Selection Sunday open thread
by Joel Hollingsworth on Mar 15, 2009 4:17 PM EDT
in Tennessee Volunteer Basketball
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Print[Note by Joel, 03/15/09 6:29 PM EDT ] Tennessee is a No. 9 seed (yikes!) and will take on No. 8 seed Oklahoma State in Dayton, Ohio on Friday. Win that and they face No. 1 Pitt. Nice.
[Note by Will, 03/15/09 10:56 PM EDT] Call in sick now: the Vols play at 12:25 PM EDT on Friday.
Deep breath. The confusion and disappointment of the SEC Tournament Championship game is over, and now, even though it hasn't been all that long, it's time to put it behind us and focus on what really matters in basketball: the NCAA Tournament Bracket.
This here's your Selection Sunday open thread. Talk all you want before, but the real action starts at 6:00 EST when they start announcing the teams. See you then.
And remember, go sign up to play the RTT March Madness Bracket Challenge.
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SEC All-Tournament Team
Barry Stewart, MSU
Korvotney Barber, Auburn
Tyler Smith, Tennessee
Wayne Chism, Tennessee
Jarvis Varnado, MSU (MVP)
Smith and Chism become the first Vols to make the All-Tourney Team since Steve Hamer went off against Alabama in 1996.
They both deserve it, too.
Chism would’ve gotten the MVP had we pulled it out, I think.
by Chris Pendley on Mar 15, 2009 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions
More frustration and fan comments from Pearl
At the podium in the postgame:
I think coming in we thought we’d continue to be playing well. We were impatient. We forced a lot of things. You want it so bad. You know, you want it so bad that you revert back to trying to do too much. Tyler tried to do too much, J.P. tried to do too much. Wayne tried to do too much. Those are our three best players. You just force the action a little bit. When you force the action, you force it right into the teeth of Mississippi State’s defense.
Again, offensively, I couldn’t get our guys to run continuity and be patient, just so anxious.
Now, defensively we did a really good job. I mean, defensively they shot 36%. We out rebounded them, and turned them over 17 times. So we did a lot of good things defensively. And I think it’s really important that it’s been one of the toughest things about this season has been how disappointed I continue to hear how people are disappointed.
Well, we disappointed them again. At the same time, I’m proud of my basketball team for getting for how many times we’ve picked ourselves up off the deck and played beautiful basketball.
Here in Tampa, up until today, people were talking about Tennessee basketball and the way on our kids played. And how fun it was to watch. It wasn’t fun today. The opponent did a terrific job.
We’re disappointed we didn’t win this championship. But it’s been frustrating to continue to have to defend this team.
Yikes
Where’s that stuff coming from, do you think? Here? Message boards? Talk radio? Campus?
Rocky Top Talk
by Joel Hollingsworth on Mar 15, 2009 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm hesitant to throw campus under the bus....
…but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was from there. Is anyone down there a talk radio listener? I’m not following any of the message boards, so i can’t speak beyond what we’re seeing here (which seems positive).
by Chris Pendley on Mar 15, 2009 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions
If that comment was made post-game, must it have come from fans that were there?
That just doesn’t make sense. I hate to think this, but is he setting himself up for a move? I just can’t think of how he would have gotten more negative feedback from the end of the game to the post-game presser.
Rocky Top Talk
by Joel Hollingsworth on Mar 15, 2009 6:01 PM EDT up reply actions
He was very complimentary of the fans in Tampa
Don’t think it was there…but you’d have to be blind to not see the attendance numbers, especially in the student section
by Will Shelton on Mar 15, 2009 6:03 PM EDT up reply actions
I hope you're right.
I’d love to see how he left UW-Green Bay, I don’t remember.
by Chris Pendley on Mar 15, 2009 6:04 PM EDT up reply actions
I knew it was one of those schools.
You get the point. :)
by Chris Pendley on Mar 15, 2009 6:24 PM EDT up reply actions
But maybe there is a point
How excited should we be about winning the East when we are the ONLY East team to make the tournament? Is that really a great feat?
Official MCM Hater!
Louisville overall No. 1
Rocky Top Talk
by Joel Hollingsworth on Mar 15, 2009 6:01 PM EDT reply actions
Coming fast
NC No. 3.
Rocky Top Talk
by Joel Hollingsworth on Mar 15, 2009 6:02 PM EDT reply actions
UConn No. 4 seed overall.
Rocky Top Talk
by Joel Hollingsworth on Mar 15, 2009 6:03 PM EDT reply actions
So the Big East gets three No. 1 seeds?
Hmm.
Rocky Top Talk
by Joel Hollingsworth on Mar 15, 2009 6:05 PM EDT reply actions
I'm not the biggest fan of this, but...
Everyone else choked in their tournaments. Only Louisville really moved up to the 1 line.
by Chris Pendley on Mar 15, 2009 6:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Regional Final Sites, FYI
East – Boston
Midwest – Indy
South – Memphis
West – Glendale
(crosses fingers for Memphis)
Why Memphis
Indianapolis might not be much further.
Rocky Top Talk
by Joel Hollingsworth on Mar 15, 2009 6:08 PM EDT up reply actions
I'd rather have Indy.
But that’s for team reasons.
by Chris Pendley on Mar 15, 2009 6:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Just a better chance
of a larger percentage of UT fans being there, IMO
Plus, both of my parents are from there, so you know…free lodging
by Will Shelton on Mar 15, 2009 6:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Ah.
Now that makes sense. ;-)
Rocky Top Talk
by Joel Hollingsworth on Mar 15, 2009 6:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Buckaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
I like Siena. Thank god we didn’t get them again.
Yeah, Wake was lower than I expected too.
Weird sub-region.
by Chris Pendley on Mar 15, 2009 6:11 PM EDT up reply actions
USC goes to MN
Funny.
Rocky Top Talk
by Joel Hollingsworth on Mar 15, 2009 6:12 PM EDT reply actions
No kidding, especially being on the 6-seed line.
That Kansas / ND State / WVU / Dayton mini-regional is freaking hideous. I want no part of that.
Now, the rest of the region? Not tooooo hard.
by Chris Pendley on Mar 15, 2009 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Three teams only from the SEC.
’course, it was going to be that way anyway, but still.
by Chris Pendley on Mar 15, 2009 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions
MSU goes to Oregon
After playing four games in a row.
Rocky Top Talk
by Joel Hollingsworth on Mar 15, 2009 6:19 PM EDT reply actions
Wow
Dayton. Friday. Vs. No. 8 Oklahoma State as a No. 9 seed.
Rocky Top Talk
by Joel Hollingsworth on Mar 15, 2009 6:26 PM EDT reply actions
Oh goodness...
Ah the Tennessee fan. Obsessed and Passionate, maniacal and frightening. Step into Neyland Stadium and feel the Orange Experience.
Clemson's better than us?
The team that forgot there’s a second half of the season?
by Chris Pendley on Mar 15, 2009 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Arizona State's better than us?
Wait, they probably are. Carry on.
by Chris Pendley on Mar 15, 2009 6:37 PM EDT up reply actions
9?
Seriously? Oh well, at least I won’t be torn on how far to have us going this year…
Lou Brock loves Lamp.
On record alone, you're right.
However, it looks like the tourney committee thought the SEC was a giant joke. Taking that into account, 8-9 seems fair.
by Chris Pendley on Mar 15, 2009 6:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, "fair" is too strong a word.
Seems like it makes sense given what they were expecting.
And if you ignore SOS.
by Chris Pendley on Mar 15, 2009 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Siena is a 9
That game wasn’t even close.
by Will Shelton on Mar 15, 2009 6:30 PM EDT up reply actions
It couldn't have been much higher even if we'd beaten Mississippi State
This should mean LSU is somewhere down around the same range
Suddenly I'm nervous
About whether or not LSU is even in this thing at all
by Will Shelton on Mar 15, 2009 6:32 PM EDT up reply actions
So, do we get bounced on Sunday, then?
If not Friday?
Rocky Top Talk
by Joel Hollingsworth on Mar 15, 2009 6:32 PM EDT up reply actions
I think this team will play really, really well against a great team
…but Pitt might be a little too great and we might play a too little defense
by Will Shelton on Mar 15, 2009 6:33 PM EDT up reply actions
If we get today's officials against Pitt
our frontcourt will foul out by halftime if it gets physical.
I’d like to hear the explanation on UT with SOS #2 and RPI in the 20’s getting a 9 (which is outside top 32).
What happened to rewarding tough scheduling?
"I will drink my all for Tennessee today"
by TheGoldfishCowboy on Mar 15, 2009 6:35 PM EDT reply actions
I mean I think someone from inside the room should defend their metrics. And if they aren’t real metrics, let’s stop pretending they are and just go by gut feeling and # of wins.
"I will drink my all for Tennessee today"
by TheGoldfishCowboy on Mar 15, 2009 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree....
this crap happens every year. All year you hear about how important it is to schedule tough, then it gets you no where.
Tough scheduling doesn't help you much if you lose most of the tough games.
Marquette and Siena are probably the best non-conference wins we had. Losses to Temple, Gonzaga x 2, Kansas, and Memphis counteract the good from those two quality wins.
Yeah, I fail to see how losses to #2 #3 and #4 seeds counteract anything.
"I will drink my all for Tennessee today"
by TheGoldfishCowboy on Mar 15, 2009 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Just think if we didn't have that tough schedule
19-11 wouldn’t get you a sniff of the NCAA tournament. There are teams in the SEC East with better records that didn’t get in.
It's CLK's fault!
We upset Urban so Slive had to take action to teach that young punk a lesson. Coach Pearl was just a casualty.
Here's what the NCAA says about the RPI
http://www.ncaa.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/ncaa/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/RPI-explanation-2009
The RPI never should be considered anything but an additional evaluation tool. No computer program
that is based on pure numbers can take into account subjective concepts; e.g., how well a team is
playing down the stretch, what the loss or return of a top player means to a team, or how emotional a
specific conference or rival game may be.
Notable wins by Ok State...
Oklahoma (in the tourn), Siena, Texas Tech, Texas A&M…
Lost to Missouri in their tournament.
Went to espn.com
Someone pls explain this. Is this a typo or am I missing something?
• Great first-round game between Oklahoma State and Tennessee in the East Region, with the winner advancing to play the Huskies.
Schlabach is a football writer masquerading as a basketball guy
That’s my explanation.
But seriously, he probably just had UConn on the brain and was typing fast and furious to get it up on the site as quickly as possible.
Lou Brock loves Lamp.
I'm not too dissapointed
Say what you will, but OSU is a little buttercup (yes yes i know they beat Oklahoma) and all you gotta do to beat Pitt is take Dejuan Blair out of the game, its what WVU did and they absolutely cruised over Pitt…I think we are better off than most believe
Blair
Getting him out of the game is easier said than done. I agree, Pitt is not the best team and do have a weakness, but they are certainly really, really good. I don’t see the Vols into the second weekend, but that doesn’t mean I won’t cheer for them with all my heart!
Go Vols!
March Madness is BruceBall Time!
I Really Think Our Schedule Did Help Us
Given what the committee obviously thought of the SEC, I think you really have to ask yourself if we’d be in at all if we’d had a creampuff schedule. Auburn had the exact same conference record as we did and got nothing for its creampuff schedule. Same with South Carolina. Florida finished a game behind and had the same thing. LSU went 13-3 and got an eight seed with its crappy schedule. I think our schedule saved us. Without it, we’d be in an even bigger world of hurt right now, at least we got in.
Also, if the students manage to run Pearl off, words cannot describe how unbelievably pissed I will be. They don’t even know what the hell they’re complaining about. We officially have the worst student body from a support of the athletic department perspective in the country. I, frankly, am done with them. I don’t even give a damn if they show up anymore. Leaves room for people who actually give a damn. And the fact that I’m having to say that about a student body is completely asinine.
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