Friday, March 23, 2007
Killer Loss
With the unexplainable lack of timeouts, bizarre substitution pattern, and going away from a press that got you to this point, there is only one person to blame for what many will remember as the most painful loss in Tennessee basketball history:
But when you lose a 20-point lead on a neutral court...
A coach is supposed to control the tempo so that such a thing doesn't happen.
I love Bruce - we wouldn't be where we are without him and even with his shortcomings he is easily one of the best coaches in America - but this loss is hard to stomach. Several losses this year can directly be related to his inability to use timeouts to stop the runs of opposing teams. It's one of his only weaknesses, and it has been discussed ad nauseum on the Vol message boards this year.
The defense - well, it looked a bit like BuzzBall tonight.
I hope with all that is Big Orange that Chris Lofton comes back for his senior season, because this team could be special. While some will jump my case for saying this, this team will be better with Dane Bradshaw gone. Dane was a great player for UT last year and will always have a special place in the hearts of all Vol fans, but he was not so spectacular this year. A lot of his poor play could be contributed to his failing body (tendinitis in both shoulders), but opponents outscored UT more with Dane on the court than any other Vol player (think of a +/- stat like they have in hockey).
Yeah, this one's gonna hurt for a while. We've only made the "Sweet 16" four times. We've never made the Regional Final ("Elite Eight").
At least the Orange & White Game for UT football is only 8 days away...
But when you lose a 20-point lead on a neutral court...
A coach is supposed to control the tempo so that such a thing doesn't happen.
I love Bruce - we wouldn't be where we are without him and even with his shortcomings he is easily one of the best coaches in America - but this loss is hard to stomach. Several losses this year can directly be related to his inability to use timeouts to stop the runs of opposing teams. It's one of his only weaknesses, and it has been discussed ad nauseum on the Vol message boards this year.
The defense - well, it looked a bit like BuzzBall tonight.
I hope with all that is Big Orange that Chris Lofton comes back for his senior season, because this team could be special. While some will jump my case for saying this, this team will be better with Dane Bradshaw gone. Dane was a great player for UT last year and will always have a special place in the hearts of all Vol fans, but he was not so spectacular this year. A lot of his poor play could be contributed to his failing body (tendinitis in both shoulders), but opponents outscored UT more with Dane on the court than any other Vol player (think of a +/- stat like they have in hockey).
Yeah, this one's gonna hurt for a while. We've only made the "Sweet 16" four times. We've never made the Regional Final ("Elite Eight").
At least the Orange & White Game for UT football is only 8 days away...
Labels: UT Basketball
Permalink posted by Rob Huddleston @ 12:31 AM 
