The Official “Regular Posters of the Basketball Forum” Thread

[RockyTop140]

This. Not saying we didn't play good defense but they just straight up missed a ton of wide open 3s in the first half.

Outside of vescovi, everyone on our team is inconsistent shooting. Been like this all year. Never know what James will give you. Key almost always gives you nothing. It’s rare we have a good shooting night from 3.
Edit: just realized you’re talking about FAU missing in the first half

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Both. Maybe the defenders are a little more for responding and starting a multiple page cry fest .

My take - Glad RB is here but he deserves some criticism.

I'm still bitter about the loss so some of this is just I'm pissed off, but that's my take as well. But I just get tired of it always being something with this team/program. Bad draw, bad matchup, refs hate us, our program historically sucks, and on and on and on.....

 

[ColinS]

Honestly I'm at the point that it's pointless to actually talk with anyone on either side of the Barnes spectrum. The "Fahr Barnes" ones just scream he sucks and pump up either some fictional version of Pearl that has never existed or some mythical coach out there that can just swoop in and automatically lead this program to Final Fours immediately. Then on the other side there's a segment that seems unable to even fathom that just maybe he deserves some actual criticism and that it's ok to say he did a poor job at times. Anytime there's actual legit criticism then we're told for the 7000th time how UT basketball has sucked forever and how we never used to make the NCAAT and blah blah blah ok thanks grandpa.















I know the 2 sides feed off each other but I think most of us rational fans are in the middle. We don't want Barnes fired by any stretch of the imagination, but we're also fine with saying Barnes has some clear flaws and last night he did a very poor job.

The truth is always in the middle. All good points. Barnes essentially succeeded in getting us to last night's game and then failed us in the game itself. That's kind of what you get from him.

 

[Vol49er]

Lol I don't know who is more annoying, the "Fahr Barnes" crowd or the ones that defend Barnes to the death.

I will say, at least most of the ones who defend Barnes to death are always around and contribute to other discussions. After every loss I see a million usernames I’ve never seen before or who I only see when we lose. Which is bizarre, idk why anyone would only become engaged on the downslopes and not want to enjoy the good times

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Outside of vescovi, everyone on our team is inconsistent shooting. Been like this all year. Never know what James will give you. Key almost always gives you nothing. It’s rare we have a good shooting night from 3.
Edit: just realized you’re talking about FAU missing in the first half

Yeah but you make a good point too. James hit a few early then couldn't hit water from a boat. Key is one of the most frustrating Vols I've ever seen. I've never seen a guy have flashes of looking like a great shooter and then turn around and short arms shots like he can't tell how far the basket is.

 

[Ryno14]

So Vols it hurts

 

[DeepSpringsVol]

This stings. I see us as a bubble team next year at best.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

I’ll still never understand how Key scored 26 against this Gonzaga team in a televised exhibition only to never be heard from again. Whether the defense was loose in that game or not, it’s baffling how impressive he looked in that game only to rarely ever make wide open shots for 30+ games afterward.

 

[Vol49er]

Well with the season and the careers for a lot of guys wrapped up, some milestones:

Santiago Vescovi finished third all time for threes at Tennessee with 282, behind Lofton (431) and Houston (346)

Vescovi finished fourth all time for three point percentage at 38.1% (not sure how many shots are needed to qualify but I assume he has enough)

Vescovi also finished sixth all time for steals at Tennessee with 174

Josiah Jordan James finished seventh all time for free throw percentage at Tennessee at .801 (not sure how many shots are needed to qualify but I assume he has enough)

Vescovi also finished eighth all time for free throw percentage at Tennessee at .798 (two notes here: not sure how many shots are needed to qualify but I assume he has enough, and Vescovi’s free throw shooting became worse each season, which is odd)

Vescovi fell 19 assists short of being top ten (Dane Bradshaw is number ten at 386)

As a team, Tennessee beat 13 ranked teams (6 this year and 7 last) between the last two years, which I have a strong feeling is a record for a two year stretch but I can’t be certain

 

[Vol49er]

.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

I will say, at least most of the ones who defend Barnes to death are always around and contribute to other discussions. After every loss I see a million usernames I’ve never seen before or who I only see when we lose. Which is bizarre, idk why anyone would only become engaged on the downslopes and not want to enjoy the good times

Oh no doubt. I don't think the FAHR Barnes crowd has any actual desire to discuss anyting, they just want to whine. They are the same people that if we did get rid of Barnes and the next guy sucked, they would start whining about why we let Barnes go.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

I’ll still never understand how Key scored 26 against this Gonzaga team in a televised exhibition only to never be heard from again. Whether the defense was loose in that game or not, it’s baffling how impressive he looked in that game only to rarely ever make wide open shots for 30+ games afterward.

I joked about this but at times I legit wondered if he was having vision problems because it looked like from his shots he was having depth perception problems.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

I need the baseball team to bring me some joy these next few weeks after another March disappointment (like last year), but I’m afraid this team is probably a bit overvalued this year. We have quite a few holes in our lineup and our elite rotation seems a bit snakebit right now. My expectations are low.

 

[DowntownVol]

Both of these things can simultaneously be true:

1. FAU was indeed a bad matchup; without ZZ, we really have no speed on the floor, and FAU was underseeded because they're a CUSA team - based off KenPom, NET, etc., they should have been probably a 6. They're gonna lose to Kansas St. but I wouldn't be surprised if they hang around pretty late and give them all they want.

2. Barnes got outcoached last night. He coached every bit as bad a game last night as he did a good one against Duke. Acknowledging this does not make one a "Barnes basher."

 

[Voltopia]

I’ll still never understand how Key scored 26 against this Gonzaga team in a televised exhibition only to never be heard from again. Whether the defense was loose in that game or not, it’s baffling how impressive he looked in that game only to rarely ever make wide open shots for 30+ games afterward.

Statistically speaking, average players can have above average games. Players can play above themselves. Even below average players can have nights where their stuff goes in. They’re just distributed randomly across their game performances.

Maybe it’s a bit of that. It’s easy to ask “why can’t they play like that every night,” but the answer is probably that if they could, they would.

 

[Volprofch05]

I need the baseball team to bring me some joy these next few weeks after another March disappointment (like last year), but I’m afraid this team is probably a bit overvalued this year. We have quite a few holes in our lineup and our elite rotation seems a bit snakebit right now. My expectations are low.

I think they're a very good team, but I've thought for a while that next year our prospects will be much better. Sure, we'll lose Dollander and a few others, but we have so many first or second year guys (i.e., Burke, CMo, Beam, Burns, etc.) that next year could be pretty epic. Hopefully they'll develop quickly this year, so we won't have to wait quite so long.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Funny stat…

Barnes is a S16 next year away from having the exact same NCAAT record as Bruce Pearl had at Tennessee, yet think about how one is looked at compared to the other.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Funny stat…

Barnes is a S16 next year away from having the exact same NCAAT record as Bruce Pearl had at Tennessee, yet think about how one is looked at compared to the other.

The thing about Pearl is you could argue that E8 run kind "saved" his legacy here in a way. Because what many seem to forget is before that E8 run there was plenty of talk about how Pearl was great and all but he wasn't a very good postseason coach and just maybe the S16 was his ceiling. And going into that posteason, most were not optimistic and yet we almost made the FF. I often wonder how he'd be viewed without that E8.

Now granted that doesn't take away that he still did an outstanding job turning around the UT program but for the people that keep acting like he's so much better than Barnes, the fact is Pearl isn't really that great of a postseason coach either.

 

[DuckInAPen]

I mean the guy can be flopping AND Uros can be a dumbass and acting like it. That’s not mutually exclusive. The announcers even called out both (not in those terms of course)

I saw a couple of plays in which Goldin seemed to fall down without being touched at all.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

Funny stat…

Barnes is a S16 next year away from having the exact same NCAAT record as Bruce Pearl had at Tennessee, yet think about how one is looked at compared to the other.

If Barnes gets an E8 here before he retires, I think it will quiet a lot (not all) of the Barnes Bashers. I truly do. There will always be naysayers with any coach though. Hell, just look at the baseball team. Unprecedented success these past two years and you already have portions of our spoiled fanbase getting mad at the bad start to this season.

That being said, hopefully Barnes can get that E8 in the next 2-3 years. I think it will solidify him as the best coach TN has had.

 

[TrippieRedd]

If Barnes gets an E8 here before he retires, I think it will quiet a lot (not all) of the Barnes Bashers. I truly do. There will always be naysayers with any coach though. Hell, just look at the baseball team. Unprecedented success these past two years and you already have portions of our spoiled fanbase getting mad at the bad start to this season.

That being said, hopefully Barnes can get that E8 in the next 2-3 years. I think it will solidify him as the best coach TN has had.

We will see if we can get there next year, but I truly believe when ZZ/Aidoo/Mashack are seniors, and if Dilione comes back for a second season, we make the elite 8 or beyond.

 

[berryvol]

Just had someone tell me in another thread that the key to a win last night that Barnes should’ve used is… going to a 2-3 zone. I cannot believe some of the things I read on here some days.

 

[mr.checkerboards]

Just had someone tell me in another thread that the key to a win last night that Barnes should’ve used is… going to a 2-3 zone. I cannot believe some of the things I read on here some days.

Did they miss where we went zone and gave up a wide open three?

 

[berryvol]

Nate Oats, when asked in the timeout just now when Brandon Miller is coming back in with 2 fouls (at the 11 minute mark in the 1h): “Right now. We need him. Win or go home.” *sighs in Rick Barnes fandom*

 

[mr.checkerboards]

Nate Oats, when asked in the timeout just now when Brandon Miller is coming back in with 2 fouls (at the 11 minute mark in the 1h): “Right now. We need him. Win or go home.” *sighs in Rick Barnes fandom*

And Miller gets his third...

PS, I agree with putting him back in