The Verizon Center Press Room Postgame Report.

1. That was a war. The collegiate equivalent of the old Pacers-Knicks gang wars.
2. You just have to at least get shots at the end of the game. You can't waste possession after possession late in a grinder like that.
3. The free throw line was also a disaster. Merely bad from the stripe would have been enough to win.
4. Jordan McRae has to attack the basket at the end. A 27 foot contested jumper is just not good enough.
5. Skylar McBee was tremendous. He fought and competed defensively in a game where I thought he'd be a liability.
6. Otto Porter reminds me a great deal of Rudy Gay. He's good, but could be so much better if he went all out all the time.
7. Kenny Hall's decision making was wretched. A senior has to be better than that in pressure situations.
8. Jarnell Stokes really missed Jeronne Maymon offensively. He was, however, a monster on the boards.
9. On an off night, without arguably their best all around player, Tennessee played a top 20 team to the buzzer on the road. This team's potential is obvious.
10. The team has to get this out of their system in short order. Another cage match awaits on Wednesday.

 

So uh....is it reasonable to start being a little concerned about the offensive end? We still don't seem to have anyone who can create and none of the newcomers are great outside shooters.

 

8 is huge, IMO. I didn't see the game, but I heard some of the post game discussion. They said Stokes was double teamed all game, which really limited him offensively. That doesn't happen with Maymon on the floor. When is he expected to return?

 

We've got to bring in some guys who can shoot the ball from outside.

 

Double teamed and triple teamed by guys who were all at least 6'8". Hall and Yemi just don't do enough to get people off of him.

 

I think our post game will be the more pressing issue next season. Maymon gone. Hall gone. Stokes probably gone. Not really bringing anyone in to replace down low.

 

I had the exact same thoughts on Porter. Athletic as hell but sleep walks to much.

 

Defense is extremely impressive in the half-court. Maymon definitely is needed on the offensive side. I did think we did not look inside enough when the ball was moving on the perimeter and some lazy passing at the high post area caused some turnovers. GTown is crazy long in that zone and boy do they recover well by getting to shooters and challenging shots.

Tennessee needs to attack the gaps more with the dribble. I thought when they did it opened the floor a little for come open looks and offensive rebounds. Skylar McBee gets the most out of his game on both ends of the floor. He busted his butt tonight fronting post players on the blocks.

Not the overall outcome I would have liked to see, certainly not an entertaining game offensively, but man TN battled hard and with all the mistakes still had an opportunity to win at the end.

 

Love the defense and rebounding, attacking a zone continues to be a problem. I just don't know how we fix that with the group that's currently healthy. Nobody can consistently shoot over the zone. We can't take the heat of Stokes in the double-team. And Stokes seems to be thinking about his move before he catches the pass half the time. Lots of things to improve, but I'm concerned about our ability to deliver that improvement. Also, be at least mediocre from the line.

Does UVA run a zone? Be really nice to get one of these for the resume.

 

Our passing is as much a problem as our shooting.

 

Absolutely.

 

hall is frustrating..every once in a while he gives you that game, and he's done it against some good teams in the past. wish he could become halfway consistent.

 

Their zone offense is atrocious. No one is getting the ball in the middle at the free throw line (Ron Slay would've killed it tonight) and the ball goes side to side too much and not in and out. Feed the post!! Damn!

 

Had the same thought when I watched the first half. Can't get the ball to the high or low post

 

This is simply what this team, as it is presently composed, is going to look like. They aren't going to be pretty offensively. Every game against decent competition is going to be a war of attrition. Just that simple.

 

Held the opponent to 37 points?

Sunseri thinks that's a helluva effort.

 

Throwing the ball into the high post is worthless when guys catch it and just freeze. Edwards and Richardson both did that multiple times.

 

Headed out to watch Nuggets-Lakers on the tube with some NBA scout friends. I'll be interested to get their take on tonight's proceedings.

 

Well done.

 

What's your take on the Grizzlies this year? Are they for real?