The Downtown Grill & Brewery Postgame Report.

Discussion in 'Vols Football' started by hatvol96, Jan 12, 2012.

  1. hatvol96

    hatvol96 Well-Known Member

    1. If there is a colder place in Knoxville during the winter than Union Avenue, I've never been there. It's like a giant arctic wind tunnel.
    2. Nobody is going to confuse Renardo Sidney with Charles Oakley. He slightly rolls his ankle and acts as if he's been shot. If he doesn't toughen up, he's going to waste his immense talent.
    3. I hope the last play doesn't obscure how well Trae Golden played tonight. He went head to head with the best point guard in the SEC and won almost every battle.
    4. The ballhandling gremlin really showed itself tonight. Tennessee left at least 14 points on the table as a result of fumbled passes near the basket.
    5. Kenny Hall had some horrible mistakes tonight. The missed dunk and leaving Dee Bost open for a three late on a switch were the two worst. That said, he played hard and held his own against one of the most talented front lines in college basketball.
    6. Dee Bost is going to make a small fortune as a backup point guard in the NBA. His basketball instincts are as good as you will see. His anticipation of Golden's move on the last play is a great example of that.
    7. Jeronne Maymon played another solid game. His size limits him against the kind of talented size Mississippi State has. Considering those limitations, he did a tremendous job.
    8. This is the most talented Mississippi State team I've seen since I started watching SEC basketball. They made the Final Four in '96. This team is far more skilled than that one.
    9. Wisconsin showed tonight why they are a premium college basketball program. Breaking a losing streak by winning at Mackey Arena is the kind of stuff that helps you make the NCAA Tournament in an off year. That's what Bo Ryan's squad will do.
    10. I hope Tennessee fans pour into TBA Saturday. This team is showing the kind of effort and heart we all claim we want to see. They should be rewarded with a full and supportive house.
     
  2. volfanjo

    volfanjo Chieftain

    I'm on the verge of declaring Cuonzo to be the right hire for the right moment.

    One question on strategy: After the difficulty they had inbounding the ball on the previous possession, would you not have played the last 11 seconds out? Or at a minimum, save the final timeout in the off chance you get stuck holding the ball?

    I also believe that had they won tonight, it would have went down as a all-time game, especially given the bit players involved in those last 60 seconds. It would have made for some great reminiscing in ten years or so.
     
  3. TennTradition

    TennTradition Super Moderator

    I honestly think Cuonzo debated calling it...it seemed to come about 3 seconds later than it should have if you were going to call it. Maybe that was strategic...but I took it as a hesitation.
     
  4. hatvol96

    hatvol96 Well-Known Member

    I think Coach Martin called timeout because he wanted to set up a 3 to win it right then. Overtime would not have worked out well, so you had to win it then. If he felt confident playing extra time, I don't think he stops play.
     
  5. volfanjo

    volfanjo Chieftain

    I agree with that sentiment.

    You think Golden, McBee or Woolridge was the primary option? I haven't went back and re-watched the final set-up, but I imagine they wanted Woolridge to screen for Golden, and then get it back to Woolridge if they doubled Trae.
     
  6. hatvol96

    hatvol96 Well-Known Member

    With McBee coming off a double screen on the weakside.
     
  7. LawVol13

    LawVol13 Chieftain

    Personally, I like the high ball screen by Woolridge, with him doing the pick and pop, and then I place McBee in the corner. The three options would be Woolridge on the pick and pop for 3, McBee in the corner for the 3, or Golden at the rack for the tie. I imagine that's what Martin was doing.
     
  8. LawVol13

    LawVol13 Chieftain

    Good summary as usual, Hat.
     
  9. hatvol96

    hatvol96 Well-Known Member

    If he had any option other than a putback off a miss as an option that would have sent the game to overtime, he's a fool. It's idiotic to extend a game against a superior team on the road when you have the option to take a shot to win.
     
  10. hatvol96

    hatvol96 Well-Known Member

    How many times has Golden gotten the ball successfully to the rim against quality size this season? All him trying to get to the basket would have accomplished would have been getting Arnett Moultrie on Sportscenter when he knocked the last shot into the fifth row.
     
  11. LawVol13

    LawVol13 Chieftain

    Absolutely agree that the primary option should be the 3 in that game to Woolridge or McBee. But, he'd be crazy as a coach not to have another option that gives him a chance for the tie.
     
  12. hatvol96

    hatvol96 Well-Known Member

    No, he wouldn't. Your option for going to overtime is scoring off a rebound. Intentionally tying the game is simply adding five more minutes for the superior team to impose their will. It's even more ridiculous when the guy you would be sending to the basket gets four out of every five shots in the paint blocked or irreparably altered.
     
  13. emainvol

    emainvol Administrator

    Hat, do you think Kenny Hall has finally turned a corner? He still does some dumb shit, but he seems to be playing well more often than not these days.
     
  14. hatvol96

    hatvol96 Well-Known Member

    I hope so, but we'll see. Two games don't constitute a real trend. Ask me after the next three games.
     
  15. emainvol

    emainvol Administrator

    Gotcha. Any ideas as to why the transition game was so damn bad tonight? Is that a product of the athleticism of the opponent? Simply mental lapses? The inability to score with numbers was baffling to me.
     
  16. hatvol96

    hatvol96 Well-Known Member

    This team neither passes nor catches the ball well. Those weaknesses are exascerbated in transition.
     
  17. emainvol

    emainvol Administrator

    That seems to be a fair assessment. It's pretty frustrating to watch, especially in a close game where those points likely would have been the difference.
     
  18. LawVol13

    LawVol13 Chieftain

    Disagree, but it's not that big of a deal. Need to have two options for the win and one option for tie in case the first two options don't work. Never seen any coach do it differently.
     
  19. hatvol96

    hatvol96 Well-Known Member

    Woolridge is ten feet ahead of everyone in the first half and lets a pass hit him in the gut and bounce away. That was just one of many easy scores that were fumbled away.
     
  20. LawVol13

    LawVol13 Chieftain

    The 3 on 1s that we come up empty on are just amazing. Cost us the game tonight.
     

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