The Section 103 Postgame Report.

Discussion in 'Keith Hatfield Memorial Vols Hoops' started by hatvol96, Feb 15, 2012.

  1. hatvol96

    hatvol96 Well-Known Member

    1. The uniforms the Tennessee State Park Rangers Honor Guard were wearing were first class. Good to see at least a miniscule part of our tax dollars being spent well.
    2. The South Doyle Singers did themselves proud with their rendition of the Anthem. I'm going to bet that their teacher, Mr. Maples, is a very demanding and successful instructor.
    3. Kenny Hall getting suspended is incredibly disappointing. He was playing the best basketball of his career at UT. That said, you've got to have standards that you won't compromise. I applaud Coach Martin for not bending to keep his roster at full strength.
    4. The first 17 minutes were brilliant basketball by the Volunteers. That is as well as this team can play at both ends of the floor. They got a great shot on almost every possession and contested every attempt on the defensive side.
    5. The last three minutes of the first half and the first five of the second half were evidence of what happens when this team doesn't go full out on every possession and gets loose with the ball. They did a fine job of attempting to toss away a 25 point lead.
    6. Dave Serrano's filibuster at halftime was painful. I'm glad the baseball program won't rise or fall on his public speaking acumen. Otherwise, he did look like a dead ringer for a young Gus Manning.
    7. The Tennessee posts didn't dominate as much as I expected. I was very impressed with Hunter Mickelson. He and BJ Young will be key parts of the Arkansas nucleus as Mike Anderson gets them back in SEC contention in short order. With Marshawn Powell returning from injury, the Hogs will be in the top four in the conference nest season.
    8. Skylar McBee made two threes that were essential to keeping Arkansas at bayin the second half. He took a couple of questionable shots, but you have to allow a player you put on the floor to shoot the ball that freedom.
    9. Cameron Tatum and Jordan McRae each had some huge moments tonight. They also had the usual mental and ballhandling lapses. I've come to realize I was wrong about Cuonzo Martin being the wrong coach for some of the personalities on this team. It's hard to imagine Tatum or McRae being of any use for a coach who didn't have the patience to let them play through their miscues.
    10. The next four games will decide where this season goes. If Alabama is at full strength Saturday, the next two games will be against opponents that won't be intimidated by UT's front line. The guards will have to win their individual battles. South Carolina is a terrible and a game the Vols should get. LSU is another team with a formidable frointcourt rotation. If Tennessee can get three of the four, the home finale against Vanderbilt will be for an NCAA at large bid.
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2012
  2. volfanjo

    volfanjo Chieftain

    If that is the Mike Anderson we considered hiring at one point I think I'll pass. What was that tonight?
     
  3. tidwell

    tidwell Chieftain

    I know it's not odd for teams to be better at home than on the road, but Arkansas' home/road splits this season are staggering.

    Seemed like Tatum was everywhere tonight.. He may go M.I.A. for the netx week, but I thought tonight was about as good a game as he's played for the Vols.

    I know earlier in the season you were of the opinion that McRae might be better off transferring, but with his recent play do you think he may be getting it figured out and can contribute more consistently going forward? Sure would be nice to keep him and get out of him what he seems to have at times.
     
  4. hatvol96

    hatvol96 Well-Known Member

    They have no true point guard and their best player has missed essentially the whole season. I'll pull this post back up next year when they are breathing down Kentucky's neck at the top of the SEC standings.
     
  5. volfanjo

    volfanjo Chieftain

    It's clear the guy can coach from his day's at Missouri and UAB. They were just terrible looking tonight.
     
  6. volfanjo

    volfanjo Chieftain

    It's clear the guy can coach from his day's at Missouri and UAB. They were just terrible looking tonight.
     
  7. hatvol96

    hatvol96 Well-Known Member

    McRae is apparently the kind of guy who you have to accept some mistakes from to get the positives. Coach Martin's patience is certainly being rewarded. If McRae could ever clean up his ballhandling, he'd be a force.
     
  8. Volnbama

    Volnbama Contributor

    Didn't realize Mickelson was only a freshman. Kid looked a lot better tonight than he did against South Carolina
     
  9. A-Smith

    A-Smith Chieftain

    Thanks for continuing to post these, hatvol. Didn't get to see the game. How did Golden look, anyone?
     
  10. CardinalVol

    CardinalVol Uncultured, non-diverse mod

    Few random thoughts.

    I'd like to officially welcome Jordan McRae to the JP Prince Club. He's going to make a great play one time down the court that makes your jaw drop, and then will be just as likely to do something the next time down the court that makes you shake your head in disgust. Tha tsaid, I can't think of a single game JP lost us with his antics. As long as McRae is being aggressive, I'm fine with it. He'll learn to control it more over time. The sooner we all come to terms with this, the better it will be for our collective long-term health.

    At some point, I've got to think teams are not going to let McBee have the open shot in the corner. I hope I am wrong, but I've got to think coaches are going to figure this out eventually.

    Compared to where he started, Trae Golden has turned into an excellent point guard based on raw skill sets. I'm personally fine with him running the show as long as he needs to. He's figuring it out quite well.

    The first 17 minutes of that game last night were as enjoyable of basketball as I have watched since either the home game against Florida here in 2007 or the first half against Texas in 2005 in Austin. IMO, that was pure poetry in motion.
     
  11. JohnnyQuickkick

    JohnnyQuickkick Calcio correspondent

    It seems to me that Golden's decision making has improved. I am starting to wonder if he won't develop into a serviceable PG. Matchups have been more in his favor of late too though.
     
  12. IP

    IP Super Moderator

    Having a JP Smith coming off the bench is not a bad thing. JP Smith really did a lot for us in his last season. Can change games, and as you alluded to Cardinal he doesn't really hurt us if it isn't working because usually if it gets to that point NOTHING is working.
     
  13. IP

    IP Super Moderator

    2005 in Austin... That's Vol basketball porn right there.
     
  14. CardinalVol

    CardinalVol Uncultured, non-diverse mod

    JP Smith?
     
  15. IP

    IP Super Moderator

    [uck fay] me. I'm not editing it. I just have to live that down. My bad.
     
  16. CD12

    CD12 Member

    Thanks for the read,hat.
     
  17. NYY

    NYY Super Moderator

    JaJuan Prince was a good player as well.
     
  18. Tar Volon

    Tar Volon Me Blog @RockyTopTalk.com

    I've noticed some similarities between Jordan and JP for a while now, and I'm also fine with it. He's already one of our better-distributing wings (although also one of our more out of control wings), although he's not quite what Prince was. I could definitely see him progressing to the JP level where his standard stat line is 12 points, 6 boards, 4 assists, 3 turnovers, and it'd be a huge boost for Tennessee. I always wondered what JP would be like with some semblance of a three-point shot. McRae has a chance to show us, and I hope he does.
     
  19. dknash

    dknash Chieftain

    You're thinking of Tayshaun.
     
  20. justingroves

    justingroves supermod

    Tyler Chism was a stud
     

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