FREE THOUGHT FRIDAY
VOLS-AUBURN: The Vols have played two straight non-competitive, drama-free, basketball games. Fortunately for Tennessee this time it was Auburn who was never in the game. Bruce Pearl's squad is not only undermanned due to injuries and suspensions but is the first under his direction to look like they could care less. With Kareem Canty suspended it's probably a Captain Obvious statement that there is something terribly amiss under the surface that has nothing to do with basketball. It may be something that an off-season of healing and retooling can rectify. If not it will be time to question if Pearl has lost his mojo or whether it will ever happen for him at Auburn.
Tennessee started out poorly enough to be out of the game versus a number of SEC opponents but the Tigers were so bad they never took the lead. The Vols missed eight straight shots at one point and remained ahead 5-0 because Auburn matched that ineptitude. The teams hoisted a combined 50 3-pointers making 12 and the first half resembled something that should have been played at Cal Johnson Rec Center rather than Thompson Boling Arena.
That said the Vols responded on a night when Kevin Punter scored only 4 points and Armani Moore had another two point night. Robert Hubbs III (20) and Devon Baulkman (14) came off a milk carton and combined for 34 points and the Vols had only nine turnovers in the contest.
HAS PEARL'S MAGIC DISAPPEARED? All Bruce Pearl ever did was win. In nine seasons at Southern Indiana (231-46), four at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (86-38) and six at Tennessee (145-61) there were only two of nineteen seasons that his teams failed to win at least 20 games (16-13 in his first season at UWM and 19-15 in his last at UT). After serving a three season show cause for transgressions in Knoxville, going 15-20 in his maiden season and currently mired at 9-14 in Year-2 at Auburn some are questioning if his 20 win mastery is a thing of the past? While I believe he jumped too early -and therefore into a bad situation- upon his suspension being lifted I am not prepared to toss his career on the scrap pile just yet. While this season has been rife with ineligibility, injury and suspension issues for the Tigers and their second year coach -and I question his staff makeup- all is not bleak on The Plains. Guard Bryce Brown looks like an excellent player and even if Kareem Canty never suits up again Gs T.J. Dunans and Tahj Shamsid-Deen will. Four-star SF Danjel Purifoy will also be eligible in the 2016-17 after sitting out this season with eligibility issues. I don't believe Pearl's magic has all vanished. and neither do those who follow the program much more closely than I
Here is an outtake from an article by Cole Locascio of
trackemtigers.com:
But believe it or not, there is still good news for the program. While this season currently looks like a bit of a lost cause, the future is very bright for Auburn basketball. Currently sitting at #19 in the 247sports basketball recruiting rankings, the Tigers have picked up a few key commitments for the 2016 class in 5-star forward Mustapha Heron, 4-star guard Jared Harper, and 3-star forward Anfernee McLemore. Not to mention that Auburn’s 2017 class is already shaping nicely with the commitments of 5-star forward Austin Wiley and 4-star guard Davion Mitchell, the 17th and 38th nationally-ranked players in the recruiting class, respectively. Add the likely addition of Danjel Purifoy to that group, and Bruce Pearl will have quite a lot to work with in the coming seasons on the Plains. -
SEC BASEBALL PROSPECTS: The following is a list of SEC baseballers projected by
Baseball America to be selected in the Top-50 in the June MLB Draft. I have also included when and where they appear on the Vols 2016 schedule:
OLE MISS: (Lindsey Nelson Stadium March 8-10): 43-Errol Robinson
VANDERBILT: (Lindsey Nelson Stadium April 22-24): 24-Bryan Reynolds OF; 40-Jordan Sheffield RHP
FLORIDA (Lindsey Nelson Stadium May 6-8): 2-A.J. Puk LHP; 5-Buddy Reed OF; 26-Logan Shore RHP
GEORGIA: (Athens, Ga; May 19-21) 20-Robert Tyler; RHP
TEXAS A&M: (Not on Vols 2016 Schedule) 38-Nick Banks OF
MISSISSIPPI STATE: (Not on Vols 2016 Schedule) 42-Dakota Hudson RHP
ARKANSAS (Not on Vols 2016 Schedule) 50-Zach Jackson RHP
LOOKING AHEAD: The way Tennessee has performed on the road this season suggests that Saturday's game in Columbia Missouri is the Vols last real chance to secure a victory away from Thompson Boling Arena. Here are a few Tiger Tidbits Vol hoop fans should know leading into the 3 PM contest:
PLAYER STATS
-The Tigers have only two players averaging in double figures, 6-7 Fr Forward Kevin Puryear and 6-0 Jr Guard Wes Clark
-6-6 Soph G Namon Wright (4.7 rpg) and Puryear (4.5) lead the Tigers in rebounding
-5-11 Fr G Terrence Phillips (74 assists) and Clark (72 assists) are the main handlers and distributors of the basketball for Mizzou
-6-8 Soph F Jakeenan Gant is the Tiger rim protector with 26 blocked shots on the season
-Phillips is Mizzou's best on-ball defender with 36 steals; Clark has registered 22
TEAM STATS:
-The Tigers shoot only .297 % from beyond the arc
-Mizzou gets outscored by 4 ppg, outrebounded by 2.2 rpg, surrender 2 more 3 pointers/game than they make (5.2-7.5) and are even in turnover margin surrendering and forcing 12/game.
FRIDAY FINALE: Here's some old-school soul for you and your sweetheart on Valentines Day
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