Posted by skroutyboy on March 23, 2008 at 9:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Mr. Griffith, your second sentence states there were no second half points from JaJuan or Lofton, then you mention the free throws JaJuan hit in overtime. Overtime occurs in the second half.

Posted by jpbryson on March 23, 2008 at 9:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

If we don't play better against Louisville, we won't be in Charlotte very long.

Posted by beachvol1 on March 23, 2008 at 9:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Great win, but better cut down on the turnovers and get a little more production out of the shooting guards, or it's lights out....Louisville is just as athletic as the Vols are....nice to make it to the 16 again!!!!!!

Posted by rabidvol1998 on March 23, 2008 at 9:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)

skroutyboy - overtime is overtime, not the second half. Don't pick nits, we're in the Sweeeeeeet 16.

Imagine how we would have done had Lofton or JuJuan hit a 3 during the second half. Defense wins championships and so does unselfish teamwork.

Hope the next refs don't call such a tight game. I thought it was called fair, but too tight.

Posted by rabidvol1998 on March 23, 2008 at 9:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

skroutyboy - overtime is overtime, not the second half. Don't pick nits, we're in the Sweeeeeeet 16.

Imagine how we would have done had Lofton or JuJuan hit a 3 during the second half. Defense wins championships and so does unselfish teamwork.

Hope the next refs don't call such a tight game. I thought it was called fair, but too tight.

Posted by invisiblekid on March 23, 2008 at 9:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The turnovers by Prince were ugly but I think the move by Pearl has to be considered a success. I am of the opinion that Green and Graves don't go a combined 10-35 from the floor with Howell guarding them for 20 minutes. I don't think Howell makes the block at the end of regulation to get it to overtime, it was obvious that Prince's size bothered them.

With the roll that Lousiville is on and the way they dismantled OK, it will take a much better effort from the Vols than we have seen lately to go any further. It's time for a big game from Lofton and more focus across the board from everyone else.

Posted by skroutyboy on March 23, 2008 at 9:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)

And rabid, I disagree--second half is second half. But, I did get your message the first time.

Posted by nafslov on March 23, 2008 at 9:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Tennesse had 5 players on the floor against Butler's 8 ( 5 players and 3 refs) What a joke this game was ! Go Vols !

Posted by anthony on March 23, 2008 at 9:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

come on beachvol, give it a rest, can't you think of something better to say than that? Great victory, something we all wanted , celebrate it today.

Posted by mparker on March 23, 2008 at 9:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

okay, I see the naysayers are out....

I posted this on anohter board, but here goes:
against Butler, Chris and Jajuan needed to focus on defending the 3. They did so. When they defend the 3, it hurts THEIR shooting.

When that happens, wayne and Tyler have to step up.

Posted by mparker on March 23, 2008 at 9:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

About UL;
UL will need to be Jajuan and Chris doing their thing. Should be LOTS of up and down, two very deep teams.

I'm not buying that we can't win. Even against UNC. We might not, but I keep saying this and it is true: the UT Vols men are a tough bunch.

Posted by mparker on March 23, 2008 at 9:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

About UL;
UL will need to be Jajuan and Chris doing their thing. Should be LOTS of up and down, two very deep teams.

I'm not buying that we can't win. Even against UNC. We might not, but I keep saying this and it is true: the UT Vols men are a tough bunch.

Posted by rabidvol1998 on March 23, 2008 at 9:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)

skrouty - I must have double-clutched. Isn't it great to be argueing over the definition of second half instead of whether TN men will ever have a good basketball team?

Posted by eduardo on March 23, 2008 at 10:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Louisville is in the same predicament we are with questionabel point guard play. Pilino's not to enthralled with Sosa. If they want to run look out for a big Vol win. Got to get that energy level back up to play on Sat. against Uncle roy's bunch.

Posted by eduardo on March 23, 2008 at 10:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

WE OWE U OF L, BIG TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by tigervol9802 on March 23, 2008 at 10:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)

According to ESPN.com, tip off Thursday night at 9:57 EST.

Hope my bosses don't expect productivity Friday.....

Posted by pearlific on March 23, 2008 at 10:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

CAN I GET A POSTER MADE OF TYLER'S CRAZY BLOCK IN OVERTIME?

Posted by Razzle on March 23, 2008 at 10:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I know alot of the 'experts' are going to be picking Louisville to beat UT. Hope this translates into us being the underdog.

Posted by yabadabadoo1026 on March 23, 2008 at 10:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Ok nafslov you whined that whine in the other thread, we heard you the first time and you just cant stand that few others are on board with you on that---we had 1 less foul than they did so find something else to cry about

Posted by Madkels on March 23, 2008 at 10:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)

WOW! This is going to be fun. Already getting calls for bets from relatives in Louisville. I'm taking the Vols to step it up and meet UNC on Saturday. Great game guys. This team rises to the occassion when ask to. When one is off his game a little, someone else steps it up. See y'all in Charlotte!

Posted by splinterdand on March 23, 2008 at 10:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

mparker, please explain how Chris and JuJuan defending the 3 hurts their shooting.

Posted by Madkels on March 23, 2008 at 10:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Lady Vols on ESPN 2 and putting a woopin' on ORU at halftine 48-34.

Posted by pupvol on March 23, 2008 at 10:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)

how do other teams best shooters get open alot and ours can"t shake loose at all? is the flex offense any good or are our guards too slow to get around screens on offense and defense?

Posted by huntined on March 23, 2008 at 10:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

LADY VOLS DON'T HAVE A PLAYER THAT CAN DRIVE TO THE BASKET

Posted by IPOrange on March 23, 2008 at 10:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Gotta go with rabid on this one - overtime in basketball is not part of the 2nd half any more than overtime in baseball is part of the 9th inning.

Anyway, half time is over and the Lady Vols are back on... gotta run.

Posted by huntined on March 23, 2008 at 11:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)

NO WAY NAME ME ONE THAT DRIVES TO BASKET FOR A LAY-UP

Posted by splinterdand on March 23, 2008 at 11:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Candace Parker can't drive to the basket?

Posted by smokey101 on March 23, 2008 at 11:13 p.m.

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

Posted by utchris2003 on March 23, 2008 at 11:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Chris hit a 3 pointer with about 3 mins to go in the 2nd half...that would constitute 2nd half points.

Posted by huntined on March 23, 2008 at 11:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Parker does from short-in but seldom from the key--guards start but pass the ball. I am talking about a player that takes the ball drives thru 2-3 players and makes a lay-up...seldom takes place

Posted by tripper on March 23, 2008 at 11:38 p.m.

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

Posted by vol4good on March 23, 2008 at 11:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)

WHOO HOO!! Sweet Sixteen! Man I believe I can fly right now. I dont see anything wrong, and I dont give a crap what anyone that does see anything wrong says--To be able to say that TENNESSEE, my School is the last of the SEC schools standing, and has a chance to whoop up on Ricckkkkeyy!! Well that makes my freaking day. Keep playing hard fellas and oh, just score one more point than loooseville.
GO VOLS!!!

Posted by IPOrange on March 24, 2008 at midnight (Suggest removal)

Don't be shy, tripper. Say what's on your mind. LOL!

Posted by bamacheats on March 24, 2008 at 12:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

J.P. starting his first game ever in college, at the point, to get to the sweet 16! I'm glad Bruce doesn't believe in that "stay the course" nonsense!

Posted by yemmusdarb on March 24, 2008 at 12:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

skroutyboy: No, overtime is an extra period. If it were part of the "second half" as you said, that isn't exactly "half" now is it? 20 minutes / 25 minutes.... just thought I'd clue you in on that.

Great win fellas, but I just don't see us getting by Louisville if we play like we did today. We were pretty sloppy and this whole lineup change in the tourney SEEMS like a great idea, but JP just hasn't had enough work at PG to be efficient against much better defensive teams down the road (Louisville is an excellent defensive team, NC not so much, Kansas would kill us more than likely if we made it to the Final Four).

GO VOLS!!!!

Posted by mparker on March 24, 2008 at 12:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)

splinter, sorry I was away from the PC.

IMHO, when Chris and Jajuan have to go balls to the wall guarding the other team's shooters, they wear out and don't have their legs under them.

That was even written about Chris in the American game. It seems to me what CBP is trying to do is use UT's inside play against these teams like American and Butler.

Against UL and UNC (should we get their), I think those teams will be more 'straight up'. They'll trap, press, and dare Chris and Jajuan to shoot.

I know if I wanted to beat UT, I would clog the middle on Wayne and Tyler, and make Chris and Jajuan win it from 3-point range.

Posted by mparker on March 24, 2008 at 12:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Talk about a team getting screwed, MSU got screwed today. That thug Dorsey was simply lowering his shoulder against MSU's inide guys...

I really hoped MSU would pull it out, but it seemed like every scramble or carom went to Memphis. I loved the announcers saying it was a 'measure of revenge' since MSU is an SEC team.

I'm getting pretty sick of that Memphis bunch, tho I do think Willie Kemp and Rose are both good players.

Posted by mparker on March 24, 2008 at 12:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)

ball-busters:
Wisconsin, Wash State, Stanford. Those teams will just bang the crap out of you on every play.

The sweet-16 has some interesting matchups, it's just too damn bad UT has to play a final four team all the way from Butler to the, well, real final four.

Posted by mparker on March 24, 2008 at 12:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Finally, this:
I think the first two games UT played 'not to lose'.

The next 2, they go in with 'let's win'. I really, really do expect to see Chris and Jajuan taking a LOT of shots. Hopefully Tyler and Wayne can be patient.

Posted by mparker on March 24, 2008 at 1:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)

okay, the real 'finally'.

You guys near K-town can buy wayne a beer when he's old enough. He's done some great things this year.

You know, poetic justice would be him outplaying psycho-T, wouldn't it???

Posted by BillVol on March 24, 2008 at 1:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)

kimzy, please, no.

Posted by overatedvols on March 24, 2008 at 3:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Hey can somebody help me out? I"m trying to find when the teams from the SEC will be playing in round 3. I'm having some trouble. I haven't been able to find any other than Tenn. There were six and so i'm puzzled. Does anyone know when the other teams are playing? I just can't find their games listed anywhere. As I was searching someone joked and said maybe all the others lost and I said no way, these are sec teams. They are so much better than c-usa teams. Maybe 1 would lose and who knows..maybe even two, but 5 no way. That would mean the teams weren't any good, that the SEC was overrated. So, anyway, if someone call tell me when the other SEC teams will be playing.

Oh also I was asked many times, how many c-usa teams made it into the tourney? Well, now i can say there are as many c-usa teams in the tournament as their are sec teams.

Posted by john on March 24, 2008 at 4:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)

OK overatedposter, I posted this on another thread but since you are an idiot I'll post it for you again. And by the way, the other Conf USA teams packed their basketballs away last week!

Observations:
The CBS coverage sucks, especially if you are outside of TN, hope it is better in state; wish ESPN had it.
The SEC has gotten no respect in this draw. Most new GA was a fluke and not going to keep up the "Atlanta windfall". KY deserved to be in the tourney but losing their best player late in the regular season doomed them in the tourney. Seeding screwed Ark and Miss. St. and while Ark. was outclassed, State almost took out a #1 seed.
Tenn. had by far the toughest draw of any of the top teams. So except for Vandy wetting the bed, the SEC's performance under the circumstances is about as expected. Hopefully what doesn't kill us will make us stronger!
This is why BP politics for UT & the SEC in his comments, hoping to avoid this kind of screwing; but in the end you just have to win to get the respect you deserve.
IMO UNC, Memphis, TX, and TN. are the best teams left in the tourney. Unfortunately only two will go to San Antone.
Good luck and GO VOLS, get to Charlotte and sprinkle some orange in amongst all the powder blue, I'm going to try to make it from VA.

Posted by wjackson on March 24, 2008 at 6:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Hey overatedvols. The key phrase even you mentioned is made it to the dance. ONLY 1 from CRAPPYUSA even made it to the dance and that is only because you play nobody during the regular season to test you. Oh yeah you did play one good team. AND YOU LOST FOOL!!! AT HOME TO WHO???? yeah boy, TENNESSEE. So until you losers beat tennessee. your comments are that of some stupid inbread from memphis. Now go back to bed. Your momma misses you.

Posted by hippie60 on March 24, 2008 at 7:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Why are all the good teams in the East? Good going NCAA selection committee.

Posted by schymtz on March 24, 2008 at 7:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)

UT has not yet beaten UofL in this century and only once in the last half of the last century. That needs to change! That will change! UT has never been a ranked team when going up against Louisville. This is Pitino, remember him? I like Louisville, but not this weekend in Charlotte. Tough opponent:athletic, fast, disciplined, focused-strong inside and out- but not unbeatable. Their best game is behind them. GO VOLS! Yesterday's game was hopeful for the Vols. The team played with a spark that's been missing since the Memphis game, but their best game is yet to be! Beat 'em , Vols! Beat 'em, beat 'em, BEAT 'EM BAD!

Posted by VolJunkie on March 24, 2008 at 8 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I like our chances against UL. Similar style of play, it will be good to see UT in a fast-paced game, score probably somewhere in the 80s.

IMO, JP did a great job at the point yesterday. Couple of mistakes at the end but he brought tremendous energy to the point guard position, rebounding numbers second only to Tyler. Classy move by CBP to take the blame for the last UT possession in regulation that resulted in the traveling violation.

Lastly, Wayne Chism has played inspired ball the past couple of games. I would like nothing more than to see him match up against Psycho-T, but let's get past UL first.

Go VOLS!!!

Posted by jeffersongavol on March 24, 2008 at 8 a.m. (Suggest removal)

To all of you fellas complaining about JP Prince: Bruce Pearl made a brilliant move here in order to survive and advance, which is what the "dance" is about. JP is not the best point guard I agree, but he made plays, more good than bad. Howell would not have had those kind of numbers (points, assists, rebounds and blocks). BP has the luxury now of going back to our orginal starting lineup against a L'ville team that plays our tempo. We could certainly lose, but I like our shot to win because we finally get to play our kind of game. Wisconsin or Michigan State teams would give us fits right now, so believe it or not, I like the bracket were in. You gotta believe. So your saying theres a chance? Yes sir!

Posted by tngeoff on March 24, 2008 at 8:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Good.

Posted by volssam on March 24, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I think Lofton will turn it on, esp. since it's a KY team in L'Ville that didn't give him a shot coming out of High School as a Mr. Basketball.......
Back to the Butler game -- Butler is a good team, so just winning against them, no matter the way we had to do it, is good....
Duke has to play more like a man: none of this trying to float the ball in and getting it stuffed back in your face; take the ball up and jam it through....
Tyler is amazing, but I think he may have had more turnovers in this game than he had the whole season; hopefully it was just tournament jitters and they're out of his system now. That being said, we obviously would not have won without him.
Also, at one point in the game, our 3 best players (Lofton Jajuan and Tyler) were all out at the same time; didn't really understand that, but Pearl is awesome and I'm so glad he's here and I hope he never leaves......GO VOLS!!!

Posted by asleep on March 24, 2008 at 9:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Pupvol,

I think the reason our shooters don't get open as much is because our offense does not utilize the penetrate and pass back out philosophy. We use a lot more screens and motion. The other teams are simply playing almost a box and one with their best defender on Lofton. However, I think Butler only shot in the low 30's percent with our switching man to man. Also, most other teams either drive more (which T. Smith and Prince should be doing!) or have a bigger inside presence, forcing us to respect the pass in the paint.

In general, I disagree that Prince is not a point guard. He was a high school All-America out of Memphis at that position and recruited all the way to Arizona by Lute Olsen. I will concede that it is certainly interesting to put him in that position now, on the biggest stage of his young career. He did make some mistakes, especially down the stretch but just remember who our other options were: Ramar Smith or Jordan Howell. I doubt if Prince will play that position against Louisville but we'll see. Go Vols, great win.

Posted by GoVol on March 24, 2008 at 9:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Lofton - so disappointed in you. You are a senior and you needed to take control of that game toward the end...and simply did not. Seniors step up when the team needs them...especially in the closing minutes of NCAA tournament game.

Lofton - where are you?

Posted by dirtdobber1 on March 24, 2008 at 10:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

F-bomb Vern Lundquist! Vern if you are going to shout "Oh....My....." make sure the person doest miss a lay-up or get his shot jacked up about 4 rows into the crowd!

Hats off to NC for winning at home against an unranked opponnent.

Vols will do it again Thursday---book it!

Posted by dirtdobber1 on March 24, 2008 at 10:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)

GoVol- Go home! UT won the game. This is a team game...more than one player is getting it done!

Posted by NJVol on March 24, 2008 at 10:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Why are the West games starting earlier on Thursday than the East games?!?! Starting at 10PM is ridiculous!

Anyone notice our bench cheering when Jordan hit his first free throw? I think that threw him off for the second. They should expect hime to make it, not be surprised when he does.

Posted by zanebreeding on March 24, 2008 at 10:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)

JP Prince sucks??? I thought he did about as well as you could ask of him for the his first start and in a huge game. He had a couple of big turnovers late but hey it happens sometimes. He also made some huge shots and got to the rim pretty easily , there is no way on God's Green Earth that Jordan Howell could score 9 points have 5 boards and toss out 5 assists. Granted he had 6 turnovers , but that will get better the more he plays. Overall he gave us way more production than Jordan ever could. Ramar stepped it up some , Brian Williams , what a solid game that guy had , good to see him stepping up. I just cant understand how someone could say Prince sucks and shouldnt be on the floor?? besides Ramar who should be running it?

Posted by dirtdobber1 on March 24, 2008 at 10:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Zane- good post!

Posted by kimzy1961 on March 24, 2008 at 10:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Hey BillVol,

My apologies to you and all the great Vol fans out there posting on govols.com who tired of seeing my posts . I got caught up in trying to help my son in this essay comp. and over did it ! Please forgive an old man for his shameless blitz on the comments page. I just wanted to include everyone in continuing UT's exposure during the tournament !

He's made it to the sweet 16 and is paired against a Louisville fan who is very good. To be honest, I think that the basketball team has a better chance against UL than he does against his opponent.

Anyway, we both would rather have Tennessee win the National Championship than him go any farther, and we both would never-ever want to insult or offend any one!

Thanks for ALL the responses, good or bad.
Thanks for any votes.

GO VOLS ! ! !

Posted by FatherVol on March 24, 2008 at 11:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)

wjackson, can I ask whether overatedvols is rye, whole wheat, pumpernickle or white?

Posted by Buckley on March 24, 2008 at 11:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Sktoutyboy the writer is correct to say there was no second half for Smith and Lofton. In basketball you have two halves. At the end of the second period is the end of the second half--period. then you have a third period called overtime if the score is tied.

Posted by Basketball_Jones on March 24, 2008 at 11:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I just wish Jajuan would stop kicking his legs out and fading away on his 3's. It really affect your mechanics and makes the shot alot more difficult.

Posted by DeeBee on March 24, 2008 at 11:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The whole team needs to show up at the same time from here on out, or its the end of the road for vols. Louisville and NC are both loaded. Jujuan, Lofton, Tyler and Chism need to all show up at the same time both games.........and JP....Ramar can sub with JP, but Howell..get comfortable on the bench

Posted by 10ACVOL on March 24, 2008 at 11:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Sktoutyboy check the box score from the game. You'll see 1 , 2 , OT, TOTAL

Posted by IPOrange on March 24, 2008 at 11:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)

FYI, Prince was a point guard in HS, and was recruited as a point guard. He is not out of his element there. Maybe a little rusty, but definitely has the talent....

Posted by TommyJack on March 24, 2008 at 12:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)

IP: I agree. He HAS to have floor time somewhere. Period.

Posted by jdcdjc on March 24, 2008 at 12:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I still have my hopes of a national championship but if we are done in it will be point guard play or foul shooting, we are not very good at either one. Go Vols, ALL THE WAY!!

Posted by GoVol on March 24, 2008 at 12:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Dirtdobber - open your eyes. I didn't say anything about it not being a team game. I'm only saying Lofton isn't pulling his weight when he's needed the most. He's a senior and should be stepping up when he is needed. And, he is needed, now! I like Lofton, but he needs to get with it.

I think we'll beat Louisville on Thursday and snap out of the sluggish play. TN likes the fast game and so does Louisville, but our depth will prove out in the end.

Posted by b.skelton on March 24, 2008 at 12:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Most seem to forget that Butler was the #10 team in the country. They should have been a 3 seed rather than a 7. Their seeding is the worst of many blunders made by the NCAA this year. VOLS can and will beat Louisville.

Posted by hueypilot on March 24, 2008 at 12:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Wow. Some of you guys are picking the fly S$%t out of the pepper. This team is exactly as Pearl says: Resilient! How many times under Houston, Green, O'Neill, Buzz, even Devoe near the end, did we see the Vols play tough for 38 minutes and fade at the end? This team finds ways to win at the end. Different ways. Not just Tyler in the paint or Chris beyond the arc. They make you sweat, but they are fun to watch. Kinda like Forrest said, "you never know what you're gonna get." Go Vols. Beat the Ville.

Posted by VolFan4Life on March 24, 2008 at 12:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)

As a Tennessee fan living in Atlanta, I get fed up with the local sports coverage of the Vols, who they've had written off for the past several weeks.

In this morning's Atlanta Journal-Constitution, columnist Mark Bradley referred to Bruce Pearl as "Tennessee's overstated coach", adding that "It's hard to imagine Tennessee beating anyone remaining in the East Regional."

This is the same Mark Bradley who a week ago said "Tennessee will exit in Round 2" because, among other things, "the Vols lack inside scorers." (That must explain why UT scored half of its points in the paint against Butler.)

If this isn't bulletin board material, I don't know what is. C'mon Vols, show the one-and-done Bulldogs and absent Techsters how its done!

Posted by jweaver3 on March 24, 2008 at 1:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)

smokey101 We must be watching different games then because I think JP's upside is incredible and he has a nose for the ball. He makes mistakes but it's the ones you can live with because he is trying to make plays!!!
Give great effort on defense, I think he needs more floor time!!!
GO VOLS
TXVOLSFAN

Posted by tapeworm on March 24, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Now that UT has eked out wins against a couple of mid-majors, it's time to play with the big boys. LofL will show them something they haven't seen lately - a suffocating defense. along with athletes that can match UT in every position. If you want UT to be the underdog - you got it in spades. And I'm guessing UofL will use those spades to bury the Vols.

Posted by IPOrange on March 24, 2008 at 1:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

tngeoff - have you finished your world tour yet? I haven't heard much from you lately.

TJ - Prince is a talented player, for sure. He made a couple of untimely turnovers late in the game, but that happens when the clock is winding down and the D tightens up. I'm like you - I think he needs more floor time. Can he handle the Louisville pressure with so little PT lately? We'll see if CBP thinks he can on Thursday....

Posted by TommyJack on March 24, 2008 at 1:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)

IP: I want a TNGEOFF WORLD TOUR '08 tee shirt.

Posted by IPOrange on March 24, 2008 at 1:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Heh, heh. We'll have to look into that when he completes his tour.

Posted by givehim6 on March 24, 2008 at 2:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm proud of our guy's! There playing the same heart I saw them play with in the reg. season. I think we will make it to the elite eight. Great D, really like chism. But, what's up with lofton?

Posted by Basketball_Jones on March 24, 2008 at 2:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

If you have never played PG then you really have no idea what JP is dealing with. He has the ball in his hands every possession, he is the floor leader. This guy starts his 1st game since HS and plays pretty good except for at the end. Pearl even said it himself that he made a bad call playing JP in the last minute. He's 6-6 and is handling the ball very well.
Turnovers happen, trust me I'm sure if any of you played basketball you might recall your 1st HS or college game you started and remember how difficult it was. Now throw in playing a position you haven't played since HS.
The probelm we have at PG is neither one of them can shoot. I mean a defender is crazy for pressuring them, cause Ramar or JP neither one has the ability to knock down a 3. Ramar can penetrate and JP can cause alot of problems in the post and on defense. I don't count Jordan cause he can't do any of the above.
The players I am most disappointed in are Jajuan and Chris. Chris hit a couple of 3's a big one at the end, and Jajuan hit 4 ft's. Besides that both were not exisitent. I would like to see Jajuan run the point a bit as well as Chris (don't dribble through double teams). They're both quick and have the ability to finish around the basket, hit the 3 and the pull up 15 footer.
Hopefully well win Thursday....Go Vols

Posted by Colliervol on March 24, 2008 at 2:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

All I know is Louisville found some way to lose 8 games this year and they can find a way to lose another one Thursday. Personally, I like UT's chances better in a helter-skelter game than I do in games like American and Butler. Looks like a toss-up to me.

Also, I don't know why all you guys get on my buddy overrated. Don't you know that Conference America is the only undefeated conference left in the tournament. Of course, when you only get one team in every year, you're odds are much better at doing that. But that would be quibbling. It does take a lot of imagination though to compare a conference that the experts gave SIX slots versus a conference that they gave ONE. Talk about a stretch.

On a serious note, it doesn't take a genius to know that the SEC is a little down this year. But there have been several years where the SEC put 3 or 4 teams in the Sweet Sixteen including last year as I recall. (Tell me if Conference America has ever done that.) And, the last I checked, the SEC had the national champ the last two years so let's not get into whether or not the SEC is tough or not. No surprise about GA and KY but Vandy surprised me a bit. Miss. State played Memphis nose-to-nose and that game could have tipped either way. Arkansas did about as much as they could do because they weren't beating NC even if they had played their absolute best. People are already touting the SEC as being very good next year so I don't consider one slightly down year to be a big deal.

Posted by eepwlg on March 24, 2008 at 2:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)

VolFan4Life and everybody else. Check this article about Coach Pearl from the Washington Post March 23,2008.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...

Posted by johnlg00 on March 24, 2008 at 3:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Colliervol, I like UT's chances against UofL also, but, in fairness to them, they picked up most of their losses in the first half of the season when they had at least two and possibly three key players out with injuries. They finished the season strong and will surely give us all we want.
I have given my thoughts on "The Great JP-at-PG Experiment" on other threads. I would say it was at least a partial success, but still a work in progress. If nothing else, this has shown future opponents that they really have no idea what the Vols are going to do in a given game because who would have thought they would do THAT, NOW?
Not too many posters have given Wayne Chism his due. I was among his critics earlier in the season, but he has nearly always gotten it done in the last month or more. Big shots, big blocks, big rebounds--he has done it all. I DON'T like his chances against Hansbrough, however, if we and UNC get that far. Probably no player in the history of the game has gotten away with as much in the post as "Psycho-T" does on a regular basis. Play after play, game after game, all he does is muscle his defender back under the rim--and if the defender doesn't back up, he gets called for a foul--catch the ball, lunge a shoulder into the defender--which usually draws a foul on the defender--and throw up that little half-hook of his. To his credit, he has the passion, strength, and energy to keep doing that play after play, no matter how much he bangs/gets banged, and his team-mates keep feeding him all game. The only way to defend it is either to prevent the entry pass or have weak-side defenders come over for the block. We might be able to do the former to some extent but we don't have the depth of big men to do the latter much. Ah, well, sufficient unto the day are the troubles thereof--we gotta take care of the Birds first. GO VOLS!!! PLUCK THE CARDINALS!!! ON TO SAN ANTONIO!!!

Posted by GlennMaxwell on March 24, 2008 at 3:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Ah, this is gonna be fun. One of the two teams I most want to see lose (UT or Louisville) is definitely going down on Thursday. It's a win-win situation and a nice lead-in to the Tigers knocking off Michigan State on Friday.

Posted by IPOrange on March 24, 2008 at 3:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

eepwlg - WOW. What a great article. Thanks for the link.

Shalom, yall.

Posted by nastyman on March 24, 2008 at 3:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Here's an analysis that I did regarding TN and UL.

Below is a comparison of the overall rivals.com ranking of the seven players who play the most minutes on each team.

I also analyze the overall team ranking by adding the rankings of all the players.

I'm not stupid enough to think that this is a logical way of picking a game, but I thought some of you might find it interesting.

It's funny that Lofton and JuJuan are the best players on our team, yet were the lowest recruited out of high school (BTW, I assigned walk-ons an automatic score of 500; Luckily both teams only had an equal amount).

*LOWER IS BETTER*
TN
--------------------------------------------
W Chism recruited @ #34 **** Forward

T Smith recruited @ #43 **** Forward

C Lofton recruited @ #146 *** Guard

J Smith recruited @ #500??? 0* Guard

R. Smith recruited @ #20 ***** Guard

D. Crews recruited @ #26 ***** Forward

JP. Prince recruited @ #21 ***** Guard

TENNESSEE SCORES A 790

UL
----------------------------------------
T. Williams recruited @ #111 *** Forward

J. Smith recruited @ #82 **** Guard

J. Palacios recruited @ #30 ***** Forward

E. Clark recruited @ #22 ***** Forward

D. Padgett recruited @ #500 0* Center

E. Sosa recruited @ #74 **** Guard

A. Mcgee recruited @ #107 *** Guard

LOUISVILLE SCORES A 926

If we go by this, TN should win by approximately 13 points.

The only matchup that doesn't work in our favor is at Forward, where Louisville has two ***** players.

GO VOLS!!!

Posted by utchris2003 on March 24, 2008 at 3:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Hey Glenn,

How soon you forget 66-62

Posted by VolFan4Life on March 24, 2008 at 3:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

eepwlg, that was a fantastic piece. Nice to see Pearl appreciated outside the friendly confines of East Tennessee.

Posted by gravegr on March 24, 2008 at 3:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)

vols had better come with some point guard play or pack the bus. GO VOLS!!!!!

Posted by GlennMaxwell on March 24, 2008 at 3:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

LOL.

Nah, UTChris, I haven't forgotten; it just doesn't matter. It was a single loss by four points to another highly ranked team (don't say I never said anything nice about UT). I can live with that, considering that we finished as the country's only one-loss team, ranked No. 2 and 3, and are a No. 1 seed who's still advancing.

The only reason I might have any preference in the UT-Louisville game is that I'd like to play UT again to beat 'em when it counts. But since neither Louisville nor UT will get past North Carolina anyway, it really doesn't matter. Like I said, it'll be fun watching either go down on Thursday. Either way, it couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of guys.

Posted by murrayvol on March 24, 2008 at 4:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Glenn: Better keep that crying towel at the ready. Izzo can coach, the Spartans can play, and their front line has fouls to give (you know how your guys love the ft line). We'll be all broke up when Memphis fades to black.

Posted by invisiblekid on March 24, 2008 at 4:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Good posts Collier and johnlg00. You can never accuse the Memphis fans of letting facts get in the way of their delusions of grandeur. A 3 point win over the 4th best team out of the SEC and you'd think that they already had the tournament locked up. Unlike most of our Memphis counterparts that have shown up here, I am more than willing to give the Tigers their due. They are an outstanding collection of players that have done their two-bit conference proud. Of course, they did that by simply making the field of 65 though.

Posted by WD40plusVol on March 24, 2008 at 4:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I wonder where we would be if Marques Johnson had stayed. I wonder if Marques Johnson had wished he had stayed, seeing as how he is on a really bad NC St team.

Following up on Pupvols question, why is it when Chris comes off a screen at the top of the key, he draws his defender and the screener's defender with him (double teamed) someone isn't wide open, ala pick and roll? Isn't that a natural resulting option from a screen? But the entry pass is never made. Would like to see some replays to watch the chess moves.

Posted by invisiblekid on March 24, 2008 at 4:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)

No problems with the Spartans Murray, didn't you get the memo that Memphis is the only one loss team in the country?

Posted by GlennMaxwell on March 24, 2008 at 4:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Nah, I don't need a crying towel, Murray. It's just a game and when the run is over, I'll move on to golf. That said, I think the Tigers have as good a chance of going all the way as anybody left, including Michigan State and Tennessee. Actually, I take that back; I think North Carolina has a better chance than anyone with everyone else, including Memphis and UT, in a pack behind them.

Michigan State is good, but we'll win if Dorsey plays like he did against Miss. State and the way he did early in the season against teams like Georgetown. As for the three-point win, it's fun to see how people like to spin things. Yeah, it was close but a win is a win at this stage of the tourney; I'll take'em any way we can get them, as will UT. As I recall, UT's win over Memphis was only four points, and UT folks like to talk about it like it was a rout. So let's be honest -- everybody can spin it when it's to their advantage to do so.

Posted by Razzle on March 24, 2008 at 4:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Stick to coon hunting with Glen Maxwell Smokey. You two dont know anything about basketball.

Posted by invisiblekid on March 24, 2008 at 4:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Glenn, you seem to be a bit more reasonable than some of your brethren that have shown up on here in recent weeks. Talking about spin for a minute, yeah it was easy to spin that 3 point win over the Bulldogs. What is a little tougher to spin though is that the SEC doesn't match up with CUSA because 5 SEC teams went out on opening weekend. Right now though, UT's win over your Tigers or the other 33 wins by Memphis means next to nothing at this point. All we can do is watch them toss up the ball and hope our teams come out on top.

Posted by topgun on March 24, 2008 at 4:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

eepwig 257 2:57 post

Thank you!! Best article on CBP I have ever read. Should be mandatory reading for any VOL fan. Highly recommended. The true story about Tyler Smith is awesome!! Wonder if KNS could elevate itself and reprint that article?? NAH, John Adams would vote it down because it makes his stuff look like second grade english.

Anyway VOLS win over looneyville in a rough one. lots of fouls, etc. GOVOLS!!

Posted by GlennMaxwell on March 24, 2008 at 4:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Hey, just because I'm a Tiger fan doesn't mean I claim every other Tiger fan who shows up on a message board, any more than I suspect you'd want to claim some of the folks I've seen from UT.

As for the SEC matching up with C-USA, I'm not sure what you're referring to since I admittedly haven't read this entire thread. I never made any attempt to compare the two. Do want me to say that the SEC is a better conference than C-USA? OK, you got it. Clearly, Memphis is too good (in basketball, at least) for C-USA. You don't go undefeated in league play for two consecutive years unless you're in a league that's beneath your ability. Hopefully, at some point, something will heppen to put us in a more competitive environment. Unless or until that happens, we'll just have to continue beating up on C-USA opponents and complement that with a strong non-conference schedule. It's worked pretty well so far; we've made the Elite Eight the past two years and hopefully will go at least that far again this year.

Posted by invisiblekid on March 24, 2008 at 4:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Should have clarifed that Glenn, another Tiger fan that goes by overratedvols and a couple of others has tried the SEC vs. CUSA thing. Same as you, I wouldn't claim a number of the Vol fans around here either. I am more than willing to admit that the SEC was down and that the Tigers have been on the short list for a national title all year. Unfortunately, some of the other Tigers fans that have come on here are willing to extend the same courtesy in admitting that the Vols are pretty good in their own right as well.

Posted by invisiblekid on March 24, 2008 at 4:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)

should have read "are not willing to extend the same courtesy"

Posted by GlennMaxwell on March 24, 2008 at 4:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

My wife's sister and her family live in Knoxville (Farragut, actually), and we always enjoy our visits, Invisible. Pretty part of the state. But the Memphis area (I actually live in Germantown) is home for me so what can I say, I'm gonna support the Tigers. We're not all low-life thugs just because we live in the Memphis area and support the U of M. ;)

OK, this is getting too civil. Time to get back to some real trash talk.

Posted by hmhawk on March 24, 2008 at 4:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Depending on who's picking UT is a 2/2.5 underdog Thursday.I kinda like it.Seems our teams always play better when not respected.IMO.

Posted by DenmarkVol_aka_Mbumburu on March 24, 2008 at 4:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Okay -- I retract earlier comments about having doubts about JP Prince playing point. I based those comments on his sloppy play in the closing minutes of the Butler game. I may have jumped to a conclusion.

He did seem to play well other than those last few minutes. We definitely need him on the court. Maybe he'll embrace the role and grow into it this week. Ramar brings something too, of course.

Which one can be trusted to be the floor general, the catalyst for making plays? Which can turn the ball over the least? Which plays the best defense? Ramar tends to get beaten off the screen more and fouls more, it seems to me. But he's an animal going to the basket.

Allow me once more to be an Oracle of the Obvious: defense (especially on the perimeter) and rebounding (especially offensive/second-chance points) are the keys to beating Louisville.

Far be it from me to deny you, my beloved orange brethren, the benefit of my basketball wisdom and insights.

Posted by THE_VOL on March 24, 2008 at 4:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Okay I finally read the Washington Post article on Pearl...what's everybody so excited about? There is absolutely nothing new in that article. Sally Jenkins is a damned good writer but unfortunately she must have written that piece just for her local audience that has no clue about BP. EVERYTHING in it has either been printed previously in national articles or been told on tv. Sorry, old news and Sally Jenkins can do better than that.

WD40 - are you kidding? Marques Johnson couldn't (a) beat out Jordan Howell or, (b) break into an NCST lineup that had terrible guards - and yes he became eligible the second semester! What would he possible add to this team???

I give JP a lot of credit for what he accomplished under the circumstances and Ramar kudos for delivering in the clutch when he could have packed it in. BUT if JP and Tyler have 13 turnovers between them vs Louis, it might well be a blowout. BUT they won't and the VOLS will be playing on Saturday!!!

Posted by invisiblekid on March 24, 2008 at 5:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Glenn, I haven't spent much time west of Nashville but I fly the Orange colors here in the middle of ACC country for the same reasons as you, Knoxville was essentially my hometown.

You're right though, this is far too civil LOL. It's going to be interesting to see how the Tigers match up against some grown men instead of the usual junior high squads they face on a weekly basis. Seriously, I don't expect them to have much trouble until they play the Longhorns and I'd love to see another UT-Memphis matchup.

Posted by GlennMaxwell on March 24, 2008 at 5:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Well, Invisible, the knock is always that we can't match up because of the C-USA patsies. It's an easy argument for anyone who wants to flame the U of M, but it's not entirely accurate. Again, we played a pretty tough non-conference sked and beat them all (UConn, Georgetown, USC, Gonzaga, Arizona) with the exception of UT, which was a four-point game that could have gone either. So I think we can do just fine with the "big boys" when we have to. When Dorsey is playing like he's capable of playing, in fact, the "big boys" better hope they're not the ones who end up crying. Fortunately for UT, the UT-Memphis game was one of the ones where Joey didn't bother to show up.

Again, if we play like we're capable of playing, we'll beat both Michigan State and Texas. Then it gets interesting ...

Posted by IPOrange on March 24, 2008 at 5:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I see that GlennMaxwell is from the Germantown area. I was in your neck of the woods yesterday while watching the UT game. Needless to say, I was the only Vol fan in the room, although some were pulling for them because they had the good sense to pick the vols when filling out their brackets. I felt mighty lonely in there at times, though. :)

Posted by GlennMaxwell on March 24, 2008 at 5:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Don't worry, IP, there are plenty of UT fans to go around in Germantown. In fact, I'm surprised Germantown allows them to have orange in their yards since it doesn't really fit in with the muted earthtone color scheme favored by G'town. ;)

Posted by chipper10 on March 24, 2008 at 6:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Tennessee has played 5 teams in the Sweet Sixteen. They beat:

W. Kentucky (neutral site)
West Virginia (neutral site)
Xavier (at Xavier)
Memphis (at Memphis)

They lost to Texas (neutral site)

Can anyone else make that claim? Clearly, the Vols can beat the top teams in the country. To completely give Louisville this game is short sighted. Yes, they have to play better than they did against Butler, but they can do it.

Posted by murrayvol on March 24, 2008 at 6:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Okay chipper10. We won't give Louisville this game. They'll have to pry it from our cold dead fingers.

Posted by murrayvol on March 24, 2008 at 6:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Glenn, invisible: Give it a rest guys. You're gettin' way too cozy. BTW Glenn, we now consider a 4 point win a rout.

Posted by GlennMaxwell on March 24, 2008 at 6:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"We now consider a 4-point win a rout."

LOL. Well, that's obvious. I've never seen anyone get so excited over a narrow victory in a non-conference, non-tournament game.

Now, should we meet again a couple of weekends from now, that one would actually matter. As I said, that possibility is the only reason I might prefer to see Tennessee beat Louisville. Otherwise, I'll be celebrating Thursday night either way.

Posted by vols1314 on March 24, 2008 at 6:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm winning on my bracket on yahoosports for 130 dollars. Do you think I can still win having Tennessee winning it all?

I know we can beat every team in this year's tournament we just have to bring our At game every time.

Posted by nafslov on March 24, 2008 at 7:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Coach Pearl is the "Greatest" ! He is the only men's basketball coach UT has had ! Go Vols !

Posted by WD40plusVol on March 24, 2008 at 7:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)

THE_VOL, that's why I was asking. I didn't know since I've not bothered to watch NC St at all this year. I did remember that Johnson was one of the prized recruits for Pearl.

Posted by dopedawg on March 24, 2008 at 7:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Bring on the A game guys!!!! REBOUND!!! Dont waste shots on risky treys or crazy NBA wanna B stuff!! Play good, streight out b ball, and you can win!!! Folks, CL gets covered about all of the time and thats why he cant get open!!! try to make him a opening if possible. We love ya guys!!! Go Vols!!!

Posted by IPOrange on March 24, 2008 at 7:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)

dopedawg, an article was just posted about Lofton - it's not good news. Go back to the homepage and check it out.

Posted by chkrbrd on March 25, 2008 at 8:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

If you had told me...

1). You are playing a team ranked #8 just a couple weeks ago.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/ranking...

2). Both your starting and back up PGs will be benched for the first time all year, and a guy who nearly died a couple years ago and who hasn't started a game ever, or played PG since HS will run the team.

3). Your #1 scorer will be shut out in the second half.

3). Your #2 scorer will be shut out in the second half.

4). You will not make a 3 in the second half, and will shoot 26% for the game.

5). You will shoot 65% from the stripe

6). Butler will make 8 three's.

Yet we win? Jeez, quit whining. This team is amazing. They find ways to win. The 98 football team looked dead awful game after game, and needed miracles, yet we call them a team of destiny. Why can't you all do the same for BB? We have made history already over and over and you bitch about JP's ball handling? Who cares?

Here's some further nuggets...

The Vols are 8-0 in games where Lofton does not reach double figures.

We have won five more games than any other Vol team in history.

Never in history has our men's team gone to back-to-back sweet 16s.

They are playing for a berth in the elite 8 against a team they match up great against.

They are playing a car drive away.

If they win they will likely play a team they macth up even BETTER.

Please just BE HAPPY. BUY TICKETS. GET ON THE ROAD.

Go Freekin Vols! Make more history.

Posted by invisiblekid on March 25, 2008 at 3:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Sorry Murray, got carried away with some semi-coherent, mildly intelligent conversation on here. Allow me to get back into form by saying Adams sucks and I'll never read him again.