Posted by 02champs on February 3, 2008 at 12:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Finally an article of substance from Adams.

Posted by Kwitcherbellyachin on February 3, 2008 at 12:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

""Tyler hit those two and we were like 'oah,' " Varnado said. "We knew (center) Wayne Chism could shoot (3s)."

And this is why Chism should take a couple of threes per game. It gets the opponent's 5 man out on the wing, and opens up the cutter to the basket.

Posted by chrisw2967 on February 3, 2008 at 12:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)

well Rhodes has alot of confidence in us against Memphis and personally I think if Tenn goes to play basketball I dont think Memphis can beat them , just my opinion.

Posted by seviervol72 on February 3, 2008 at 12:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)

you are exactly right having a 5 man who can shoot the 3 ball opens up drive lanes, because he has to be accounted for. sometimes has to know when to pull it refering to the alabama game, but really he is a better face up player than a back to the basket 5 man. we will need that against memphis as well to get some of those shot blockers out of the paint for tyler, ramar and co. to operate. nice road win, i wish we could get away from blowing big leads and be more consistant from the line down the stretch. any road win in the sec is a good one hats off to BP and the boys, job well done.

Posted by anthony on February 3, 2008 at 1:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Any relations to Knoxville
's John Adams?? This guy seems to be the Adams' we've been looking for!!

Posted by cdldoc on February 3, 2008 at 3:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)

No, this is some other John Adams.

Posted by VOLS85 on February 3, 2008 at 4:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I really hope airforceone takes a look at the standings in the SEC and denotes who the class of the SEC is and realizes that Kentucky hasn't been a viable contender for the SEC in the past few years. But realization is the hardest part.

I'll help him work through this tough time...

TENNESSEE IS #1 IN THE SEC, we control our own destiny, WE ARE THE CLASS OF THE SEC THIS YEAR. Go back to your friends and ask them how finally getting your first road win of the season...in february...feels. 10-9...19-2. Guess who has the better record? ROLE REVERSAL TIME! The fact that you comment here only does us justice, because we were never given the time of day previously. Thanks for you interest in UT basketball too, because we love it!

GO VOLS!

Posted by tuckepk on February 3, 2008 at 6:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)

A win is a win is a win--especially in the SEC on the road. However, these guys have shown a scary penchant for coughing up very big leads. I thought with their depth, they would be extending leads late in the game. MSU was within a traveling violation of tying or going ahead. J. Smith's lack of discipline at the end could have been very costly. This team is very good--certainly by Tennessee standards--but lack of discipline and a killer instinct along with poor free throw shooting is likely to bite them before the end of the season.

Posted by why36knot on February 3, 2008 at 7:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Right , the other guy is Jerk Adams.

Posted by why36knot on February 3, 2008 at 7:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Right , the other guy is Jerk Adams.

Posted by eaglentn2002 on February 3, 2008 at 8:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)

What did you do with MY John Adams? This article is not his! It makes sense and is readable! I want those foolish articles that no one reads back.

Posted by Plasticman on February 3, 2008 at 8:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Pearl obviously has another fan. RHoades is a good player inside. I wish Chism/Crews would play like he does in the paint.

Posted by eb502us on February 3, 2008 at 9:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Chism definitely prefers playing on the perimeter as to down low because he has few if any post moves and is easily intimidated. When you have the "play scared" mindset, you rush shots as we've often seen him do underneath. He's frustrating to watch for me because he has ability, but he's soft and doesn't seem to want to mix it up inside other than a rare game or two. I prefer giving Brian Williams more time as at the rate he is growing and learning, he will end up being our main low post player next year.

Posted by alfrizzle097 on February 3, 2008 at 10:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Chism and Tyler hitting three's force's the other team to play some kind of perimeter zone. Just hope they don't throw it up on the cold nights too.

Posted by txvolsfan on February 3, 2008 at 10:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)

LISTEN UP RECRUITS!!!!!

When the opposing team is saying your coach is the man then that tells you what an AWESOME coach we have in Coach Pearl!!!
GO VOLS
COME TO SAN ANTONIO
I GOT MY TICKETS AND MY POPCORN(per TO)
TXVOLSFAN

Posted by johnlg00 on February 3, 2008 at 11:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree with the posters who are concerned about our tendency to give up big leads. In a way, it is a byproduct of our system, i.e., we get the big lead in the first place but then cool off enough to let the other team back in the game. They usually expend so much energy doing so that they can't complete the comeback. We help them by continuing to take shots with 20 seconds on the shot clock and then not making free throws consistently at the end, although we have been better at that lately. It is mostly a matter of making sure the better free throw shooters handle the ball in crunch time. Late-game management is arguably the primary remaining element of the game we need to master as we approach tournament time.

Posted by Cherokee on February 3, 2008 at 12:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)

johnlg00, I agree. I think the issue is that we have trouble reigning it in when we are up 15-16 with 7 or 8 minutes to play. It's one thing to keep doing what you are good at when you have a big lead with plenty of time to go, but it's another thing when you consistently give up double digit leads by continuing that style of play when the game is winding down and it would be smart to work the clock. The State game is not a good example because they just went nuts on their 3 point shooting in the final 4 minutes, but too many times I have seen us fly down the court with a 16 point lead and 6-7 minutes to play, and we'll throw up a long 3 with 25 seconds left on the shot clock. That's the kind of thing that drives you nuts. And while I know we are 19-2 and can't complain too much, the bottom line is once you get into the tourney, your record no longer matters and you need to be smart. We could have been 25-0 last year and it wouldn't have changed the fact that our lack of intelligent play against Ohio State cost us the Elite Eight.

Posted by thekerstfamily on February 3, 2008 at 1:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Some Vol fans drive me nuts. I've lived in several different areas, and until I moved to Knoxville, I thought Tampa had the biggest bunch of whiners in America. Boy was I wrong. You people take the cake!!!! When you lose, you whine because you didn't win, when you win, you whine because it wasn't by enough and they didn't win the right way. I am just dumbfounded at the was some of you try to nitpick everything to death! The team is 19-2 and is playing like they are one of the five best teams in the country, and here you are whining that they didn't put the game away. DID YOU WATCH THE GAME? MSU was hitting tough, CONTESTED threes to make that run, they also cranked their defense up a notch, yet we still hit some tough shots to keep that lead. They beat the second best team in the SEC on THEIR floor, and controlled all but the fist 4 minuets and the last 2 minuets of that game.

Another example of this unjustified whining is all the flack JuJan Smith took for the bad pass off the backboard. GET OVER IT!!! Had that been a pass over Loften's head in the corner instead of a bad pass off the backboard, nobody says a word, but some people just have to find that dark cloud inside the silver lining!

Here is some advise, enjoy your team, and let the man paid to run them worry about the flaws he sees. It seems to me he has done a decent job to this point. He took a team that 4 years ago wasn't a top 5 team in the SEC East, and made them top 5 in America. I trust him! If 19-2 doesn't make you happy coming from that, NOTHING WILL!!!!!!

Posted by tenndave on February 3, 2008 at 1:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

When another player says you have the best coach he is:
1. Fixing to be in his coaches dog house.
2. Buttering you up for over confidence since you will probably play again for higher stakes.
3. Overly talkative.

Pearl is he best coach, but if I were on the other team I wouldn't say that til the season is over.

Posted by pdhuff on February 3, 2008 at 1:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Lordy, don't forget about the Gators. Dangerous.

Posted by 63vet on February 3, 2008 at 2 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Welcome to Knoxville, thekerstfamily....this is how it is every day. Mostly they would turn out to be people whom have never been near a basketball uniform. Think this one's bad, check out the football blogs.

Posted by coach75 on February 3, 2008 at 2:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

i wonder if varnado and gordon had wished they had came to tennessee now. imagine the possibilities with those two. still i would take what we have all day long with bruce at the helm. you know if the delk brothers had not left state they would have 5 players from tennessee. gordon, varnado, stewart, and the delks, what a formidable group of players. how do they do so well in the state of tennessee recruiting? i agree with others though we have to have a stronger post presence than we do now for the tourney. i'd take rhodes or varnado anyday. sounds like rhodes would love to be here to. go vols, beat the stinky crocodiles and then off to beat the pussycats in west tennessee.

Posted by THE_VOL on February 3, 2008 at 2:11 p.m.

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

Posted by TurboFan on February 3, 2008 at 2:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Mr. or Mrs. Kerst, I would bet that if you found a website for the NE Patriots you would have quite a few naysayers, whiners, et al., complaining about this or that nit or imperfection. I've lived and visited a few different places too and every where every body complains about their sports teams inadequacies, their local government incompetencies, and how bad everybody else drives. It is human nature.

Posted by TurboFan on February 3, 2008 at 2:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

the_vol, carpet baggers come from the North not from Tampa. Second, that was rude.

Posted by volunteers4life on February 3, 2008 at 2:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

As a Memphis & Tenn fan the 23rd is a bigger day for me than the superbowl. I agree that tenn seems to have some defensive issues down the stretch, giving up leads. This is dangerous against the non-stop offense of Memphis. The good news is that there are thousands of volunteer fans here in the Memphis area that will surely be in attendance so maybe the environment won't be as inhospitable as Rupp. I never thought there would be a year when Memphis and Tennessee are ranked in the top 10!! I'll tell you, I have been pretty depressed about football lately but basketball has stepped up in a big way this year....
GO VOLS!

Posted by TommyJack on February 3, 2008 at 2:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

WD40: It WAS rude. But OTOH, Tampa is NOT exactly a southern city, except by geography.
Same with Atlanta.

Posted by mparker on February 3, 2008 at 2:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Hey, isn't kind of cool to read some good sportsmanship??? I get so damned tired of nothing being in the media except garbage.

From my old days of playing sports, nothing was more fun than playing a good opponent (and winning, of course :) ). The games that were the most fun were the ones with a 1-v-1 battle all game long. That seems to be what happened at MSU.

I'd like to see the guys play without refs, probably be a great (and better-called) game.

Posted by utmdm on February 3, 2008 at 3:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

This guy sounds like he could very easily be a Vol. All you other future recruits listen to this man's advice - BP is the man.

Posted by pdhuff on February 3, 2008 at 3:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

TJ 2:24 p.m.- Southern can only now be applied to towns, not cities -Atlanta-Miami-Charlotte-Orlando- etc.

Nawl Leans and Charleston go aginst this grain a bit.

My entire county (40 miles across) has 2 red lights. That's Southern. We had excitement yesterday. Neighbor's Belgian got out and stayed in the yard eating grass. Refused to go home. Owner couldn't make him. Gave him to another neighbor who finally led him off with a 2001 F-250. Even big boy couldn't resist that. That was a Southern event. Lab got to bark. A lot.

Good win, Vols. Beat Gators.

Posted by utchris2003 on February 3, 2008 at 3:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)

We have shot out way out of big leads earlier in this year, but I do not see last night in the same light. I think that last night was more due to the Miss. St. guards doing their best Chris Lofton imitation. The three that JaJuan took late in the game was a wide open look that he makes more often than not. If he makes that, then nobody is saying that it was a bad shot. Now Wayne shooting the three late in the gmae scares me a little more. I am fine with it when he he gets the wide open looks earlier in the game, but when things are tight, I would rather Chris or JaJuan have that look.

I think that this team has taken on a little more physicality since Duke came back. You can tell that he is still a little out of shape and a little rusty, but it is getting there. He is going to be a big asset down the stretch and in the post-season. Additionally, Williams seemed to be a lot more physical last night and looked more comfortable on the offensive. If he can step up along with Duke, we could become even more dangerous as we could grind it out or run you out of the gym.

Florida is really young. I hope TBA gets to rockin and we turn up the pressure!

Posted by cdldoc on February 3, 2008 at 3:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The_Vol, as someone who has been a vol fan since '58 - you STFU please, you overbearing loudmouth, sir.

To thekerstfamily, welcome to the site and rail against the perpetual whiners.

Posted by TurboFan on February 3, 2008 at 4:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Curious, pdhuff, where exactly do you draw the line of demarcation between town, burg, village, and city?

Posted by foreverorange on February 3, 2008 at 4:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The whining is getting ridiculous. Does anybody remember what TN men's basketball was like before BP? I do. I'm just loving it. They are always ready to play, no ball hoggers, no laziness, ALL discipline. Just waiting till Tues. Lets beat the S#%! out of them gators. GO VOLS.

Posted by johnlg00 on February 3, 2008 at 5:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)

utchris2003, I have already made my peace with the fact that these Vols don't do all the things that I might prefer in a given game situation. Still, the logic of the game dictates that there are, or should be, things that one doesn't even try to do, even if it results in a score. When a team has a lead with two minutes to go, the clock is your enemy as much as the other team. If you take a quick, low percentage shot, even if you score, you have given the other team that much more time to go down and score themselves. That could have been disastrous the way MSU was knocking down the threes at the end. Luckily for us, MSU missed a shot and had a turnover at the end that saved us from our mistake. I am glad we won the game, but it could easily have been different. I just hope our understanding of the game improves a bit by the time the tournaments roll around, WITHOUT of course losing the confidence and aggressiveness that have served us so well to this point.

Posted by Vol_Fan_4_Life_615 on February 3, 2008 at 5:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The game last night was a great game, between two very good to great basketball teams. C-Lof an company went to a place maybe 4 teams in America could win at and won. And that includes MSU in those 4. In sports its not about winning by 25 its about WINNING. Last time i checked we are on pace to win the most wins in school history. So why does everyone have to be so negative?

Coming down the stretch last night I saw 2 players( Gordon and Steward) who could have made 3's blind folded. There where a few open looks but the majority were very well defended. We as fans should not be worried about a couple bad mins of a game. They happen, and except for one time this season CBP and company have done whats needed for the win. And as a Tennessee fan thats all I care about. The W not the 25 point win.

Posted by icecream on February 4, 2008 at 11:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)

sure would be nice to have Rhodes

Posted by icecream on February 4, 2008 at 11:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)

BP is the best coach in the country. I've never seen anyone get more effort from a group than he does.

Posted by pearlific on February 5, 2008 at 5:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

UT 101 the GAYtors 77

Posted by budrhon on February 6, 2008 at 6:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Interesting for Rhodes to make this comment when his team has never played Memphis. Compared to comments by other teams that have faced both Memphis and UT. The Vols played a heck of game but to say they are better than Memphis when you haven't played against them seems odd. Wonder if his Coach is upset by his comments about Pearl? Kinda seemed like a slap in the face.

Posted by johnlg00 on February 7, 2008 at 10:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)

budrhon, guys in that area all know each other from high school, camps, AAU, playgrounds, etc. Even if MSU hasn't played Memphis, I'll bet Rhodes knows and has played against all their guys. He also knows all our guys from W.TN (Chism, Tyler, J.P.) so he has a valid basis to judge the two teams. I agree that Stansbury probably didn't take too kindly to the implied comparison!

Posted by budrhon on February 8, 2008 at 5:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Sorry John I can't buy that theory. Starkville is a bit further away from Memphis than say Oxford where Ole Miss is at. Knowing someone from a pick up game and playing against them in an actual game are two different things. Gonzaga players have a more objective view because they have played against both teams. Does this mean the Tigers will prevail against UT? We'll find out on the 23rd.