Ole Miss Game Thread/Refuge

Discussion in 'Keith Hatfield Memorial Vols Hoops' started by CardinalVol, Mar 9, 2012.

  1. dknash

    dknash Chieftain

    Also Maymon only fouled out - leading to maybe 2/3 of their points in OT - because of that assclownish double foul.
     
  2. IP

    IP Super Moderator

    We missed so many shots, it is really hard for me to lay anything at the feet of the refs.
     
  3. dknash

    dknash Chieftain

    While true, I still hate referees and everything they stand for.
     
  4. Smowkee

    Smowkee New Member

    We should not have lost this game, referee's or not. Major dissappoint.
     
  5. emainvol

    emainvol Administrator

    I definitely won't place all the blame on the refs, and anyone who had seen me get in on a game thread at TOOS knows that I generally give them the benefit of the doubt, but the out of bounds call was as atrocious as it was back breaking. No excuse to miss it that badly. That said, I now expect big things out of this staff
     
  6. Tenacious D

    Tenacious D The law is of supreme importance, or no importance

    They had a phenomenal run just to be in the conversation, but like most teams who are playing without any margin for error, eventually, you exceed it. You just cannot continue to beat the odds to infinity.

    Our self-made hole was so deep that had they not pulled it out against Florida, LSU and Vandy, we would've been going to 'Nawlins with no hope of making the 'AA without winning the whole thing. We've known for over a month that they couldn't afford a single let-down or an "off" game - and unfortunately, that's all that happened last night. It just seems more painful because they were so agonizingly close to pulling it off, which they were, but couldn't. And that's the case in the overwhelming majority of similiar cases, and why it's so extraordinary when someone beats the odds and does.

    But for every millionaire who bet the house on "00", there are many thousands more who didn't, and lost.

    Some perspective is needed, not only on last night's game, but the season as a whole, and in some respects, on our program.

    If approached at the beginning of the season, how many of you would have agreed to take a season in which we would be in the 'AA conversation going into the SECT and sitting on the #2 seed - even while knowing that we would lose our first game in OT? I would have taken that all day long at the beginning of the season, and it would have only grown exponentially more desirable after our games against CoC, Oakland, Austin Peay and in coming home from thrashings at both Vandy and Bama.

    They've got a chance to make some noise in the NIT, but more importantly, to simply gain some much-needed experience in post-season play. That'll pay off for next season, and beyond, on the court and off.

    Is it ideal? No, of course not. But it's infinitely better and far greater than anyone likely thought we had a reasonable chance to achieve. In addition, we finished in the Top 5 for home attendance this season, the fan base seems to be falling all over themselves to show love to Cuonzo, both as a person and as a coach, as do the players, recruits and media (if there was another bubble team who enjoyed more people in the local / regional / national media who were overtly rooting for them than we did, I can't name them). The team not only played better but actually got better - both individually and collectively - as the season went along, and did most of that heavy lifting with little more than guts, heart and will. And just as importantly, they're going to do it the right way, just as Cuonzo showed in the whole Kenny Hall situation, and by insisting that they do it the right way, his way, each time, every time, or they'll either be at the end of the bench, or gone altogether. That shouldn't be lost on either the fans or the local media who consistently purport that we all believe that failing to win a champinship each season should be cause for termination, because clearly, that simply isn't true - and Cuonzo is Exhibit A in our defense of that oft-cited and grotesquely incorrect allegation. Nor should it be lost on Dooley, who one would hope has been both paying attention to his hardwood breathren, and taking copious notes, along the way. While they would undoubtedly make an exceedingly large and valuable chapter in his "life skills" binder, perhaps they could be put to much better use and in more practical ways - such as on the practice field, in the locker room, on the recruiting trail, and in many other areas, as well. Perhaps none more important than in achieving some understanding our fanbase, insofar as our expectations, and in learning what we respect, love and loathe, typically, without exception. While we want championships, to be sure, we also understand how capricious and elusive that goal can often prove to be, and not just for us, but for anyone. However, and in their absence, we are unwavering in our requirement that our teams represent our core values of toughness, effort, selflessness all with the maximum possible competitive spirit of play, or even in failing the perfect exampling of those traits, that clear and tangible improvement be made toward them, at all times, without either exception or excuse.

    Perhaps most importantly of all - not a single person I've heard from or spoken with has mentioned Bruce Pearl, the "miscarriage of justice" which resulted in his firing or the desire for his return. Given the wrenching divide that his termination caused within the fanbase, one shouldn't fail to appreciate this reality. Seven months ago, it was impossible that anyone could have accomplished this, and yet Cuonzo and this team have done just that, and more.

    And while the feeling of loss at "what might've been" is still freshly overwhelming to most, time will bring perspective as to the many other accomplishments of this team and it's staff, and which in many ways dwarf the near-sighted significance of something even as important as an 'AA bid.

    That they have done these things, and more, have shown that the future of our program is both bright and promising. And that's no small thing, by any regard.
     
    Last edited: Mar 10, 2012

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