What is Success?

#27
#27
The expectation under Barnes is to make the NCAA tournament. I think it's a fair assessment to say that's the floor for him now, based on his resume and recruiting prowess.
 
#28
#28
Considering we lost Ziegler and limped into the tourney, it's already a success to get past Louisiana and Duke. Now we are to the point of another win or two and it gets special.
 
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#29
#29
brockytop said:
My narrative has never changed when it comes to Rick Barnes. It’s ALWAYS been about can he advance past the SS at TN? I’ve never wavered from that position/question. He’s got another chance to do it Thursday night.
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Just because it’s your narrative doesn’t necessarily make it the correct narrative. The notion that Tennessee lost to Purdue a few years back because Rick Barnes was coaching and he can’t make it past the SS is basically what you are saying. You are also saying that because Rick Barnes is the coach we aren’t going to beat Florida Atlantic. In other words, we have the ability to beat Duke in an elimination game, but we aren’t going to beat Florida Atlantic in an elimination game because it’s in the Sweet 16.

Everybody that reads your posts knows you can’t stand Rick Barnes and that’s your prerogative. I just have a hard time grasping how anybody could be so negative.
 
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#30
#30
GregAmsler said:
You're right. That's an unrealistic expectation with the talent this team has. Especially without Zeigler. The floor? Good Lord.
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Right: are we more talented that many of the other top 20/40 teams in America? I seriously doubt it. We of course have talent--but
there are clearly more talented teams than ours in the tournament. Our biggest strength is our experience. We'll see how far that and our
talent can take us.
 
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#31
#31
Wow, great question CBrown!

I’m going to attempt an answer from my perspective…
- Your team (and school) remains in the national conversation for whatever sport your love (definitely not an also/previously ran).
- Your team competes to win every single game despite any obstacles (injuries, etc). Win or lose, your remain proud of the team effort.
- Your team has student athletes that are not only great representatives of the program, but inspire you. I’m sure none of you would like for the criminals on either Alabama’s or Georgi’s teams representing VOL nation even if it would mean another win in some sport. These pieces of trash can represent the true trashy fans south of our Tennessee border.. they have no place in Knoxville or being a Volunteer ambassador.
 
#33
#33
vol94 said:
While I understand your premise but FAU has athletic guards that push the tempo. As a result, they have only lost three games. One could argue that they are more athletic than TN. We should win and I give the edge to our Vols, but a loss wouldn’t surprise me as FAU is a talented yet unknown team.
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Every year there is a Cinderella team. So far, one hasn't emerged. I just hope it doesn't turn out to be FAU. I believe the Vols are the better team if they defend against the 3. We need to stay out of foul trouble. We don't want to give up uncontested shots from the foul line.
 
#34
#34
Barnes has been successful since he had been here. Tennessee every year has been relevant. Sure i would like to see a final 4 or championship but the level we are at currently is something we have never had for this amount of time. Tennessee is now looked at as a basketball school under Barnes. That's success
 
#35
#35
Truthfully, most years success is making a tournament but Barnes does that well so we have higher expectations for the teams. Fair or not, he has raised the bar and just like with Bruce Pearl, when Barnes is gone, we will look back fondly.
 
#36
#36
Beating Duke to get to the Sweet Sixteen has made this season a success in my book regardless of what happens on Thursday, especially given that we haven’t had ZZ for several games now. Any wins we have from here on are icing on the cake.

Success to me is making the tournament consistently and having teams that have a real shot of making a run. While we have been underwhelming in the tournament under his watch at times, Barnes has done this as consistently as any coach this program has ever had.
 
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#37
#37
brockytop said:
My narrative has never changed when it comes to Rick Barnes. It’s ALWAYS been about can he advance past the SS at TN? I’ve never wavered from that position/question. He’s got another chance to do it Thursday night.
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UT has only ever advanced past the Sweet Sixteen once. Judging a coach’s success based on whether or not he accomplishes something that the program has only accomplished one time in its history is crazy.
 
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#38
#38
Shaun1985 said:
Opposite of what Cal and Kentucky does is success. What a trainwreck.
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Cal said in the post presser, these men played well and executed the game plan exactly as it was written. Cal always has more talent but with Barnes, if they execute the gameplan they always win. Thats the difference.
 
#39
#39
BisonVol said:
UT has only ever advanced past the Sweet Sixteen once. Judging a coach’s success based on whether or not he accomplishes something that the program has only accomplished one time in its history is crazy.
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You do realize the NCAA field didn’t expand to 64 teams (currently 68) until 1985, right? To provide an analogy, that’s five years after Georgia won a football NC. They didn’t sniff another for years yet here they are with NC’s back to back some 40 years later. Yeah, “crazy”.
 
#40
#40
IMO, with the roster that UT has, we have met expectations. I think this is excellent in light of the injury bug that has hit all season.

I hope we can exceed expectations, which would mean beating Fla Atl. and advancing to the E8. Get to the E8 and Barnes deserves a raise.
 
#41
#41
brockytop said:
You do realize the NCAA field didn’t expand to 64 teams (currently 68) until 1985, right? To provide an analogy, that’s five years after Georgia won a football NC. They didn’t sniff another for years yet here they are with NC’s back to back some 40 years later. Yeah, “crazy”.
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Yes I do as do quite a few others on this board do. We’ve made the EE once in nearly 40 years of a 64+ team tournament. Roughly 2.6%, yet that is where your bar for RB is. That is crazy whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.
 
#42
#42
Year over year making the sweet 16 is a successful season. Making the elite 8 every 4 years would be more than successful. Putting an average of at least 1 player in the NBA every season would also be a great measuring stick.
 
#43
#43
CAVPUT said:
Said it elsewhere that a great season for this roster would be sweet 16. They've done that. House money from here on out.
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I agree. People think we’re loaded with talent. Who out there was clamoring for the services of Olivier, Uros, ZZ, Mashack, Key, Santi (to a lesser extent), and a high schooler in Tobe. I’ll answer my own question…basically no one. Some of those guys of developed into talented players, some have not. But they were not high level talents coming out of high school that all the big programs were after.
 
#44
#44
VolArmy74 said:
I want to get to the second weekend. That's success for this year and this team. It has to be judged on a team by team basis but also over the long haul. We should make 4 out of 5 NCAAs, and advance to the sweet 16 or beyond at least once every few years with the investment that has been made in the basketball program post Buzz Peterson. Problems come when highly talented teams flame out early or underachieve like Cuonzo did each year he was here before the surprise Sweet 16. It would be nice to play to our seeding, which honestly almost never happens.
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I think we should make 5 out of 5 NCAAs
 
#45
#45
TMvol10 said:
I agree. People think we’re loaded with talent. Who out there was clamoring for the services of Olivier, Uros, ZZ, Mashack, Key, Santi (to a lesser extent), and a high schooler in Tobe. I’ll answer my own question…basically no one. Some of those guys of developed into talented players, some have not. But they were not high level talents coming out of high school that all the big programs were after.
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Mashack was a top 50 recruit and international players are a whole different story as far as recruiting goes
 
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#46
#46
BisonVol said:
Yes I do as do quite a few others on this board do. We’ve made the EE once in nearly 40 years of a 64+ team tournament. Roughly 2.6%, yet that is where your bar for RB is. That is crazy whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.
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You need to re-read my original post. I said a win Thursday and this is a VERY successful season and with a loss it’s a good year, but nothing more.
 
#47
#47
MadMaxSC said:
Every year there is a Cinderella team. So far, one hasn't emerged. I just hope it doesn't turn out to be FAU. I believe the Vols are the better team if they defend against the 3. We need to stay out of foul trouble. We don't want to give up uncontested shots from the foul line.
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I was thinking the same think earlier today. I didn’t research prior final four seeds, but you are correct that there is a usually a Cinderella story. Princeton is still alive so they’re another underdog.

Usually talent prevails once your are in the sweet 16 and/or elite 8, so hopefully the cLock strikes midnight before tip off and the FAU carriage turns into a pumpkin.
 
#48
#48
cwbytruckers said:
If they dont get past FAU i will call this tourney a disappointment. You shouldn't lose to a team like that. Our bigs should own the boards. And our defensive pressure should disrupt their offense. Its not going to be a cake walk. But it should be a comfortable win.
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It is the sweet 16 and that other team has earned it too. I fully understand based on your posting history that you are trying to posture for a negative response if we don't score more points than they do, but to do so unconditionally before any game is a pretty sad display of fandom. Way to many variables in their performance, our performance and of course the the officials performance to ignore all potentials. Too many teams seeded higher than 4 to discount the madness in March in any one contest before the fact.
 
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#50
#50
I
vol94 said:
While I understand your premise but FAU has athletic guards that push the tempo. As a result, they have only lost three games. One could argue that they are more athletic than TN. We should win and I give the edge to our Vols, but a loss wouldn’t surprise me as FAU is a talented yet unknown team.
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actually do think that FAU is more athletic than UT, and I don’t think it’s that close. With that being said, UT 100% has the better basketball team, and along with experience, should win this one. It’ll be frustrating and annoying at times, but this team does have what it needs to keep this train moving along into the Elite Eight
 
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