Posted by chrisw2967 on January 30, 2008 at 1 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I think it would be easier to just play the game and stop trying to make a highlight film.

Posted by mj54 on January 30, 2008 at 1:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Jujuan is such a good player, that there is no need for that stuff.

Like Coach Carter says, "when is just winning the game not enough?"

We could have possibly put our foot down right there and had a blowout. Got to use better sense because one game that might actually come back to hurt us.

Posted by Hunter on January 30, 2008 at 1:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I would have pulled him for the game. Then he wouldn't have made the big shots and we lose. Glad Bruce Pearl is coaching and not ole' Hunter here.....He still needs to run until he puts a crease in the shiny new Pratt Pavilion floor, though!

Posted by rbatten9 on January 30, 2008 at 1:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm all for nice dunks but I want the points to get the wins more so than the dunks.

You saw Alabama dunk all night long and what did it get them? A big fat L!

Posted by kbart4033 on January 30, 2008 at 2:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I have wondered why such a gifted athlete had to
walk-on. Empty-headed efforts such as that hotdog
play probably scared the bejeebers out of any serious,job-loving recruiters. From the neck down,
J. Smith and W. Chism are All-SEC material; from
the neck up, they are barely D-III athletes. Go
Vols!

Posted by bobo_the_vol on January 30, 2008 at 3:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I understand the want to make dunks like that.

Yea, it was a mistake but things happen. Bad alley-oop passes, missed layups, bad timing for a highlight reel. They happen and a player deserves to get punished for making it, certainly. Not because it is dumb to do it (we had a better angle to see the defender .. up in the stands) but because it's just bad fundamentals. He'll run for doing that but there's no reason to call for his head. 22 points, remember.

I can't help but think that if it was Chris Lofton who made this play then we wouldn't all be as upset over it.

It was a bad play but like Strange said he more than redeemed himself. Good Game, JJ.

Posted by nicksjuzunk on January 30, 2008 at 4:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Was it the safest play? Absolutely not.

But like it or not, it is now part of the game.

You can't discredit the emotional boost that a play like that does for your team and how demoralizing it is for the home crowd to see the visiting team throwin' down on their turf.

Unfortunately, it went the other way... which is the risk you take.

Posted by why36knot on January 30, 2008 at 6:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Yes it would be easier to win without the slam dunks and with out the other "hot dog" play but it wouldn't be near as much fun.
Besides no team makes all their shots whether they are lay ups or dunks or from any where else on the floor.
This was a BIG road win and puts us in the driver seat as far as wins and losses; home and away. It was the first time we had won there in 10 years. ENJOY IT and quit analyzing.

Posted by Chainsaw on January 30, 2008 at 7:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"The crowd groaned, expecting him to throw down a dunk to make it 21-19"

Uhhh...wouldn't that have been 21-12?

Posted by goeltzd on January 30, 2008 at 7:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

A new Smith - Meadowlark

Posted by Chainsaw on January 30, 2008 at 7:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)

So he blew one play...the guy works his butt off the entire time he's on the floor, especially on D, and is great fun to watch. Keep on doing what ya do JaJuan!

Posted by jdcdjc on January 30, 2008 at 7:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Dunking is nothing but show boating. It does not take tallent to dunk, just hight. I, personally, wish they would take dunking out of the game. I would rather see a pure shot anytime. Glad we won. Go Vols. Now go get Miss St.

Posted by Plasticman on January 30, 2008 at 7:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I see a lack of discipline in that play that would have posters on here screaming at Fulmer if a Football player had held the ball over his head and fumbled before getting into the end zone. THis team has talent to be a Final 4 team, but the lack of discipline and poor FT shooting will prevent them from accomplishing that feat unless they correct this as well as improve on post defense and transition defense.

Posted by foreverorange on January 30, 2008 at 8:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree that it was a real idiotic play, especially when AL took it down court to hit a three, but I think j. smith redeemed himself later by sinking multiple three's to save our arse. Maybe what we should be bellyaching about is the fact that nobody boxed out to get a defensive rebound the entire second half, or the fact that our press does nothing but hurt us against better teams.

Posted by wvuvolfan on January 30, 2008 at 8:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I love watching JJ, but it seems he is good for one bonehead play per game. Fortunately he makes up for that with hustle, defense and his shooting touch. I'm sure BP spoke with him after the game. JJ provides too much leadership and big time plays to be pulled for a momentary loss of concentration.

Posted by jawbreaker on January 30, 2008 at 8:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"I thought I'd get a little highlight, but I might make it the opposite way." When that sort of thing is on one's mind after a steal and during the drive for the opponent's basket, perhaps one is thinking too much!

Posted by auttat on January 30, 2008 at 8:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)

You tell 'em jdcdjc! Nothing gets the fans more fired up than 15' jump shot. WOOHOO!!

You know who says dunking doesn't take talent? A 5'10" white guy with a beer belly.

Posted by bhjohnso on January 30, 2008 at 8:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)

My philosophy on plays like that...do whatever you want, just don't screw it up, or you might find yourself sitting beside me for awhile. There's no doubt that a play like that can give you a momentum swing, so I don't object to it on principle. Usually, though, in a game like that, just get the points. I don't think a successful completion of that play would've led to a blowout, there were several points during that game where it looked like UT might run out to a big lead, but Alabama wasn't having any of that.

Posted by Alphafemale on January 30, 2008 at 8:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I loved our starting 5 last night. I think Pearl has finally found the winning combo. It's too bad some of them found themselves in foul trouble. They just seem to click better than some of the other combinations that have been tried.

I loved the ESPN coverage last night. When JuJuan nailed that 3 and they showed Coach Gottfried's reaction (no disrespect to him), It was awesome.

Speaking of C. Gottfried, why was he wearing Kentucky Blue blue suit when everyone in the building was wearing white and crimson? Just a weird observation...

Posted by TurboFan on January 30, 2008 at 8:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Brain fart! Brain farts by each of the Smiths at times trying to get to fancy with dribbling or passing. BTW, Jujuan, by the replay I saw, you didn't look behind you and your "boy" was wearing a white jersey. Tyler wasn't even close.

Posted by jonathan81254 on January 30, 2008 at 8:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Man, I love to watch this team and this coach. That record Pearl has for finishing when he has a lead at the half or however many minutes left in the game is well earned; only a couple of times in the last three years has someone successfully come back on them -- Ky last week, OSU last year. Can't believe the talent, the great coaching, the team attitude. Of course, with the ups and downs of the game and the history of Coleman to overcome, this was a very exciting game to watch, but I've noticed that because of their great effort, this team is always fun to watch no matter what because of how they play. I'd take it and enjoy it if they stalled for 35 minutes if they won, but this team is just fun to watch. There are no dull spots in their games. Winning plus fun to watch plus guys enjoying playing with each other -- what a great combo!

Posted by ge446 on January 30, 2008 at 9:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Like many of the turnovers UT committed last night, this was poor judgement. Lofton would have never made the attempt to pass the ball. JuJuan and Chism are not mental cases as one poster wants to assert. They are the type of kids who love to play this game and the type of players that it will take to get to the biggest stage. Chism needs only to give the effort that JuJuan gives to allow us to see his best. He is making progress....

Posted by murrayvol on January 30, 2008 at 9:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Nothing is quite as exciting as winning. We don't have to guess how JuJuan (and the rest of us) would feel if the final had been, oh, something like Bama 91 Vols 90. That'll be a teachable moment in the film room.

Posted by tigervol9802 on January 30, 2008 at 9:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Smith trying to show out......Chism taking a three in a close game down the stretch.....it's going to cost us in the Dance, book it.

Posted by Chainsaw on January 30, 2008 at 9:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"You know who says dunking doesn't take talent? A 5'10" white guy with a beer belly."

Exactly. Check out the ESPN recap and watch the flying dunk the kid from 'bama threw down. Pure poetry, that one was.

Posted by rbhobbs73 on January 30, 2008 at 9:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)

It turns out Coach Pearl is smarter than we are...not that that is news to anyone...BUT..I was also yelling at the TV for Pearl to get out of his press when Alabubba was throwing over the top of it, but then Dykes (who does a very good job commentating by the way) said that "Coach Pearl goes with his gut when it comes to the press, so something is telling him to leave it on...so we will have to see how this plays out"...

Well, CBP stuck with it and we got our final push when Alabubba had a flurry of turnovers which led to a layup and a Lofton 3-ball with about 3 minutes to go...and the Tide was playing catch up the rest of the way. This flurry happened along the sideline near the benches after 2 consecutive made baskets...I think CBP knew Bama was not very deep and kept the press on to wear them out. I think it worked too, b/c Hendrix was not a factor the last 5 minutes, and he started fouling...HE WAS TIRED!

Bruce you are the MAN!!

Go Vols!!!!

I have to go against Will Ferrell on Saturday...I want LESS COWBELL!

Posted by imw8n4u on January 30, 2008 at 9:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Agree chainsaw - that 'Bama kid could literally fly. There was a stretch where he must have dunked 5 or 6 times in a row. Luckily we were draining 3's or else the tone this morning would be markedly different.

Posted by johnlg00 on January 30, 2008 at 9:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)

We definitely have to take the good with the bad with JaJuan! Every game, he makes one or two plays that make me yell "WTF?!?!"--with both good and bad results. At one point last night, Jimmy Dykes said, "Tennessee leads the nation in 'NO, NO, NO...good shot!' plays." FWIW, I told some of the more cockeyed optimists that this would be a tougher game for us than some of you realized. After years of no one else worrying about us, we are now the ones with the targets on our backs, drawing everyone else's best efforts. Luckily, this "target" can shoot back! Now we will have to be even sharper and more intense to win on Saturday. BTW, Chism really seems to be trying to get after it more inside. I guess, though, just as with JaJuan, we have to accept him taking the occasional 3-pointer with 20 seconds on the shot clock, if we also get a decent effort defensively and on the boards.

Posted by Bristol on January 30, 2008 at 9:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)

We love to watch you play, JJ, missed dunk and all, you definitely made up for it in the end. Your fan from the Atl. airport.... GO VOLS - great win!

Posted by Gustoly on January 30, 2008 at 9:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Every time I make a statement about how the Vols or a certain player is playing, they always make me look like I've never seen a game. This team will not shock me with anything they do anymore. I'll just watch from now on and keep my thoughts to myself. GO VOLS !!!
I'll hang up and listen.

Posted by AlpharettaVol on January 30, 2008 at 9:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

When JuJuan almost blew the SC game last year with this kind of showboating, it was a mistake of judgement. Now that he has done it again I think it falls into the category of becoming a habit. There is a limit to how much leeway you can give a player. When it starts to hurt the team (and it did last night) you have to put your foot down and tell the player "Stop it!" Having said that, I was once again pleased and proud with the way they (JuJuan included) hung in there on a hostile floor and put the game away at the end.

P.S. Thank goodness Tyler Smith and Chris can shoot FTs.

Posted by fortandrews on January 30, 2008 at 10:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)

SHOWBOAT. What else can you call it. What about THE TEAM. Don't tell me he wouldn't have done it down the strech. Life is real, get use to it.

Posted by DSaVol on January 30, 2008 at 10:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)

It's a shame that in a game of tremendous effort from both sides, many key moments and numerous GREAT plays, one stupid writer can only find this one stupid play to write about. Was this one really any more stupid though than the half-court lob pass Ramar threw to Tyler???? No. Actually Ramar's was probably dumber with the only difference being it worked. If you don't like this stuff then you need to find another team cause Pearl allows it and it is sure to continue - along with a whole bunch of W's.!

Posted by JAJUAN on January 30, 2008 at 10:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I never claimed to be the smartest, just the realest.

Posted by AlpharettaVol on January 30, 2008 at 10:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)

DSaVol -- the difference is that with JaJuan' play we had a an absolute lock two points that he gave away for a chance to get on Sportscenter. While the Ramar pass was also not very smart, Ramar was not under the basket with a room service basket in his pocket.

Posted by wewhite on January 30, 2008 at 10:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Before Pearl, this kind of thing would be de rigeur. Before Pearl, we had five prima donas out there trying to look like they were a basketball team; the only thing they had in common was the color of the uniform. Teamwork is something that Tennessee has waited a long time for, and Bruce has got some of the best talent in the country playing smart, like they were five walk-ons trying to earn starting spots. I can forgive the occasional individual indiscretion, especially when they're blasting 75% from beyond the line.

Posted by QCVol on January 30, 2008 at 10:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I've been reading this site for years and couldn't help but finally post after reading a couple of these idiot's comments as usual.....First of all, Major props to Bruce Pearl....The only reason TN basketball is having the success that it is, is because of HIM. He has these guys playing like I've never witnessed any coach do before. My goodness man, they play HARD for 40 minutes!!! BUT, the reason why is because Bruce Pearl "gets it". He lets his guys "Play Basketball" and all he does is coach the hell outta them and gets them to use their God given talent to the fullest. Look at how confident he has made these players!!! He knows that guys will go hard for him no matter what because He cares about them and he lets them play basketball the way that they grew up playing it and do the things that come "natural" to them. I have NEVER seen a team Hustle as hard as they do for 40 minutes and bust their asses up and down the court with no regards for their own personal bodies. I am just super impressed with how hard they play! NOW getting to my point. SO #@$@#'n WHAT if they miss a dunk or do a showboat play that doesnt work once or twice....that my friends' is basketball in its rawest form, and that is what happens when you are out there playing hard and having fun doing it...These guys play that way because BRUCE has instilled in them to go hard but play Ball and Have fun doin it! I can guarantee you that as long as they are busting their asses on defense, BRUCE is gonna let them do their thing because in a sense, that is their reward on court. If a guy screws up a play, BRUCE doesnt have to bench them because that player knows that he has to make up for it. These guys want to win for Bruce and for TN and it is so refreshing to see some real basketball excitement being played right now! I've watched all the previous teams as a kid from Tony White on up to Tony Harris and I tell you...If BP would've been coach all those years, TN woulda had at least 4 National Championships with the talent that TN has had. Bruce is not gonna listen to all you old boring, slow style basketball loving squares....Bruce is play organized street ball and run the shoes off the competition.....think about this, we are winning with less talent than a lot of teams...some of you think these players are really talented, but I can promise you, we've got some average talented guys....BRUCE has just built up their confidence and has them playing out of their bodies! TN will get better atheletes in future recrutitng classes because the guys going to the NC's and Kansas's will see that BRUCE will let them play....and last thing....he has them playing TEAM ball but still being able to be individualistic...that comes from how he has built a team atmosphere and these guys care for each other as well.....TN will probabaly win a National Championships in the next 3 years

Posted by Orangeblood13 on January 30, 2008 at 10:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)

BUll%$#% Just another dig from Adams and Strange. How bout this, write something positive, write about our big win where we normaly don't win. How bout Lofton finaly shooting like we all knew he would, how bout our record, how bout something worth reading! Our press coverage from our sports writers sucks. So what, the guys are having fun, playing really well and after all they are kids, it will happen many more times. Gimmie a break Strange, write something worth reading jerk.

Posted by tigervol9802 on January 30, 2008 at 10:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)

QC -

And we won't win a national title as long as he doesn't reign them in some.

Sounds very familiar. A coach on the other side of the mountains by the name of Coach K adheres to a similar philosohpy...except when they screw up showing out they get punished.

Posted by TommyJack on January 30, 2008 at 11:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Speaking of speaking of Coach Gottfried. How in the world is that team 1-5 in the conference??
Doesn't look to me like he gets the most bang for the buck.

Posted by IntheBlimpalot on January 30, 2008 at 11:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)

you rednecks are something else. Funny. I mean really entertaining. I love the showboating. KEPP IT UP JAJUAN!!!

Posted by pms151 on January 30, 2008 at 11:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

QCCol,
Ditto.

Posted by johnlg00 on January 30, 2008 at 11:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)

QCVol, good post! CBP said on the post-game radio show that he wanted to slow them down a little bit in the first half on offense, but they were playing so hard on defense that it was hard for them to throttle down on offense. A great coach once said that it was better to have to slow down a thoroughbred than to whip a mule. This is a bunch of guys who clearly love to play for him and with each other. That is a LOT better than what we suffered through during the Houston/O'Neill/Green/Peterson years. These are great days and the best is yet to come! Still(said the old white guy), I hope they take care of the ball better Saturday against MSU.

Posted by TommyJack on January 30, 2008 at 11:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Look, the occasional "bonehead" shot, pass, etc. is just part of the CBP package. He can't ask these talented yoots to play conservative on the offensive end, and press like the devil on the other. It's like controlled street ball WITH defense. Tough balance, but no one does it better than BP. Suffer thru a few stupid alley-oops. The final product is worth it.

Posted by Chainsaw on January 30, 2008 at 11:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Good points all around, QCVol.

Posted by ggriggs939 on January 30, 2008 at 1:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Those who look for perfection should watch the Pros instead of college ball. But then there is no fun in watching a choreographed performance unless you're watching a dance routine. Our TEAM is a talented group of players whom the coach allows to play basketball. He knows the importance of allowing them to work together as a team and that there will be errors made. We learn from errors, not from doing everything correctly each time.
Coach Bill Pace told about his high school days in Oklahoma when he played baseball. His team had two great hitters; one of whom was batting something like .785 and the other about .450. The better hitter had a quirk in his swing that was just not acceptable to the coaching staff so they worked with him to correct it. With his improved swing taught by the staff, his batting average went to about .225. The .450 hitter was Mickey Mantle.

Posted by QCVol on January 30, 2008 at 1:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Thanks for the props but man it really is the truth...I just had to post on here to help defend this style of play because if you guys ALL support Bruce and this team, the sky is gonna be the limit. You gotta remember that its not gonna be a perfect group, but nit picking everything little thing and coming off negative, will only divide us. ESPECIALLY puttin it in the paper!!! Yeah, the boys are gonna screw up, BUT Bruce has a handle on things and it is EVIDENT! STOP dwelling on the negative stuff. Here's a little insight on my background...I was born and raised in Knoxville so I know all about how it is at home from the issues of race to the issues of things to do at night LOL.... I had to move away to NC after college just to find a decent paying job that wasnt being grandfathered to some less deserving daddy's boy.. (and some decent night life LOL)....but when I was kid, B-ball was my thing and I ended up getting to spend lots of time wit Tony White and Elvin Brown...they ended up taking me under their wing due to basketball and it sparked my fire for TN B-Ball... since then, TN BB has always been my #1 with FB #2,....That was back in the 80's when Devoe was the coach and that was a hellava team! (Remeber the nasty center wit the jerry curl LOL can't remember his name, but he was nasty.. Not Doug Roth but the black dude!!) Devoe was a pretty good coach and the team had potential, but the coach himself held them back....In the 90's, I played summer league wit A. Houston, L. Golden, E. Gray, and those guys....That was also a hellava team, but the coaching was AW-FUL and the discipline non-existant, but those guys were really good guys actually....Then came green wit Harris, Victor, Yarbrough, Black...damn..(reminiscing)...those dudes could straight out Ball and they were also good young men despite what you may have read in the paper about them (KNS always hypes up sh$# making our own teams look bad)....and they shoulda won a NC as well...the problem wit that team was...COACHING.&.DISCIPLINE as well. I know, some of ya'll saying that is exactly whats gonna happen wit BP's teams, but I dont see that happing at all....you can just tell that is not going to be an issue wit Bruce Pearl... just from watching him on the sidelines.....He gets in their butts but then he also positively reinforces them (Imagine what he says/does to them behind the scenes!!!LOLOL).....Hell, he makes me wanna jump through the screen and throw a pick on somebody! Just glad to see TN BB back again...Please dont hate on them...APPRECIATE them and support em' ESPECIALLY the damn paper!!! sorry for the long post, I'm just hype about TN BB again and blown away at how hard they play! and pissed at idiots who dont see the full picture and spout off at the mouth!

Posted by icecream on January 30, 2008 at 1:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

give the kid some credit he plays with a little flair and he's unselfish. He was man enough to take it right back at them in the second half. Thats what we have, guys with confidence who wont quit.

Posted by Fred08 on January 30, 2008 at 2:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I was playing ball one time and got a steal like Jajuan had. I made it to the goal only to lay it up in the same manner and have it bounce off the backboard the same way it did last night...

...I don't think that he was trying to showboat, I think he was just trying to lay it up, and gave it too much mustard...just like I did. Now he is just trying to cover it up, because he is too embarrased to say that he missed an easy layup.

It was a well played game by the Vols, overall. I was extremely impressed with the rebounding. We made free throws when necessary and nailed the coffin shut with the three ball at the end of the game. Better decisions could have been made to avoid all those turnovers, but that's part of fast-paced college ball. I love it.

Posted by fortandrews on January 30, 2008 at 5:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)

QCVOL "use their God given talent". Do you really believe God cares about "their BB talent". God doesn't give one person BB talent and the others nothing - give us a break about God and sports. "They" "win for Bruce and TN" - hog wash they play for themselves and hope some pro scout is watching. Most care less about TN just let me get out before "graduation" which most never see.
Fred08 where did you get the idea he was going just for a "lay up". Let not forget sports in college is a BUSINESS.

Posted by pdhuff on January 30, 2008 at 5:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Beat MSU.

Posted by seviervol72 on January 30, 2008 at 7:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)

QCVOL you make some excellent points BP coaches these guys up and they are playing hard and that is awesome. I remember all the teams in the 80's and wish they would of had BP. No offense to Devoe who was a good coach in his own right. I'm like you, people need to get off the negative vibe and enjoy the ride, when was the last time we were this hype about UT BB. Our guys in 2000 were fun and before that it would have to be elvin, dyron, and roth and that is to much time in between. I also agree that there is god given ability or should i say being blessed with certain attributes such as ht, quickness, hops and strength. The rest is skills that are perfected thru hard work and practice. These guys have a coach who has their back and they lay it on the line and mistakes are going to happen. The important thing for juan is to learn the lesson and you can bet your ass that BP will not let this ride, but it will be behind closed doors and kept witin the family. BP would not try to destroy a players confidence. Look at what he has done for childress and howell when they arrived i was a little concerned, but now they are legit sec players and i am as confident in them as anyone else we have and that is a credit to pearl and the last coach i can remember who could do that was o'neill who developed guy's like arron green and steve hammer. QC i'm like you this is a great time to be a vol fan, i appreciate your pride and i hope we will be dancing the last dance of the NCAA's! GO VOLS!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by Plasticman on January 30, 2008 at 9:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

QC and Seviervol, you guys made me think about this and I have grown up watching TN BB back to the Ernie and Bernie days. TN fans were as excited about UT BB back then as they are today . I went to see TN play UCLA in 1976(?) at the Omni in Atlanta and there were 12,000 TN fans in that arena in Atlanta. It was awesome. Bruce P. has brought that type of excitement back to UT BB 30 years later. We need to relish every moment becuase I would hate to see it gone and we have to wait another 30 years! THis team is as exciting to watch as any team in the country right now. Let's enjoy it the ride!!

Posted by jevolball7 on January 30, 2008 at 10:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)

QC: Absolutely perfect,spot on!! Lot's of these geeks would like to see the granny style shot back. They sit in the blue hair sections and sleep. BP is wayyyyyy over their heads. SAD.

Posted by jemcrynlds on January 31, 2008 at 8:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)

QC: Thanks for your post!

Sometimes, I think a lot of the ignorant UT men's hoops fans, who are primarily football fans, would prefer a return to the style of Don Devoe type robot ball: keep a tight leash on the players and reign them in!

Bonehead plays and all, I'll take Pearl and his 75% winning record at UT (64-21) and 78% winning record overall (381-105). Maybe, just maybe Pearl has a better handle on how to get our team to win than do some of the many coaching wannabes on this board.

Posted by seviervol72 on January 31, 2008 at 8:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Plasticman, you are one of the lucky ones to witness the glory days.I was born in 72 and didn,t really begin to watch until the 79-80 season. I was @ the UK game last yr. when they retired the KINGS #53!!! It was awesome and emotional, they showed alot of that old footage of the ernie and bernie show. I had goose bumps all over when the KING spoke about Stu Aberdean and they introduced Ray Mears. Hell i shed a tear and i never got to witness it. Hopefully, BP can create those kind of memories and i think he is definately on the right track and i can't wait to see how this yr unfolds. Thanks Plasticman and go VOLS!!!

Posted by BillVol on January 31, 2008 at 11:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Pearl should ban completely passes off the backboard. Alley-oops not off the backboard should be allowed only when wide open. As we get into the NCAA playoffs, every play matters and we cannot be fooling around like this.

Posted by 98reax on February 1, 2008 at 11:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm taking a poll. How many of us posters are D1 Top 10 caliber BB coaches?
Aren't we so full of ourselves? I think the Vols are fun to watch, and I'm thanking Coach Pearl for making that happen. In all my years of watching I have never seen our team so disciplined as these are. Can they improve? What a dumb question. Can we beat NC, UCLA, Duke, Memphis? We'll see. I think we can make an exciting game of it. It's February, Baby. Let's kick some butt!

Posted by gruntworks on February 1, 2008 at 7:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Guess he was trying to be like MR. DORSEY!
Why don't you vols leave the highlights to the tigers!?