Comments by decades_vol

Written on Mike Strange: Jarnell Stokes' return means high expectation for Cuonzo Martin, Vols :

Agree with these posts. I do like Martin's defensive "no easy baskets" approach. It has paid some dividends. But I would also like to see the Vols push the ball up the floor much, much more on offense. It sure looked great against the 'Cats. Ideal game scenario: play good team D, force a contested shot, be Orange on the glass, get the ball out quickly for some favorable numbers (and some easier baskets), and let Maymon and Stokes trail to do the sanitation engineering. If defense gets back, go into the halfcourt, run the offense. Bottom line, I'd like to see Tenn try to run more, rather than settling so much for the halfcourt offense. I really like the Vol D, now I'd like to see a real streamlined Vol O.

Written on Jarnell Stokes staying for junior season at Tennessee:

in response to RIGHTISBETTERTHANLEFT:

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

We're not interested in your social life, or lack thereof. Ah, something in a name.

Written on Jarnell Stokes staying for junior season at Tennessee:

in response to Pompey:

.....and now the sage is set for Cuonzo Martins final exam...!

I remember when I had my first beer.

Written on Order of protection was taken out against Yemi Makanjuola:

in response to Johnny_Aint_No_Del_Shofner:

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

Looks like Mr. Hart may need an Order of Protection from Johnny Ain't No.

Written on With Marlin Lane absent due to 'disciplinary reasons,' Vols' RB situation in flux:

in response to RIGHTISBETTERTHANLEFT:

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

There you go with your hands again. Naughty boy.

Written on Tennessee RB Marlin Lane out for 'disciplinary reasons':

in response to KnoxVegas88:

Excrement.

I was thinking more of a horse's orifice, but between us, I think we have described both the cause and the effect.

Written on Govols247: Thompson picks Tennessee:

Having a true point guard (welcome, Mr. Thompson) gives Tennessee many more options. I'd like to see Golden be able to play his game without having to bring the ball downcourt first. McCrae and hopefully, Hubbs, will be better scorers by getting the ball in better places on the court, courtesy of a true point guard. The best beneficiaries of a good PG would be Maymon and Stokes. They should get better looks inside. Maymon will come fierce anyway, and I think Jarnell will bring it strong along with him.

Tennessee has the potential to be a good team this next season. Maybe a very good team. And I think they can be consistently good year after year. We all know that UT will not recruit like Kentucky. Very few schools do. But I do think they can recruit like Butler. And play like them too.

Written on PG Darius Thompson likes Cuonzo Martin, UT program:

A good point guard, and good guards in general, are essential to having an NCAA tournament type team. Louisville's guard play speaks volumes. If the Thompson kid would like to come to UT, let him come. He could be a missing piece to a team that currently has some missing pieces. Hubbs could be another big piece. Maymon should be a difference maker. These guys, with the rest of the returning players, could produce a good Vol basketball team, maybe even a very good team, this next season. But for Tennessee to play at a higher level, I think they need to recruit a couple of outside shooters. Tennessee lost several games this year because they couldn't make outside shots (or free throws, for that matter). Watching the Mercer game, I saw Mercer make 3-point shots and key free throws. Something the Vols could not do. I remember thinking during the game that if the Vols could take two of Mercer's players, they would be downright dangerous. And dancing, without a doubt.

I honestly think that Tennessee can be consistently good year after year. No, we'll never be able to recruit like Kentucky. But I think we can recruit like Butler. And maybe play like them too.

Written on Season ends for Vols in NIT opener, 75-67:

I remember two games played in the NCAA tournament last year: Missouri vs. Norfolk St., and Duke vs. Lehigh. Stakes were high in both games. We all know that Duke and Mizzou got bounced, by two lesser teams. The same thing happened last night at TBA. These lesser teams aren't bad teams, and when they play a good game, and you don't, you shouldn't be surprised that they beat you. Hey, Mercer is another Belmont, Davidson, Lehigh, or Norfolk St. Last night they played a lights-out game. They made plenty of open threes. They made most of their free throws. They also made plenty of contested shots. Tennessee, on the other hand, brought their complete 11-10 game: way too many threes, (mostly missed), and terrible free throw shooting, to go along with too many turnovers. That's been Tennessee's recipe for disaster in too many games this year.

Bottom line, I think, is that the Vols are a pretty good basketball team overall. But they are just too inconsistent, especially on the offensive end of the court. Again, too many missed threes, too many missed free throws.

Written on Mike Strange: An immodest proposal to promote NIT's battle for relevance:

in response to licknpromise777#651578:

Martin best forget the snub and start worrying about Mercer..Last thing he needs is to lose to Mercer after all his talk of how NCAA worthy we are..Not many of these NIT teams are pushovers..Mercer isn't a team with a bunch of six foot soft players,they have size and did what we couldn't beating Bama at Bama

Agreed 100%. This NIT field is not weak by any stretch of the imagination. Many of these teams have beaten several NCAA tourney teams. The funny thing is, they could do the same thing again. I agree with Strange on this one. Blend the NIT with the NCAA. Let the eventual champion have to beat teams of all different levels. Right now, you simply don't have the best 68 teams playing in the NCAA tourney. You never do. But by putting the NIT teams in with the current 68, you'd have all the regular season champs of the one-bid leagues (that lost their tourneys), plus decent to good teams that got passed over from bigger conferences. Reward regular season champions with better seeds (see Indiana). Also reward teams that play a tougher non-conference schedule. Like Strange said, you would have 90-100 highly motivated teams, and it would really be March Madness. Do you think that Tennessee would not come hungry to this kind of dance party? And everybody else, for that matter. You'd have a few very good to outstanding teams, and a whole lot of dangerous ones. Make the champ earn it. Against anybody and everybody. I'd really like to see something like this.

Written on Rejection Sunday: Vols left out of NCAA tournament, receive No. 2 seed in NIT:

in response to budd#207344:

I know how completely ignorant you are but I would have thought even you would know that Stokes decommited when Pearl was let go. He was being courted even by your wet dream Cal. And CCM got him back. Just as Hubbs was being offered by Duke, ky, and NC.
Crean has just gotten out of the waste land after five years.Not two
McRae wasn't even coming off the bench for Pearl and Golden was not close to the player he is now.
Admit it. It would not matter who is here you just hate UT and always have. The sorry part is you know nothing about the game but act like you do.

Just ignore old countryclubrepub. He's an old klackety-klackety-klack from a yesteryear time. I just wish, for all of our sakes, that he would spill his mint julep on his laptop so we would be done with him.

Written on Rejection Sunday: Vols left out of NCAA tournament, receive No. 2 seed in NIT:

Where's SevenT? The Big Blue get a #1 seed in the NIT, but can't play at Rupp. Guess what? They are seeded against #8 Robert Morris. Where are they going to play? At Robert Morris!!! You've got to be kidding me! No slam involved here, but this is just weird. Similar situation with the Vols. Vols are sent packing out west as a number 2 seed playing against #7 Mercer. Don't know where, though. Would like to see CCM and JCalip talk about this.

I know this is a consolation tournament, but the field looks pretty good, No, it's not the NCAA. But it looks a little interesting. The KY game is unbelievable. ESPNU says RM's gym holds about 3,000 plus. Talk about a bizarre turn of events.

One comment about the NCAA. The bias seems now to be pretty strong against the SEC. Only 3 teams, with SEC tourney winner Ole Miss getting a #12 seed. Don't drop the soap. A lot of people are talking about Tennessee choking against the Tide. Forget about it. Tennessee would not have gotten in even if they beat Bama. Bama's win over UT and a good effort against the Gators bought them a pass to the NIT (sorry rtchatt). I think the entire league took it on the chin on this one. The other multi-bid leagues got too much love this season. Sorry, a lot of words to state just one man's opinion.

Written on UT signee Robert Hubbs says Vols will 'do some damage' in NCAA tournament:

in response to NEVERBECONSERVATIVEWITHKNS:

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

I thought the Unabomber was incarcerated. Hmm, then again, maybe they have wi-fi behind the razor wire. Sounds like a piece of work, this one.

Written on Tennessee rallies late to beat Missouri 64-62:

Tennessee is a phenomenal 8-1 for the second half of the SEC season. Coming after a 3-6 start, this seems even more remarkable. I know the SEC hasn't been very strong this year, but this is still impressive. Nobody else in the league has finished better than 6-3 in the last 9 games (including the Gators). I'd like to think that the NCAA Selection Committee would take this type of thing into consideration. No matter what happens from here on in, I'm really proud of this team. Game after game this team has just kept coming. Today was just another example. Down eight to a good team, the Vols refused to quit. I really hope that they get to play for a while longer. First in one tournament in Nashville, then maybe in the round of 68.

Written on Vols celebrate 64-62 victory against Missouri on Senior Day:

in response to RememberWhen:

LMAO!!! Can I get you another cup of kool-aid??? First, there is nobody on this roster that will ever make a dime in the NBA. Second, NC contender next year? Seriously? This team - even as you project it for next year - isn't anywhere near as good as Pearl's best team that went to the Elite Eight yet you wanna talk NC???? That pure delusional - funny, but delusional!!

Somehow I knew a Bruce reference would come up. I remember the Elite Eight team. They did well. I also remember another BP team---his last. They didn't do so well. And we all know the rest of the story. If you're a fan of this team at all, let's give this coach a chance to do something. If you long for the recent past, then go repeat BBB for a while. And to help yourself do this, you can take your index finger and rub it across your upper and lower lips. If done fast enough, you can make a whole bunch of BBB sounds.

Written on Kenny Hall survived 'politics of college basketball' for Vols:

Best of luck to Kenny Hall. A Tennessee Senior, ready to hug his mama on Senior Day and get his degree. Hey, I love UT basketball, but there are some things I love even more.

Written on Vols get needed win at Auburn, 82-75:

I think Tennessee came into this game thinking they were going to win. They almost thought wrong. They had enough composure, though, to rally again from behind and win on the road. This win, ragged as it was, puts the Vols at 4-1 in their last five SEC road games, and 7-1 in their last eight overall. Not bad at all. But for Tennessee's NCAA tournament chances, this thing is far from over. They'd better play against Missouri like it's an NCAA play-in game. The same goes for the SEC tournament. Tennessee can play their way into the NCAA. But they're going to have to earn their way in, by playing the best basketball that they can play.

Written on Jordan McRae reveals cousin's shooting death Monday night:

in response to BrassMonkey:

Prayers for your family Jordan.

Nice post, BrassMonkey. All class. Plenty of prayers for Jordan and his family.

Written on Mike Strange: Plenty left to resolve for Vols, others in last week before SEC tournament :

Do not take Auburn for granted, simply because it's a road game. Then bring everything you have against Missouri. Attack at both ends of the court. Two wins, if they come, means the Vols are 8-1 in their last nine games. Play well in the SEC tourney and then...

Written on David Climer: SEC-ond rate basketball isn't worthy of NCAA tournament:

Climer either swallowed a lit cigar or forgot to bring his Pepto Bismol with him today. Either way, grab the Culligan man to see if he can water down this seared throat or relieve an ulcerated stomach. This man is in too much pain to have time to write an informed piece.

Written on Georgia had gameplan for limiting Jarnell Stokes :

Vols can still finish strong enough to go dancing. At least there's an opportunity. But the same old story is still true at times. UT's opponents beat them earlier by packing the lane, double-teaming and even triple-teaming Stokes, and daring the Vol guards to shoot. This worked for too many games. Then the unexpected happened. Tenn began filling it up from everywhere on the court, McCrae began putting on All-American performances, and Stokes began making everybody pay. It worked for six straight games, including a hammering of Kentucky, a win over Florida, and winning three straight road games. Quite impressive. Yesterday's loss was disappointing, but you had to figure the Vols had to cool off sometime.

Actually, this game may have a silver lining to it. Georgia, maybe, has brought the Vols down to earth a little bit. It's obvious that Tennessee would have been better off with a win. But I honestly think that this punch in the mouth may do the Vols some good. Hopefully the Georgia Bulldogs have provided the Big Orange with a "teachable moment". Lesson being that anybody is good enough to beat you on a given day, but also that when you bring your best game, you're going to give anybody all they can handle.

Written on Mike Strange: Vols' tournament hopes derailed:

Did I just notice that BQuinn quoted Joe Lunardi as saying the Vols were now one of the last four teams IN (after Baylor and Ole Miss losses)? Or am I just drinking from the Old Smoky Mountain fountain?

Written on Mike Strange: Vols' tournament hopes derailed:

in response to bobe4544:

You cannot spell MARTIN without NIT!

Let's see. Let's drop the "e" and add another "o" to your name. Just like a cup of hot tea. Will you have one lump or two?

Written on Just McRae can't save the day for UT against Georgia, 78-68:

Let me go against the current here a little bit. Georgia lost a few days ago on a last-second shot at Arkansas. The Hogs took out the Vols, Cats (today) and even the Gators, all by double digits, playing at home. To me, it seems that Georgia may be better than their record, and for sure they were licking their chops when the Vols came to town. You could tell who was the hungrier team today. The same for Arkansas, who chewed up Kentucky today. Look, that's just the way it is on the road, especially in this conference. This game is just what it is: a loss on the road against a conference rival. But remember this: if Tennessee wins its last two games, the Vols will be 8-1 for the last half of the SEC season. I don't know if that would mean anything for any tournament consideration. Probably not much.

I agree with everyone else on here. They better bring it strong in Nashville. If I were Tennessee, I would play like I had to win the tournament. And they may just have to.

Written on Just McRae can't save the day for UT against Georgia, 78-68:

in response to SevenT:

Tennessee climaxed early again this year

Loss to the Dogs doesn't help, but a couple of wins over two sets of Tigers should help again. As for the Cat's, better worry about "pig soouuee!" You just now lost that one. And you have to go to Athens. And you get the Gators, too. Maybe you can play your way into the NIT, just like us if we play like we did today. Coyote ugly, for both the Cats and Vols today.

Written on Fourth overtime Golden for Vols, 93-85:

in response to SevenT:

Does anybody except and East Tennessee Homer give a hoot about this team?

SevenT doesn't refer to basketball titles. It refers to the number of udders on his favorite dairy cow. Bet he could'nt wait to do some pullin' after last weeks' Big Blue meltdown. Bet old Bessie saw him coming and thought "oh no". Angry hands on sensitive places might have left Bessie a bit chaffed. And upset herself. Hopefully she responded by giving 5+2 fingers a swift kick above the shoulders. And if you read the above post word-for-word. I think she actually did.

Written on Fourth overtime Golden for Vols, 93-85:

in response to kyvol98:

I told my girlfriend I have seen derogatory posts about Nicodemus Christopher on here, about his hair, his web site photos, etc.... Well, you saw today he is earning his pay from the UTAD. We could have played a couple or 3 more OT's.

Looks like the weighted vests in preseason drills have also helped. One thing for sure, no team is in better physical shape than this team. Great effort, great win. Just keep coming, Big Orange. Just like a fast moving train.

Written on Mike Strange: Vols, Aggies launch rivalry with one for the ages:

As expected, a KNS courier starts with the first post. Hey, the Vols have won five straight! That's great, but a half-dozen would be so much better.

Written on Mike Strange: Suddenly, beating Texas A&M is a big deal:

The trolls that like to goad,
carry such a mental load.
Instead of moving down the road,
They remain, croaking, like toads.

Names, with numbers and letters,
And one of them, a wannabe "better".
Grandmas' basements they haunt,
There they deliver their taunts,
Sad lives, that won't get any better.

Written on All of Jordan McRae's career-high 34 points "count" in 82-72 win over LSU:

Good win over an LSU team that has been playing some good b-ball. Really like the way this team is stepping up. They're really attacking on both ends of the court. Seems like everybody may be healthy now. Next up: A&M. The Aggies will come hungry on their own court. One game at a time, guys, one game at a time.

Written on Cuonzo Martin talks about confident Vols:

Like the team's attitude. Wasn't particularly sold after the South Carolina game, but my interest perked up a bit when they won at Vandy, especially after I watched the 'Dores chew up Arkansas the Saturday before. Then with the 30-point win over Kentucky, I'm thinking that maybe this team has really put something together. After being left for dead after the Georgia game, this team has played its best basketball the last three games. But they have to keep coming strong. Right now, they've pretty much assured themselves of an NIT berth. But even that was doubtful 3 games ago. To do anything else, like sitting on the couch watching Selection Sunday, the Big Orange will likely have to run the table in its last 6 regular season games, then make it at least to the finals of the SEC tournament. If they can somehow pull this off, they would have a 12-game win streak, a 23-10 record, and everything that comes with it. They would dance then. But all of this is a tall, tall order. They have to beat LSU before they can hope to do anything. But maybe, just maybe...

Written on Mark Wiedmer: Calipari has more problems than solutions at Kentucky:

Cal has beat the odds up to this point, with a roster made up of mostly talented freshmen. But his best two teams, last year's and the John Wall-DeMarcus Cousins' team, had complementary players with experience. And for Calipari, his teams' previous success may actually come back to haunt him. I swear, it wouldn't surprise me if one or more of his recruits tell him to his face, "I don't need you. I'm going to the NBA anyway". And let's face it, some of them don't need him. Apparently, some are acting like they don't need him right now.

Written on Never Better: Vols score biggest victory ever against Kentucky, 88-58 :

in response to UkJarhead:

Well, I am a man of my word... And as I have for years, I come back and post even in defeat.... Took an extra day on this one though. Had we had Noel, we may have only lost by 18-25, but we were beaten. We are not a very good team this year and UT wanted it, played hard for it, and actually made me think there is some noise to be made in the tourney by this group. Don't give up on Martin just yet. UT played hard and with enthusiasm. Congrats and enjoy. You know what they say about payback though....

Good post, Jarhead. In spite of yesterday, I still think Kentucky is a pretty good team. Your big problem is that you sometimes become the victim of your own success. According to many, this year's team was supposed to be in the hunt for a title again this year, simply because of its star quality. The same for next year, with another blue-chip recruiting class. But, bottom line, I don't think that Kentucky can consistently compete for championships with 5* one-and-dones. Calipari was able to do this last year by getting some superstar kids (along with some more seasoned players) to sacrifice incredible high-school stats to play outstanding team basketball. I think Calipari, in spite of what some think, is a very good coach. He explained in detail what his guys needed to do to win yesterday. Problem was, they wouldn't (or couldn't) do what he asked. And I think that will be KY's biggest problem year after year. Look, the Cats will almost always be good, simply on talent alone. But with these young players, it's gonna be hit and miss. Honestly, I think that last year's success may create unrealistic expectations at UK. That's gonna be hard to duplicate. Calipari may be able to do this again. But I don't think he can build a dynasty this way. (Case in point: in the game at Rupp, the freshmen played well, Noel included, but Kyle Wiltjer was the guy who beat us. One of your "experienced" players).

Written on Never Better: Vols score biggest victory ever against Kentucky, 88-58 :

in response to bigdisbig:

This is the same Vol team that got beat by Memphis, Ga. and stomped in the dirt by Ole Miss at home and everyone is crowing over beating a weak Ky. team. I still say Cuonzo is a lower level coach who gets lucky every now and then. The guys played a great game today....probably the best of the year in spite of a weak coach.

Your comment is way too personal. I won't bother to ask why. CCM leads Tenn to a 30-point win over Kentucky and you're less than satisfied. In your mind, he gets no credit for this win or any win, just blame for any loss. Why don't you grow a set and support this team AND its coach? I know you're a fan. Just bring it strong for both the players and the coach. There's plenty of room for you.

Written on Vols blow out Kentucky, 88-58:

in response to John_10065:

Right now I have more respect for the troll UK, UF and Vandy fans on this site than I do the BBB crowd. They at least have the guts to show up here and post their daily BS after this horribly one-sided loss.

The BBB crowd just goes silent for the most part. They ought to give at least a little credit to the team they supposedly support. Like it or not you jackarses out there, this was a win for the record books and it has Martin's name on it, not Pearl's.

They'll come back out when Tennessee loses another game. Just like cockroaches after a cheap restaurant closes. I really liked Bruce Pearl and what he brought to the program, but that was the past and I don't think a BP sequel would work out. I think I'll just enjoy today's big win over the Cats and hope that Tennessee can keep up the good work.

And I also hope that SevenT and Prohandflapper didn't tear up their grandmothers' basements after this week's games. Two home-cooked meals thrown at TV sets would be a waste of good food, not to mention an assault on two defenseless pairs of flatscreens. To do the same with the homemade cobbler would be a crime against humanity.

Written on Vols find recipe for victory on the road, 58-46 :

Back to back road wins. A nice turn of events for the Vols. Hopefully we can beat the Cats this weekend and keep a good thing going.

Written on David Climer: Vols' Butch Jones faces challenge with SEC recruiting:

in response to UTvols33:

Go to this dude's account and check out his posts. All negative, not a single positive or supportive statement about UT. He hates on the basketball team, too. All his rederick is the same. He even hates on Fulmer. He hates this team so much but yet he says he bought tickets to 5 games! Check it out, let's get this bozo out of here!

notfunanymore writes: 2/11

No jokes or laughs? No talks of vacations? Maybe he finally realizes that 11 teams in the SEC recruited better than UT. Maybe this will be another "year zero"?

notfunanymore writes: 2/9

Once again, UT more/less finished last in recruiting in the SEC, and these clowns are finding a joke in everything. All is well and good with the football program, so keep laughing it up coaches. We will see how comical another 5-7 (more like 4-8) season is. 95% of UT fans are delusional.

notfunanymore writes: 2/9

After all their jokes/laughs and vacations are over, maybe these clowns will realize just how important recruiting is. It already seems as if everything is a joke to these coaches....not a good sign at all!

notfunanymore writes: 2/9

Keep on believing all is okay and things will get better with the football program. Maybe one day, you and the rest of the 95% delusional Vol fans will get a clue.

notfunanymore writes: 2/9

Jay Graham was not concerned about recruiting/signing a top notch running back, he was to worried about his podium performance in Nashville and Disney World vacation. Just another bunch of clown assistants. Get used to 4-8 and 5-7 seasons.

notfunanymore writes: 2/8

Let's see....UT more/less finished last in recruiting in the SEC. The football program is practically gone, BUT these clowns are worried/joking about their performance at the podium. Guarantee you Saban/staff were not worried about their podium performance, I bet they were already discussing future recruits. Bullsh%* like this is why UT is the laughing stock in college football. Do you remember all of Dooley's stupid quips and attempts to be comical? How funny is he now?

notfunanymore writes: 2/7

Blah..blah..blah. The football program is gone. Prepare yourself for 4-8, 5-7, and 6-6 seasons for years to come.

notfunanymore writes: 2/4

"Will be in the future"?? They are already pathetic. Wait three more years, and the women's b-ball team will be right there with the rest of them

notfunanymore writes: 2/2

After another 4-8 or 5-7 season, let's see what people are saying. 95% of UT fans are delusional.

Pay no attention to notfunny. He hasn't yet learned that certain recreational activities are not all they're cracked up to be.

Written on Four Alabama football players arrested on robbery charges:

College sports, primarily football and basketball, has become a multi-billion dollar entertainment industry. This is not exactly news to anyone. We all watch it, in person, on TV, or both. I watch it as much as anybody. And like any Tennessee fan, I want the Tennessee Volunteers to play in a BCS bowl and make the Final Four. Every fan of every school wants the same thing. But to strive for these things, coaches compete for the best players, and take big risks to make big recruiting hauls. Then all kinds of things happen afterward, and this episode with the Alabama players is only the latest. We praise the coaches when they do well, criticize them when they don't, and we seem more than willing to encourage coaching staffs to roll the dice when it comes to recruiting. As I said, I'm as guilty as anybody on this issue. I want every student-athlete to succeed in the classroom, I really do. And I don't want anybody to get in any kind of trouble, especially with the law. But the other part of me says "give me seven-come-eleven, coach! Let's get a star-studded class!"

Written on Memphis: 'This is your team':

in response to TommyJack:

good post. more and more evidence shows that dooley sat on his arse most of the time. several big-time HS coaches are now admitting that they never even met the man. dooley worked us over like a tied goat.

Agreed. After Dooley was gone, quite a few high school coaches talked like the Dooley entourage was nowhere to be seen. A couple of posters seem to think that Jones is way too overconfident, but I do like his attitude and work ethic, at least so far. I think the guy really, really wants to be here, and build a strong program that the fans desperately want. Jones seems to be the hand-shaking people-person type of guy who is going to try his best to sell this program to prospective UT recruits. This apparently was something that Dooley seemed to struggle with. No one can predict the ultimate outcome of all of this, but I don't think anyone will put forth a stronger effort than Butch Jones, at least when it comes to recruiting.

Written on First road win of season a giant learning experience for Jarnell Stokes, rest of Vols at South Carolina :

in response to Samuel_L_Salma_GataBait_HowBoutDemCowboys_BlueWaffles88:

Gators destroyed Wisconsin and Marquette. That same Wisconsin team defeated #3 Michigan. Kansas is on a losing skid, Louisville hasnt looked impressive at all lately. Florida could easily finish 1st or 2nd in the Big East and Big 10.

Didn't say that the Gators weren't a very good team. They are. I'll cut you some slack, though, because you lost a good player for the season. I hate that for any player, regardless where he plays. But I'm just saying that playing in this league will probably hurt you in the tourney. We're weak across the board. Both the Big East and Big 10 are loaded. The Gators would not dominate either league. You'd be hard-pressed to get many road wins in either conference. I say that because they are currently beating up on each other. You'd share the same fate. One more thing, you might not have the best team in your own state right now. Again, don't get me wrong. You've got a good team. But just one good team among quite a few others out there.

Written on First road win of season a giant learning experience for Jarnell Stokes, rest of Vols at South Carolina :

in response to TheEffect:

Enjoy that "NIT Appearance" banner you will be hanging.....if you go at all.

Cause: a large amount of spicy foods, consumed too quickly and therefore extremely harsh on the stomach and continuing GI tract. Effect: the final expulsion of the unnecessary ingredients of the aforementioned cause. Taste with haste makes waste!

Written on First road win of season a giant learning experience for Jarnell Stokes, rest of Vols at South Carolina :

in response to usnavyvolfan__now_proud_navy_dad:

AR-KAN-SAS!
RA-ZOR-BACKS!
AR-KAN-SAS!
RA-ZOR-BACKS!

I like the way that the Hogs put 80 on the luggage sets, and then followed that up with a blistering 49 at Vandy yesterday. I swear, with the comments we are getting from certain interloping cockroaches, I wish that both Ky and Florida would lose on Tuesday. There are plenty of classy fans, both from Florida and Kentucky. Too bad that none of them post on this site.

Written on First road win of season a giant learning experience for Jarnell Stokes, rest of Vols at South Carolina :

in response to smokeygrowl:

Great coaching by ZO. No fast breaks was great. We like to let defense get back and set up so we can run our offense great philosphy. Fast breaks lead to to many turnovers despite the aasy layups and dunks. Excellent coaching to play Chievous so much he is a stat sheet stuffer.His 5 fouls helped tremendously showing we are aggressive on D. zo kept our players between their man and the basket never gambling for steals prevents us from getting beat back door. Pearls overplaying the passing lanes style of play causes to much running and tires players out. Good offensive philosophy letting one player dribble and go one on one cause it limits our passes to cut down turnovers. By the other four players standing still on offense vols get the rest they need for defense. Zo is on his way to putting some banners up.

Tenn won, on the road, which is not an easy thing to do. But I'm really disappointed that they didn't win just exactly the way you wanted. Maybe the Vols' next game will fit your style of play, and then you can happily say, along with Frank Sinatra, "they did it my way".

Written on First road win of season a giant learning experience for Jarnell Stokes, rest of Vols at South Carolina :

in response to TheEffect:

At South Carolina.......the worst team in the SEC with Miss. State. Maybe you should have a ring made to commemorate the "big" victory.

I'd be more concerned about your kitties going to Gainesville Tuesday than a game between UT and South Carolina. It's really sad that you and the Gators are the best this league has to offer right now. Neither one of you would finish in the top 5-6 in the Big East or Big 10. Worst league overall since the three-team SEC in the NCAA back in 2009. We're not very strong right now, that's obvious. But you're not that much better in this weak-sister league. Bottom line, pack lightly for the Dance, if you go at all.

Written on Georgia delivers a punch in gut to Vols, 68-62:

If you would have told me that the Vols would shoot 46% from the field, shoot 23-28 from the free-throw line (stats courtesy ESPN) and outrebound the Georgia Bulldogs as well, all in TBA, I would have said that the Big Orange got a much needed win. But it didn't happen. I thought this might be a game where the Vols would take care of business. Instead, the Dogs came in and took care of business themselves. Now you have two teams going in opposite directions. Georgia has a 4-game SEC winning streak, and the Vols are in freefall. I thought that Tennessee, even without Maymon, could have a decent record in the conference. This is the weakest SEC I've seen in a long time. But right now, the Vols are having trouble beating anybody in this league, no matter how bad. Just not looking good for this team.

Written on Arkansas' in-your-face defense too much for Vols, 73-60 :

in response to ronburgundy:

Looks like Florida's putting a good and proper beat down on Ole' Miss. I wish we could just skip the Florida games. It's going to be ugly. Wonder if they have a JV team?

It wouldn't surprise me if Tennessee plays its best game against the Gators. Seems like they always do. The problem is, I wished they could play everybody else as tough as they play Florida. It seems like everybody gives the Vols their best game, no matter where they are in the standings. I'm behind these guys 100%, but I just don't know what to expect in any game they play these days.

Written on John Adams: Vols need to show recruits a good ride :

A great hack attack, written while on apple jack, or maybe even crack.

Written on Cuonzo Martin expects 'lots of Lopez' in Trae Golden's absence :

in response to volthrunthru#658770:

Nobody wants to hear a bunch of mouthy 19-or-20-somethings mouth off about "payback" in the SEC,

even when the mouthy guy's team can really issue payback. Clearly this Vol team cannot issue payback to anybody but losers at this point.

UT basketball needs help to find its way, at this point. Martin is obviously a man of great compassion and an overcomer, personally; but leading a nationally successful athletics program takes much, much more than that.

Certainly, for instance, his assistant coaches leave a lot to be desired, including his strength coach who desses like he is going to a bar in a seedy part of town...and who has a hair-do that clearly is at odds with the type of image that Universities need to project.

Big$$$ donors do not give to fund glow-in-the-dark dressers or haircuts that look like they were done with a weed eater. Professional attire and appearance standards need to be shown to Martin and his people.

A guy who never should have been hired in the first place---an individual who reportedly posed nude on his own website and was of work when hired---needs help choosing clothes and hairstyles that provide the kind of image needed by UT.

Martin's had fired a top, nationally respected, Strength and Conditioning coach to hire this replacemenet. Reports are that the S&C coach thought some of Martin's ideas were not up to SEC level training, and showed disrespect because of it. (Martin is another who had come from a directional school to national power UT, like Lane Kiffin, Derek Dooley and new football coach Butch Jones.)

So lack of a base of high level contacts is a problem that frames part of Martin's difficulties at UT. The SouthEast Missouris of the world do not turn out many Elite-8 level graduates, coaches and alumni---unless, of course, Jimmy Cheek is Chancellor and Mike Hamilton or Dave Hart are making decisions.

Historically UT wants and seeks to maintain a look and atmosphere of classic (classy?) appearance, progressive but solidly anchored values and atletics teams that are consistent winners.

Obviously Martin needs help in saying "no" to non-UT type people, since his choice for coaching S&C had worked previously, before losing his job, at Martin's alma mater, Purdue.
Maybe Martin had no other contacts to call to identify a S&C contact that could win at big-time levels. But there is a reason that the guy was not working---maybe more than one reason.

He needs to shape up his appearance or ship out to some other websit than UT's.

And for a coach whose predecessor took multiple-teams in a row to the Sweet-16, to tell a booster group that he was getting advice form a high school coach shows how far UT Sports have fallen.

And the fact that nobody in that booster group questioned it publicly shows how numb UT boosters have become, after more than one-half a decade of failures and incredibly wretched leadership in most sports and overall.

With all due respect, madam, I don't think that many on this site care much about the coaches' appearance. If the head coach and his assistants can help this team win, they can wear mohawks or mullets, have toenail fungus, or have Howard Hughes' fingernails, for that matter.

Written on Cuonzo Martin expects 'lots of Lopez' in Trae Golden's absence :

in response to underthehill:

Could be wrong but I think Pearl recruited Golden to be a Chris Loften type shooter..I think Pearl saw Golden as being an excellent 3 point shooter..I think Pearl had it right..

If only Pearl had let him play.

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