re: Congrats to the Gumps

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Get a life. Anthony Grant can't hold Bruce Pearl's clipboard. A couple good months dont mean shite. Especially after a year and a half of hot garbage.

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Well shite, everybody call down. It appears we were wrong. CarrytheFight, wizened one that he obviously is, has spoken.

They're not. The 5 years of success they've had under Pearl is big success on UTK's scale. This is not a traditional basketball school. I will gladly take 20 win seasons every year and a bid compared to what we went through before. But Tenn is definitely not the end all be all of basketball,

You're right, it isn't the same team. That was then, this is a different team once it hit the meat of that grueling SEC West schedule. And yes, it has won some SEC East games as well, but let's face it, that isn't saying much this year either.

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Bama will make it to the finals of the SEC Tourney. Lose. Then lose to Utah in the first round of the NIT.

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Then, we'll win the National Championship next year

I just don't get it. They have the horses to press the entire game. Now the only time they press is when they have to at the end of them. Pearl's teams scored at least 10-12 points a game off of turnovers from inbounds. That's what he's missing right now. I'm seriously jealous watching Grant's teams play defense.

Personally, I think Bama will have to at the very least beat UGA at home and hope that UGA doesn't go far in the SEC tourney because UGA played a harder OOC schedule and has had the same good wins in conference as Bama without the embarrassing losses. The only real difference between the two at this point is that UGA has to play the best teams in the SEC twice versus just once for Bama.If Bama doesn't beat UGA at home and/or UGA goes farther than Bama in the SEC tourney, then there is no way Bama will get in. Neither might, but I doubt the NCAA selection committee could justify a bid to Bama then and not to UGA.

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SoGaFan

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Now explain to me why BOTH wouldn't get in?

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I think UT's problem this season is all the distractions with pearl. You yourself know that pearl is a great coach. I expect a huge turnaround next year. He has recruited some great talent.

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I am a huge Pearl supporter. Any UT fans that think we can do better are kidding themselves. This is Tennessee basketball, and not the kind played by people with vaginas. His style has changed and I don't know why. The fun, 40 minutes of controlled chaos is gone. And though he has recruited talent, he seems to do better with under the radar players. Hell, there's 2 walk-ons in the 10 deep right now and 4 4-stars on the outside looking in.

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I expect a huge turnaround next year. He has recruited some great talent.

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Harris is free falling on the draft boards because he is piss poor defensively, so assuming Pearl returns, he will as well. Hopson will put his name in and probably come out imo. If he returns though we should be Top 10-type team. Chris Jones, if he qualifies, is 100x better than Goins at PG.

Jones/Golden
Hopson/McBee/Ware
Tatum/McRae
Harris/Maymon/Woolridge
JUCO Big Man/Hall

We really need a serviceable C to be elite. Hall would be a great C if we press, but assuming we don't, he will have problems.

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he seems to do better with under the radar players

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I agree with this.
Higher profile players(scorers)can sometimes have a negative impact as far as being about themselves. Or just feeling like they have nothing to prove on the defensive side of the ball.