[WarAJEagle]

ShocksMyBrain, on 11 February 2012 - 08:04 PM, said:

Only caught 2 minute and they were miserable.

So when are we expected to actually get good?

I just don't get it, at all.

[penguin149]

Tony Barbee is a very wise man...he signed his contract before the SEC season started.

[Clint]

I'm lost for words. I just dont know anymore...Such a rollercoaster season. I can handle losing to Kentucky and Mississippi State when we play like we do, and almost win, but that just makes loses like this and against Tennessee and Alabama much harder to take. This team plays so up to the good talent, but then well below the bad teams...

[AUdmd07]

We suck. Plain and simple. Either we don't show up or we can't finish, but the end result is the same, a loss. Our 13 wins have been over some weak sauce teams. Coach Barbee has some work to do to even turn us into a NIT team, let alone NCAA squad.

[rtftiger]

Three things that I have noticed:

1. In every game, there is a stretch of 6 minutes or so where we have empty possession after empty possession. When we're lucky, the other team is sucking on offense, too. When it's really bad, our offensive mistakes lead to quick scores for the other team. The latter was the case last night. A 14-0 run is utterly ridiculous and should never happen.

2. We still have no offensive identity when it gets to crunch time. Last night, we were down 5 with 90 seconds to go, not an unmanageable deficit. However, you have to get the ball into the hands of players who are trustworthy with the basketball. We ran a called set to get the ball to Chubb. I'm not sure that he has made a bucket in the last 90 seconds all year. His value for us is early in the game, when he has energy and focus. By the end of the game, he has usually either fouled out or is too winded to handle the entry pass. Last night, he actually caught it and got a good shot. But he was tired, didn't get any lift, and hit the front of the rim from 4 feet.

3. Kenny Gabriel seems to disappear in the most important moments. Last night, he hit a late 3 that gave us a chance. However, during the scoreless streaks and at the end of many games, he may as well be invisible.

The truth is that our players contribute in the ways that they do because of guts and determination. Our overall talent level is better than last year. Next year, we should be even better.

[WarAJEagle]

How many of these players were recruited by Barbee? I'm going to wait and see what we do next season with the recruiting class coming in, before I judge the coach.