Season isn’t over yet.

[Rickyvol77]

I get that it is frustrating right now, but it’s not over yet. People can have rightful criticism of Barnes but we lost four really great players including 3 NBA players from last year’s team. We knew rebuilding would be tough this year,

-Fulkerson tried hard but is limited in his skills and is expected to replace Grant Williams?
-Turner was injured and lost for the season
-The young players are still learning and I think are developing, they just need more confidence.
-Pons has been steady
-Bowden has been the biggest disappointment IMO, he is not the go to guy to step up and hit a shot when needed clearly
-Vescovi looks like a definite spark and possible leader, just needs to cut down on turnovers

What is killing this team is the lack of things that led them to number #1 last year:
Rebounding
Winning turnover battle
Hitting high percentage shots
Crushing defense
Getting to foul line

 

[lostsheep]

Dude...appreciate the optimism, but I see nothing that indicates this team is playing for anything other than an NIT berth at this point.

Shoot it better from the perimeter than we have all season, and still get it handed to us double-digit style??

 

[zjcvols]

Dude...appreciate the optimism, but I see nothing that indicates this team is playing for anything other than an NIT berth at this point.

Shoot it better from the perimeter than we have all season, and still get it handed to us double-digit style??

NIT berth? They’ll be lucky to finish above .500

 

[ColinS]

I get that it is frustrating right now, but it’s not over yet. People can have rightful criticism of Barnes but we lost four really great players including 3 NBA players from last year’s team. We knew rebuilding would be tough this year,

-Fulkerson tried hard but is limited in his skills and is expected to replace Grant Williams?
-Turner was injured and lost for the season
-The young players are still learning and I think are developing, they just need more confidence.
-Pons has been steady
-Bowden has been the biggest disappointment IMO, he is not the go to guy to step up and hit a shot when needed clearly
-Vescovi looks like a definite spark and possible leader, just needs to cut down on turnovers

What is killing this team is the lack of things that led them to number #1 last year:
Rebounding
Winning turnover battle
Hitting high percentage shots
Crushing defense
Getting to foul line

The personnel is just not on the roster to do all those things. There is little to no hope for this team. If Bowden could snap out of his shooting slump we could win a few home games. I don't even see an NIT bid for this team right now. Hope I'm wrong and you feel a need to bump this thread 25 times.

 

[Lankykong]

NIT berth? They’ll be lucky to finish above .500

They lost to Wisconsin and LSU, it’s not that bad. Take 4 TOs away this game as Vescovi will learn how to break the press and not directly pass it into guys, add a few fouls to Mays, and our team looks different this game and we might have pulled it out

 

[jeff1vol]

Anything other than an NCAA appearance is a huge failure. And its ALL on Barnes. You cant take off recruiting every other year and expect to be a CONSISTENT tourney team.

 

[BowlBrother85]

It's just not our year. Most college basketball programs go through an "in-between" season like this. There is no way the departure of Jordan Bone could have ever been anticipated, or Turner's situation. Barnes also hoped to have Plavsic. As a fan base, we should be able to handle a year like this after the last two seasons. If you follow recruiting even a little bit, then you know that we should be very good next season. I'm surprised how spoiled we appear to be in the game thread.

 

[zjcvols]

It's just not our year. Most college basketball programs go through an "in-between" season like this. There is no way the departure of Jordan Bone could have ever been anticipated, or Turner's situation. Barnes also hoped to have Plavsic. As a fan base, we should be able to handle a year like this after the last two seasons. If you follow recruiting even a little bit, then you know that we should be very good next season. I'm surprised how spoiled we appear to be in the game thread.

Probably because the previous two years we had excellent teams and did nothing in the postseason with it

 

[BowlBrother85]

Anything other than an NCAA appearance is a huge failure. And its ALL on Barnes. You cant take off recruiting every other year and expect to be a CONSISTENT tourney team.

Exactly my point. Spoiled. Rotten.

 

[Cartervol]

They won't make the NIT playing like that.

 

[i2amavol]

-Fulkerson tried hard but is limited in his skills and is expected to replace Grant Williams?
-Turner was injured and lost for the season
-The young players are still learning and I think are developing, they just need more confidence.
-Pons has been steady
-Bowden has been the biggest disappointment IMO, he is not the go to guy to step up and hit a shot when needed clearly
-Vescovi looks like a definite spark and possible leader, just needs to cut down on turnovers

Fulkerson: I had hoped for more, but he is an average (at best) SEC player this year.
Turner: He gone.
Pons: Only above average SEC upper classman on the team.
Bowden: I expect a turnaround, but so far, a major disappointment.

Vescovi: Our only hope to turn this season around. I doubt that he can do it by himself, as a freshman. A great shot, but maybe a bit on the slow side. A great feel for parts of the game though.

He has been brought in to a difficult situation. It will be interesting to see if he progresses or fades this year.

Overall, just too many freshmen being counted on, and a very small bench.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

We wont be playing meaningful basketball by Mid March but the development of JJJ, Pons, etc. will be key to next year's results....

 

[BowlBrother85]

Probably because the previous two years we had excellent teams and did nothing in the postseason with it

I don't feel that way. We beat Kentucky in the SEC Tournament semi-finals and made the SEC Tournament Championship Game. We also made another Sweet 16. Nothing is guaranteed in the NCAA Tournament, and although the loss to Purdue was disappointing... that isn't "nothing".

Spoiled. Rotten.

 

[ColinS]

They lost to Wisconsin and LSU, it’s not that bad. Take 4 TOs away this game as Vescovi will learn how to break the press and not directly pass it into guys, add a few fouls to Mays, and our team looks different this game and we might have pulled it out

At home and neither have been that good so far. Lots of what ifs in there. What if we had more talent is the only what if.

 

[jeff1vol]

Exactly my point. Spoiled. Rotten.

Spoiled? Really? That's about the weakest excuse for Barnes' failures this year I've ever heard. EVERYONE and their mother new that there was potential to lose SEVERAL players early. Barnes certainly didnt have a plan in place. You're DAMN RIGHT expectations will be through the roof next year and he better ****ing produce or he can take his FIVE mill a year contract and shove it up his ass. Better yet... maybe he'll threaten to leave and get another raise for doing absolutely nothing but winning g half a championship. Damn... I wish our alumni and fans would start acting like winners instead of weak excuse makers.

 

[VolFreakJosh]

Spoiled? Really? That's about the weakest excuse for Barnes' failures this year I've ever heard. EVERYONE and their mother new that there was potential to lose SEVERAL players early. Barnes certainly didnt have a plan in place. You're DAMN RIGHT expectations will be through the roof next year and he better ****ing produce or he can take his FIVE mill a year contract and shove it up his ass. Better yet... maybe he'll threaten to leave and get another raise for doing absolutely nothing but winning g half a championship. Damn... I wish our alumni and fans would start acting like winners instead of weak excuse makers.

Yeah, who are we going to hire to replace him?

 

[amorange]

This team needs a dominate inside big man 6'11" to be really good.

 

[HalfullVol]

They will improve

missing Bone, Turner and UPlas who were probably expected to play this year

SV will need to get accustomed to the pace of play and intensity

 

[tmack50]

Spoiled? Really? That's about the weakest excuse for Barnes' failures this year I've ever heard. EVERYONE and their mother new that there was potential to lose SEVERAL players early. Barnes certainly didnt have a plan in place. You're DAMN RIGHT expectations will be through the roof next year and he better ****ing produce or he can take his FIVE mill a year contract and shove it up his ass. Better yet... maybe he'll threaten to leave and get another raise for doing absolutely nothing but winning g half a championship. Damn... I wish our alumni and fans would start acting like winners instead of weak excuse makers.

Wow man! You bringing that fire and passion that I see in our football fans. I agree that Barnes should have had a better plan but there was no way to forsee that Turner would leave the team or Bowden would go into his worst slump ever. Sometimes life just give you a bad hand of cards and you have to play with what you got. I'm excited for next year too but I'm not going to give up on these guys. They need our support.

 

[BowlBrother85]

Spoiled? Really? That's about the weakest excuse for Barnes' failures this year I've ever heard. EVERYONE and their mother new that there was potential to lose SEVERAL players early. Barnes certainly didnt have a plan in place. You're DAMN RIGHT expectations will be through the roof next year and he better ****ing produce or he can take his FIVE mill a year contract and shove it up his ass. Better yet... maybe he'll threaten to leave and get another raise for doing absolutely nothing but winning g half a championship. Damn... I wish our alumni and fans would start acting like winners instead of weak excuse makers.

Grant Williams, of course. But there was no way the early departure of Jordan Bone could have been anticipated before last season. If you are suggesting that you knew that he was an NBA prospect prior to the start of last season? Well, I simply don't believe you and I have no idea what that could have been based on. Turner's injury could not have been anticipated either. This was never going to be a great season. We are not the type of mature, seasoned program that reloads every year. We never have been that type of program. We will be back in the big dance in 2021... and yes, you come across as SPOILED.

 

[Alex10]

Probably because the previous two years we had excellent teams and did nothing in the postseason with it

Exactly!! That’s why I hate when people say “ you should be ok with a down year after last year.” We did not do anything of note in the tournaments last year. That is what college basketball is about. It’s nice we had a great regular season but to me it’s extremely overshadowed by grossly underperforming in the big dance.

 

[VolGee4]

Yeah, who are we going to hire to replace him?

Please don’t respond to him. He’s been unreasonable from day one. A keyboard warrior.

 

[Alex10]

Grant Williams, of course. But there was no way the early departure of Jordan Bone could have been anticipated before last season. If you are suggesting that you knew that he was an NBA prospect prior to the start of last season? Well, I simply don't believe you and I have no idea what that could have been based on. Turner's injury could not have been anticipated either. This was never going to be a great season. We are not the type of mature, seasoned program that reloads every year. We never have been that type of program. We will be back in the big dance in 2021... and yes, you come across as SPOILED.

Hasn’t turner been hurt with the same injury since basically the beginning of last year?

 

[jeff1vol]

Grant Williams, of course. But there was no way the early departure of Jordan Bone could have been anticipated before last season. If you are suggesting that you knew that he was an NBA prospect prior to the start of last season? Well, I simply don't believe you and I have no idea what that could have been based on. Turner's injury could not have been anticipated either. This was never going to be a great season. We are not the type of mature, seasoned program that reloads every year. We never have been that type of program. We will be back in the big dance in 2021... and yes, you come across as SPOILED.

For five million a year... we should be in the tourney EVERY year! If we are gonna PAY like a big time bball program, then let's all start expecting RESULTS of a big time bball program!

 

[Namorto1]

Anything other than an NCAA appearance is a huge failure. And its ALL on Barnes. You cant take off recruiting every other year and expect to be a CONSISTENT tourney team.

Fair point to criticize the recruiting misses for sure, and missing out on the NCAA, Barnes himself would probably agree with you. I never hear Barnes making excuses and often hear him state, he needs to coach them better. All have to admit however, Barnes has turned the program around. He without question, can develop players. The players however also have to buy in. When they don’t (ie: Burns, etc.), they are recruiting misses. Having a job subject to the whims of 18-19 year olds isn’t perfect.

Losing Grant early was predictable. Losing Bone early was not. Add in Turner’s injury and Plavsic not being granted eligibility....we don’t have enough other good players on the court even though most of those players have improved. I suspect Barnes knows that otherwise he wouldn’t have found Vescovi at this stage in mid-season. He deserves credit for that. And if we don’t make the NCAA which appears likely, based on above, I will still give him the benefit of the doubt. He has earned it.