Tennessee Game Thread

[LJay]

Tennessee has no answer for Edey. They will match well across the rest of the team. So wanted to see an Edey vs Kalk matchup. Bummed.

All season the “turning down good shots hunting great ones” was a great strategy but last night they should have been taking the good ones when they showed up a bit more. The 75 they put up was a bit of a mirage as the good ones they took late and made got us to that number.

The real dagger was how well Tennessee shot the 3 ball. Outside of Knecht that just wasn’t who they were this year. Hats off to them but I’m not seeing them get past Purdue.

[DC_JAY]

This doesn't crack the top five or hardest NCAA Tourney losses for me. Last year the Jays were dealt an amazing hand in a collapsed bracket. This year they had a really tough road.

Tennessee did a lot of things right. They do take care of the ball, averaging just over 10 TOs per game, but last night they only committed 4 TOs. While they shoot a lot of threes (25.4 per game), they are middling (162nd, 34.2%). Last night they shot their typical volume, but connected on 45.8%. If they shoot their average, they connect on 7-8 threes rather than 11. Their offensive efficiency was also solid against a typically good Creighton defense.

The officiating was a factor but not the factor. Tennessee puts its opponents on the line an average of 22 times per game. Freakin' St. Peters got 19 FTs in a blowout loss. The Jays got 13 FTs despite taking plenty of contested shots. Yes, I know that the Jays statistically don't take many FTs per game. Baylor and Kalk got hacked to pieces in the paint. Tennessee commits 17.1 fouls per game. Last night they were whistled for 14.

Creighton could have won this with just slightly better offense or slightly better defense. Before hitting two meaningless threes with the game decided, Alexander was 1-10. Bello was 0-3. Even Kalk was 2-7 in the second half (though he was getting hit on a number of his shots). Ashworth and Baylor had the sort of games the Jays needed, but you've got to fire on all cylinders against a top-5 opponent. Defensively, the Jays did a decent job on Knecht. 21 shots to get 19 points from the field. But they collectively lost focus on that run.

There were a few key moments during the game that really stood out:

1:56 1st Half -- Jays are up 33-29. Ashworth launches a nice-looking three that just barely misses. Tennessee rebounds and hits its own three seconds later. What if?

5:39 2nd Half -- Jays have fought back to get within 3 points. Their defensive changeup has Tennessee flustered. Knecht comes off a screen to hit a three. What a shot.

4:17 2nd half -- Ashworth makes a layup to cut the lead to 68-64. Over the next two and a half minutes, the score doesn't budge. Tennessee misses five shots (Knecht misses three) and turns the ball over once. This was the Jays' opportunity to tie it up or take the lead. But...

* Ashworth turnover (blown ref call)
* Kalk miss
* Kalk miss

Damn.

[Chicagojayfan]

great post DC_Jay

[SDJay]

great post DC_Jay

+1
I can't bring myself to watch it again this soon. Need decompression time. I still haven't watched replay of last year's E8 game, so it might be a while.

[Trifecta]

Tough loss, but after the way this season went I didn’t expect much out of this team in March anyway. After sitting with it, not too broken up about it like I was last year.

At the end of the day these dudes are getting paid 300k+ to go out there, stand around and play soft. Don’t know if I’ll ever care as much as I did when they were just doing it for the school. Let em move on and let’s start fresh with young guys like Green.

Checking in on the board this morning and see this post... Utterly infuriating. EAD.

[bugmuncher]

TFW your team makes it to the Sweet 16, loses to a team with elite athletes, and somehow it's still kinda disappointing....

[jayc13]

There's always one. Hopefully he's at least 80 years old. If not, I'm a little concerned. Haha! No Jay fan was happy about last night, but get a little perspective.

[jayc13]

That 18-oh spurt was uncharacteristic of this veteran team. And even though they didn't quit, that took too much energy to get it back and it was over at that point. I won't comment on the way the game was called, but I concur what others have said. I think it gets into players' heads, especially Trey last night.

[CUGrads03]

Also, the section of the fanbase who parades around with their burner accounts on twitter talking about how we’ve accomplished nothing of substance and how all our March runs have been cake walks can kick rocks and pound sand.

43 year old fist shaking at the clouds moment here but I loath burner accounts (and the society we’ve become that allows them to be a thing). Just gotta keep telling myself that anyone who gets an impression of a fan base (or a population/group of any kind) from those ass hats hopefully is in the minority.

What a season (again). What an experience (again). What a time to be a GD Jay! Every year I find myself having the same gratitude and misty eyes for the ones who will be departing and every year I think no one will fill their shoes. Then they move on into the “history” part of my brain as a new crop of amazing youth athletes and representatives parade on it. Ah sports, the pain and the joy. I’m so thankful I stand with a great program.

[DC_JAY]

great post DC_Jay

+1
I can't bring myself to watch it again this soon. Need decompression time. I still haven't watched replay of last year's E8 game, so it might be a while.

I don't think I'll ever be able to watch that SDSU game again.

My top-five most painful Tourney losses are:

1) 2023 SDSU -- Win and you are probably a coin flip from a national title.
2) 2014 Baylor -- Such a sad way for an amazing era to end.
3) 2003 C Michigan -- A tough way for one of Creighton's best players to finish.
4) 2018 K State -- The pain grew as the tournament continued. Jays had a path to the FF. Foster didn't get a Tourney win.
5) 2005 W Virginia -- Not sure why this one stung worse than others.