The ways I sees it...

[Exfix]

If you think I'm "all over CCMs junk", then you clearly haven't been paying attention. Not being all aboard the Brucemobile doesn't equate to being 100% pro-Martin either. The two ideas aren't mutually exclusive, and there are other options.

I just accept the idea that this team is still alive, and whether you support Martin or not (I've stated many times that I am all for moving on from him if we miss the tournament), this teams deserves to be supported.

The fact is though, and it's largely ignored by people like yourself, this team is playing as well and consistently across the board as it has all season. I'm not basing that on the results of games against bad competition either, though winning consecutively by 30-point margins is impressive no matter the opponent. I base it on the product on the court; the decisions (both coaching and players), the shot selection, the hustle, the defensive intensity, the gameplan and adjustments. If you don't see a difference in this team now and a month ago, then you either aren't paying attention, or you don't want to have your opinion changed.

If you are basing your opinion on the product on the court then you must be referring to the last three games only and not CCMs body of work. There is nothing more that I would like than for this team to go on a deep run and have my opinion changed. Can you say that your opinion will change if we flame out in a post season tournament yet again?

 

[VolsSportsFan]

If you are basing your opinion on the product on the court then you must be referring to the last three games only and not CCMs body of work. There is nothing more that I would like than for this team to go on a deep run and have my opinion changed. Can you say that your opinion will change if we flame out in a post season tournament yet again?

What opinion would he change? He just said he's not some pro-Martin guy, and I've not seen him say Martin definitely needs to keep his job. Even if we don't win today, that wouldn't change how he viewed how we played this season, because that's already happened.

 

[Exfix]

As an aside because it gets brought up in many of the posts here, don't forget that CBP is wanted back by the VAST MAJORITY of Vol fans despite what a very vocal minority of posters on here would have you believe. Basketball is a spectator sport, and a revenue generating one at that. Hart's safest bet, IF Cuonzo fails, is to give the fans what they want. For Cuonzo it's simple, prove that TN can make any kind of tourney run under his leadership.

 

[GBO97]

Thanks for providing a perfect example of life in the Vol Bubble, a charming place where all our teams are championship material preseason, and all our coaches suck mid season and post season, when they perform exactly to realist expectations.

This x infinity

 

[HBCButch]

I think three things...
1. The next school CCM coaches at will be one with a better basketball tradition than UT.

2. That UT fans should be careful what they wish for, because there's an excellent chance that the next coach won't win 60 games in his first three seasons here.

3. That UT fans who are disappointed with CCMs performance this year did that to themselves, by creating expectations in their own heads about how good this team would be (when no one in the national media had us ranked preseason, that says something), by pumping sunshine, then choosing to believe it, and then getting turned off when the team performed almost exactly like the experts outside the Vol Bubble said they would.

Heck, let's make it four things:
4. There is a 100% chance that Bruce Pearl will never coach here again.

#3 sums up most UT fans about UT sports in general. Go to the SC boards and they've been supporting their Martin through two bad seasons. They are topping this season off nicely, but they aren't really playing for anything except pride. Flip the script in that scenario and UT fans would be ignoring that fact, roasting FM, saying UT made a mistake hiring him, blah, blah-blah, blah-blah much like a lot were in CM second year. But, but, we practically had the Miami Heat for a roster! 'All he had to do was maintain it'. LOL!

 

[volbeast33]

#3 sums up most UT fans about UT sports in general. Go to the SC boards and they've been supporting their Martin through two bad seasons. They are topping this season off nicely, but they aren't really playing for anything except price. Flip the script in that scenario and UT fans would be ignoring that fact, roasting FM, saying UT made a mistake hiring him, blah, blah-blah, blah-blah much like a lot were in CM second year. But, but, we practically had the Miami Heat for a roster! 'All he had to do was maintain it'. LOL!

The fact that u hang out on USCe boards sums up alot about u. LOL

 

[Manvol]

#3 sums up most UT fans about UT sports in general. Go to the SC boards and they've been supporting their Martin through two bad seasons. They are topping this season off nicely, but they aren't really playing for anything except pride. Flip the script in that scenario and UT fans would be ignoring that fact, roasting FM, saying UT made a mistake hiring him, blah, blah-blah, blah-blah much like a lot were in CM second year. But, but, we practically had the Miami Heat for a roster! 'All he had to do was maintain it'. LOL!

If we are comparing ourselves to SC I think I'll be sick and our fans have zero expectations, which is worse than having to much..

 

[whobethis16]

As an aside because it gets brought up in many of the posts here, don't forget that CBP is wanted back by the VAST MAJORITY of Vol fans despite what a very vocal minority of posters on here would have you believe. Basketball is a spectator sport, and a revenue generating one at that. Hart's safest bet, IF Cuonzo fails, is to give the fans what they want. For Cuonzo it's simple, prove that TN can make any kind of tourney run under his leadership.

So, you're saying there's less than 40,000 Vol fans in the world? I mean, the "VAST MAJORITY", which I presume you're referring to the 25k signers of the petition want him back, say they want him back. Makes sense. Didn't realize there were that few fans.

 

[volbeast33]

So, you're saying there's less than 40,000 Vol fans in the world? I mean, the "VAST MAJORITY", which I presume you're referring to the 25k signers of the petition want him back, say they want him back. Makes sense. Didn't realize there were that few fans.

He didnt mention the petition but he is correct that the majority want pearl back.

 

[cncchris33]

If you are basing your opinion on the product on the court then you must be referring to the last three games only and not CCMs body of work. There is nothing more that I would like than for this team to go on a deep run and have my opinion changed. Can you say that your opinion will change if we flame out in a post season tournament yet again?

As VSF said, what opinion is there to change from my perspective? Many times, I've laid out my viewpoint. If he fails to make the NCAA tournament, then I fully support making a coaching change. He's backed up against the wall with no margin for error. Make it happen or pack your bags.

And I was very clear that the product on the court has greatly improved in the last four games, and it has given me a renewed sense of hope. It's not like it has been a subtle change. This team is playing like a whole different ball club. I don't care what they did in January. That's over and done with. If the goal is to peak in March, then I feel like we are peaking at the right time. What we saw @Vandy and against aTm could show up at any time, and that is the cause for concern, but we are playing the best we have all season, and now is the right time to be doing that.

 

[whobethis16]

He didnt mention the petition but he is correct that the majority want pearl back.

Yet, again, you're saying that there's less than 40-50k Vol fans? There's no way you can say that the majority wants him back because you have no total population. All that says is there are 25k really loud voices, that most likely have zero influence on this decision. Very similar to news reporters picking the dumbest sounding people to do interviews. The loudest does not always reflect the majority.

 

[dovervolz]

I'm not advocating for the Vols to lose. Not at all. I'm simply stating an opinion that IF they lose (tonight), it could be viewed as a win for the long term success of the program because it would likely (hopefully) mean the end of Cuonzo's time as HC at UT.

Example... say Dooley beats Vandy the last year he was here... they go on to beat UK and play in a bowl. No way he's fired and we're stuck with him another year at least and the football program continues to regress.... instead, he losses to Vandy and the writing is on the wall. You'd be a fool to say that series of events, while hard to swallow at the time (the loss to vandy), wasn't good for the long term development of the football program.

The basketball program is in a very similar position. While a loss tonight would suck in the short term, we could be looking back in a few years as it being the best thing for the program. Sure, this is next level thinking, so try your best to understand it.

Dooley didn't have a winning record either way. What's cunzo's record?

 

[Volman1970]

Yet, again, you're saying that there's less than 40-50k Vol fans? There's no way you can say that the majority wants him back because you have no total population. All that says is there are 25k really loud voices, that most likely have zero influence on this decision. Very similar to news reporters picking the dumbest sounding people to do interviews. The loudest does not always reflect the majority.

I think they are using the same formula that Alabama uses in counting national championships.

 

[volbeast33]

Yet, again, you're saying that there's less than 40-50k Vol fans? There's no way you can say that the majority wants him back because you have no total population. All that says is there are 25k really loud voices, that most likely have zero influence on this decision. Very similar to news reporters picking the dumbest sounding people to do interviews. The loudest does not always reflect the majority.

Once again......not talking about the petition......and I dont care who our coach is as long as win.....but u r blind if you dont think the majority wants him back....

 

[whobethis16]

Once again......not talking about the petition......and I dont care who our coach is as long as win.....but u r blind if you dont think the majority wants him back....

I'd say the majority may not want Martin, but not necessarily want Pearl. They're not the same thing.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I'm not advocating for the Vols to lose. Not at all. I'm simply stating an opinion that IF they lose (tonight), it could be viewed as a win for the long term success of the program because it would likely (hopefully) mean the end of Cuonzo's time as HC at UT.

If CCM is back next year will you stop posting?

Bump

 

[Exfix]

So, you're saying there's less than 40,000 Vol fans in the world? I mean, the "VAST MAJORITY", which I presume you're referring to the 25k signers of the petition want him back, say they want him back. Makes sense. Didn't realize there were that few fans.

Are you familiar with the idea of a "poll?"

 

[PagingDrVol]

The majority want Vol wins, period. If we are playing in the second weekend of the tournament, the CCM bandwagon will be more crowded than the short bus heading north from Tijuana, and some will say they knew he could do it all along.

 

[whobethis16]

Are you familiar with the idea of a "poll?"

Are you familiar with the idea that polls can say X% of a counted total population? You don't know that key factor of total population of Vol fans now do you?

 

[Exfix]

As VSF said, what opinion is there to change from my perspective? Many times, I've laid out my viewpoint. If he fails to make the NCAA tournament, then I fully support making a coaching change. He's backed up against the wall with no margin for error. Make it happen or pack your bags.

And I was very clear that the product on the court has greatly improved in the last four games, and it has given me a renewed sense of hope. It's not like it has been a subtle change. This team is playing like a whole different ball club. I don't care what they did in January. That's over and done with. If the goal is to peak in March, then I feel like we are peaking at the right time. What we saw @Vandy and against aTm could show up at any time, and that is the cause for concern, but we are playing the best we have all season, and now is the right time to be doing that.

We may agree more than I realized before. You seem to be a little more bullish on their tourney chances, which is fine, but I am basing my current expectations on past performance. Again, I would love to be proven wrong.

 

[Exfix]

The majority want Vol wins, period. If we are playing in the second weekend of the tournament, the CCM bandwagon will be more crowded than the short bus heading north from Tijuana, and some will say they knew he could do it all along.

Indeed.

 

[johnnybravo]

Yet, again, you're saying that there's less than 40-50k Vol fans? There's no way you can say that the majority wants him back because you have no total population. All that says is there are 25k really loud voices, that most likely have zero influence on this decision. Very similar to news reporters picking the dumbest sounding people to do interviews. The loudest does not always reflect the majority.

But in this case it does. Not that he will be coming back, because I do not think he will, but if you do not think the majority of the fanbase does not want him back, then I'd be kinda wondering where you have been the past year?

 

[Exfix]

Are you familiar with the idea that polls can say X% of a counted total population? You don't know that key factor of total population of Vol fans now do you?

Do what now?

 

[volbeast33]

I'd say the majority may not want Martin, but not necessarily want Pearl. They're not the same thing.

I dont know a single person that wouldnt want him back if a change was made.....im pretty positive that with the petition....poll on here.....personal experience plus multiple media members saying that tenn should do it.....pretty good chance its the majority.....what evidence do u have that its less than a majority?

 

[10ASEEVOLSFAN]

I dont know a single person that wouldnt want him back if a change was made.....im pretty positive that with the petition....poll on here.....personal experience plus multiple media members saying that tenn should do it.....pretty good chance its the majority.....what evidence do u have that its less than a majority?

I don't want Pearl back I want Martin to stay. :good!: