistent. Not enough depth on offense. It seems there's always at least one, sometimes two, player(s) on the floor who pose very little threat on offense. Ziegler is a great player in many ways. But, on offense he seems to be dribbling too much, late with passes. Yet, in postgame press conferences Barnes is effusive in his praise. There is much to praise. Has Barnes's man crush on Ziegler gotten to the point he cannot see the flaws in Zakai's game? Just my opinions. So, have at me. I won't engage in debate nor be offended by disagreement
Rick Barnes loves the hard nosed. aggressive defender, that is selfless on offense as he should but when everyone is selfless on offense then it creates issues when players aren't shooting well either no one wants to take a shot or they just throw up desperation threes. I almost feel like the team would be better with Ziegler not being the point on offense in the half court offense. It's just not his game and it probably isn't Gainey's either
 
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#37
#37
A "bit" inconsistent? Lol, I am no Rick Barnes hater and he has done a good job at Tennessee but this team has the same problem everyone of his teams have had; long stretches of no offense. I don't know why he doesn't practice a handful of set plays or strategies to help alleviate the obvious glaring issue, and maybe he does but it doesn't feel like he does. It is what it is at this point in his career.
He does practice plays. The reality is though that Barnes' philosophy is built around defense. But by nature of being a defensively focused team, it slows down the entire basketball game. We force teams to use the entire shotclock and have to defend for 30 seconds. As a result, we tend to be conservative on offense. If not for anything, but to give our defense a break. Last thing we want to do is to shoot early in the shot clock and tire ourselves out by defending for long stretches one after the other. So as a result, there tends to be alot of half court offense being played which in turn leads to opposing defenses having a higher liklihood to get set and contest our shots.
 
#38
#38
All year? You mean pretty much the last 10 years?
Never understand how you can get signed by a major P5 program and can't shoot....And it's year after year. DK was a shooter that came in a shooter. It's like we get players and they forget about how to score. It's amazing.
 
#39
#39
I think inconsistent guard play is the reason i wouldn't put too much stock in this team making a deep run. They play a little better at home but the lapses are just frustrating.
 
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#41
#41
Aside from Dalton Knecht last year, I can't remember a single consistent shooter that we've had in the whole Rick Barnes tenure. We are always occasionally hot, but mostly ice cold from three. What I wouldn't give to have a couple of guys who can shoot like Allen Houston or Chris Lofton to go along with the consistant good defense that Barnes coaches. We never seem to have shooters that we can count on when it matters.
Chaz Lanier is a good shooter. Sure, he’s had some down games, but they all do. Just look at Chris Lofton’s game logs. In his last 3 games at UT in the NCAAT, he was 0-5, 3-7, and 2-11 from three. His junior year, he had games of 3-15, 1-7, 2-11, and 3-11. Some nights are better than others. Chaz was at almost 42% until last night.
 
#45
#45
We don’t shoot that good at home either consistently. What do you notice about some other teams? They have multiple scorers that they can count on. We don’t. I mean do we have any real consistent score we can rely on to jump start this offense?
Other teams are deeper and don't play as intense on defense. Still say the level of defense Barnes demands takes the legs from his players as the year wears on. Take average shooters and makes 'em below average....way below average. It explains our annual fade as the year ages and our ceiling in tournament play. Odd that he tries to get by with a limited bench and why he doesn't force feed young players so they can provide minutes. Just weird...to my old mind anyway.
 
#46
#46
Other teams are deeper and don't play as intense on defense. Still say the level of defense Barnes demands takes the legs from his players as the year wears on. Take average shooters and makes 'em below average....way below average. It explains our annual fade as the year ages and our ceiling in tournament play. Odd that he tries to get by with a limited bench and why he doesn't force feed young players so they can provide minutes. Just weird...to my old mind anyway.
Same old song and dance every yr. No dominant big man, no pure shooter, no one drives to the basket, now Barns has the players afraid to shoot the three not that they can anyway and they fade at the end of the year like always and oh yea Kentucky has shown everyone the blue print. Teams that were horrible last yr turn it around in one yr and we are stuck with the same old boring play. Currently watching the vandy game and vandy out hustling them to the point of embarrassment.
 
#47
#47
Same old song and dance every yr. No dominant big man, no pure shooter, no one drives to the basket, now Barns has the players afraid to shoot the three not that they can anyway and they fade at the end of the year like always and oh yea Kentucky has shown everyone the blue print. Teams that were horrible last yr turn it around in one yr and we are stuck with the same old boring play. Currently watching the vandy game and vandy out hustling them to the point of embarrassment.

Winning is so boring.
 

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