2020-21 Basketball Season

When you have the bounces and bad breaks we had 2 years in a row at the end of ncaa tourney games, it makes more sense than the coach sucks every game we lose argument, imo.

 

How much of a pass does Barnes get from COVID? Not saying it should be used as an excuse or anything, but I’m sure it played a part in this team’s lack of consistency. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Duke, for example, missed the tournament for the first time in a bajillion years during the year of COVID. Kentucky also had an atrocious year.

Best two players being freshmen makes cohesion tough in a normal season. Add COVID, and I do think it’s a somewhat valid reason for why this team might have lacked consistency.

 

In one sense, Barnes doesn’t need a pass, because he’s built a good thing at Tennessee and isn’t especially close to the hot seat. On the other hand, his offense is built around getting one of the worst shots in basketball, and he hasn’t gotten a true point or competent post depth, and COVID doesn’t have anything to do with that.

Could we have been better, with a more normal season? Maybe. But the fundamental problems still would’ve been there, and he’s going to have to address them going forward.

 

He probably deserves some sort of a pass, but he also needs to learn from some things this season. We’ve got to be dangerous from 3 and we needed a real creator. This team was so talented, but when it wasn’t working it never seemed like he adjusted anything or experimented with lineups. Why didn’t Gaines get some looks throughout the year when Vescovi was launching contested 3s with 20 seconds on the shot clock and getting beat on defense so often? He just seems too rigid in his ways

 

Jinx

 

Kind of hard to blame James, and yet he is out there taking it.

 

Heard something today while watching that reminded me of UT. Somebody mentioned athletes vs players who know how to play basketball. We had some great athletes with Bailey, keon, Springer, Pons, Fulk even, but the basketball ability--shooting, spacing, ballhandling, passing/creating better passing angles, draw and dish, using pick and rolls or pick and pop--we weren't good at it

 

I don’t know who the player was, but UCSB had at least one guy out there that was passing like a Harlem Globetrotter.

 

Ohio had a couple of dudes who would’ve really helped us too.

 

I’m a fan of JJJ. He has a level of maturity and grit about him. Reminds me of Josh Richardson.

 

I don’t think he knows how good he is.

 

As everyone expected, Ohio advances and Ohio State doesn’t

 

The flagship advances as it should be

 

We got to get some presence in the paint with someone who could at least "look" like they pose a threat. Also, I'm not about to call for Barnes head or anything as I firmly realize we aren't exactly a top tier basketball program and are just currently blessed with a good coach. Saying that, learn from what's not working and at least try to adjust a little bit. Matt McClung would have made a HUGE difference this year to this team but Barnes didn't want to put up with all the showmanship that surrounds him. Sometimes you need to put up with that kind of thing and see if you can reel a kid in a little bit to get them to buy into your system.

 

The McClung thing to me is too much hindsight. It’s obvious after watching this season he’d have helped, but at the time it seemed like we already had a crowded backcourt.

 

We were out of scholarships anyway by the time he went in the portal

 

Barnes is what his record says he is in the tournament. I like him, I'm not saying he should be fired, but he's always been pretty shitty come tournament time

 

He’s run into more than his fair share of hot shooters while coaching Tennessee in March (Colgate, Loyola, Purdue, Oregon State), and that’s as likely to be bad luck as bad coaching. On the other hand, the one time an opponent shot poorly from behind the arc, we gave up a 20-point lead and almost lost to a 7-seed. I’m not sure we’ve played a quality 40 minutes of basketball yet in three appearances.

 

Basilio, for whatever that is worth, is saying Springer might return to college ball next year, but doesn't like Barnes' style of coaching and may transfer. Elsewhere, I'm seeing a lot of chatter Corey Walker will likely transfer, too. Kid didn't play one minute this year because Barnes didn't like his preparation or attitude, whatever.

It's going to be an interesting off season, for sure. Barnes is at a bit of a crossroads here in Knoxville.

 

I doubt Basilio knows anything about Springer. His batting average on these things makes Mario Mendoza look like Ty Cobb.