The Official “Regular Posters of the Basketball Forum” Thread

[YankeeVol]

It may be more talented. Not sure I'd say "it isn't close", necessarily. I tend to be one who errs on the side of caution, so I may just be overly reserved. I certainly think this team has a ceiling every bit as high as last year's from a talent standpoint, though.

I edited out the not close, but I do believe it's really not.

 

[CamVol8]

Jeff Borzello has us #23 in his preseason top-25. That seems low to me given how well Barnes has managed the portal era and has consistently reloaded. Borzello has 6 other SEC teams ranked ahead of Tennessee.

I feel like (on paper) we are somewhere in the 13-17 range. If we end up higher than that it means we are playing exceptional basketball, which hopefully does end up happening

 

[walkenvol]

I'm more in the top-15 camp without having seen them play. We lost a ton of leadership, not to mention talent. Replacing the talent may actually be the easier task. I think there is definitely March upside if things fall into place, though.

Agree 100%. The experience in Barnes’ system and the glue provided by Mashack / ZZZ will be very hard to replace. JMO

 

[sami]

We survive the inevitable (and unnecessary) for one more year.

The only change should be to go back to 64, which was the perfect number and tournament setup. Expanding only lets more mediocre teams in and play-in games in not even half full sites. An even bigger joke is expanding the womens' tournament, which loses money every year as it is.

 

[sami]

Agree 100%. The experience in Barnes’ system and the glue provided by Mashack / ZZZ will be very hard to replace. JMO

Very true. To me how far this group can go depends on them meshing into a tight unit like we had the last few seasons with new leaders stepping up, how fortunate we are health-wise, and just how good Ament can be in such a short time. The pieces are there and I have infinite faith in Barnes' system and ability to coach up players, especially defensively.

 

[Vols till I fall]

Have you guys seen the SEC schedule for us?

What a gauntlet

Maybe one of the toughest I have seen

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Have you guys seen the SEC schedule for us?

What a gauntlet

Maybe one of the toughest I have seen

Doesn’t feel any different than recent years, it definitely starts out tough, but make it through the first half and should be able to string some wins together the back half.

 

[tev.sm]

Have you guys seen the SEC schedule for us?

What a gauntlet

Maybe one of the toughest I have seen

I’m more concerned about our first five away games… at Arkansas, at Florida, at Alabama, at Georgia, then at Kentucky is rough.

 

[Col_Cathcart]

The only change should be to go back to 64, which was the perfect number and tournament setup. Expanding only lets more mediocre teams in and play-in games in not even half full sites. An even bigger joke is expanding the womens' tournament, which loses money every year as it is.

If they want to expand, they should make it so that the conference tournaments decide which teams get into the field of 64.

Have a selection Sunday style show that announces which teams earned bids for their league and then put those bids on the line in the conference tournament where the top X teams advance to the NCAAs.

Then have another show to announce the seeding after the conference tournaments.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

If they want to expand, they should make it so that the conference tournaments decide which teams get into the field of 64.

Have a selection Sunday style show that announces which teams earned bids for their league and then put those bids on the line in the conference tournament where the top X teams advance to the NCAAs.

Then have another show to announce the seeding after the conference tournaments.

They ought to reward P5/6 (or however many major conferences still exist) regular season and conference tournament champions byes. That would make conference matchups mean something. But TV dictates that those teams will play at least as many games as mediocre conference champions and middle of the pack P5 teams.

 

[Chaz-Vol]

Have you guys seen the SEC schedule for us?

What a gauntlet

Maybe one of the toughest I have seen

SEC is good but only play Arkansas, Auburn, Florida once. Always play Vanderbilt and Kentucky twice so that's not new. Overall fairly standard tough

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

They ought to reward P5/6 (or however many major conferences still exist) regular season and conference tournament champions byes. That would make conference matchups mean something. But TV dictates that those teams will play at least as many games as mediocre conference champions and middle of the pack P5 teams.

Reducing to a 48 team field would allow for that

 

[WillisWG]

 

[Stoked]

"Fran [Fraschilla] called me that early that fall, and he said, what do you think about your team? I said, I don't know yet about our team, but I do know this 'I've got the best player in the country.' And he said, 'You've got the best freshman.' I said, 'No, I've got the best player,'" Barnes recalled in a recent episode of the Goodman & Hummel podcast

Similar comments that he made with another freshman once upon a time in KD. Obviously he said KD was the best player in the country and he said Ament is the best freshman... but still... one thing about Coach Barnes is, he doesn't really fluff players up to the media like this.

 

[cncchris33]

"Fran [Fraschilla] called me that early that fall, and he said, what do you think about your team? I said, I don't know yet about our team, but I do know this 'I've got the best player in the country.' And he said, 'You've got the best freshman.' I said, 'No, I've got the best player,'" Barnes recalled in a recent episode of the Goodman & Hummel podcast

Similar comments that he made with another freshman once upon a time in KD. Obviously he said KD was the best player in the country and he said Ament is the best freshman... but still... one thing about Coach Barnes is, he doesn't really fluff players up to the media like this.

 

[walkenvol]

"Fran [Fraschilla] called me that early that fall, and he said, what do you think about your team? I said, I don't know yet about our team, but I do know this 'I've got the best player in the country.' And he said, 'You've got the best freshman.' I said, 'No, I've got the best player,'" Barnes recalled in a recent episode of the Goodman & Hummel podcast

Similar comments that he made with another freshman once upon a time in KD. Obviously he said KD was the best player in the country and he said Ament is the best freshman... but still... one thing about Coach Barnes is, he doesn't really fluff players up to the media like this.

Can anyone recall CRB pumping up a freshman or any orther class to this degree and the player ending up disappointing? I can’t.

 

[cncchris33]

Can anyone recall CRB pumping up a freshman or any orther class to this degree and the player ending up disappointing? I can’t.

Nope

 

[Vols till I fall]

Can anyone recall CRB pumping up a freshman or any orther class to this degree and the player ending up disappointing? I can’t.

This is the equivalent of how sex feels, maybe even better

 

[walkenvol]

This is the equivalent of how sex feels, maybe even better

You may not be doing it right then?

 

[Vols till I fall]

You may not be doing it right then?

When you are doing it every night, it gets kinda boring

 

[TheMookieMonster]

Lol. He looks like he got a tan and grew some facial hair. Not impressed.

 

[Vol49er]

.

 

[cncchris33]

Lol. He looks like he got a tan and grew some facial hair. Not impressed.

I gotta hand it to him, his arms, shoulders and abs are certainly larger/more defined. The tan does help, but he's bulked up.

 

[berryvol]

My excitement is getting to insane levels about Ament. Barnes never talks this way about his guys, much less a true freshman. With the experienced pieces around him, this is gonna be a fun season (please God, let everyone stay healthy) ***pounding on wood currently***