Rick Barnes thread

[shadow_operative 15932]

the one thing that i'll never be able to explain is why Shaka Smart garnered so much good will from so many UT fans for 4, 5, or even all six years. motown is a perfect example. he's still hopelessly obsessed with rick barnes; his favorite team is whoever is playing against Tennessee. and yet he has *zero* animosity towards Shaka Smart. dude creams himself every time Tennessee loses (despite his name being motownHORN and Rick Barnes being the greatest coach in UT history by a mile), and yet he has zero negative feelings towards Shaka Smart. never says a word about him. and he's not alone. not by a long shot. it's a bewildering level of stupidity.

Edited January 18, 2022 by shadow_operative

[MotownHorn 1798]

My favorite team is the Texas longhorns 

Whatever team is playing Tennessee is simply the team that makes me lots of money January through March thanks to old Rick 

[Knoxtnhorn 6066]

18 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

well, just look at both UT and Tennessee before and after Rick Barnes was there, and tell me how each one fared. Tennessee has had, what, two coaches in the last century that were as good as Barnes,  

Ok... from Volnation.

Quote

From 1998 until Rick Barnes arrived, Tennessee's record overall was 374-213 (.637) and in the SEC was 174-120 (.592). There were 11 NCAAs, 3 Sweet 16s and 1 Elite 8 in 18 seasons. Barnes' record is 136-76 (.617) overall and 61-46 in the SEC (.565). He has 3 NCAAs and 1 Sweet 16.

 

[4doorsMoreWhores 107]

58 minutes ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

Ok... from Volnation.

 

I know math is hard, but it looks like Slick Rick is bringing the averages down .

[shadow_operative 15932]

1 hour ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

Ok... from Volnation.

 

i must have missed the part of that post where you refuted anything that i said. 

1998-2005: Kevin O'Neal, Jerry Green, Buzz Peterson. none of them better than Barnes. 

2005-2011: Bruce Pearl, the aforementioned rampant cheater, and one of the guys i named who was as good as/better than Barnes

2011-2015: Cuonzo Martin and Donnie Tyndall. It took you guys, what, like 18 months to turn on Cuonzo and publicly campaign for him to be fired/Bruce Pearl rehired? And then Tyndall got fired for cause after one year. Holy shit what a top tier program y'all are running!

so uh, yeah- did you have some point you were trying to make with that copy/paste of one single paragraph from VolNation?

 

 

[shadow_operative 15932]

1 hour ago, 4doorsMoreWhores said:

I know math is hard, but it looks like Slick Rick is bringing the averages down .

Tennessee KenPom rankings from 2015 (the year before Barnes) to today:

 

2015: 90

2016: 103

2017: 57

2018: 13

2019: 10

2020: 68

2021: 28

2022: 14

 

Yeah, Rick Barnes is definitely bringing down the mighty Tennessee Vols basketball program. 

[shadow_operative 15932]

Tennessee as a program as has been to the Elite 8 once, and has never been to the Final Four. The idea that they deserve better than Barnes is patently fucking stupid, and again, just hilarious. 

[4doorsMoreWhores 107]

5 minutes ago, shadow_operative said:

Tennessee KenPom rankings from 2015 (the year before Barnes) to today:

 

2015: 90

2016: 103

2017: 57

2018: 13

2019: 10

2020: 68

2021: 28

2022: 14

 

Yeah, Rick Barnes is definitely bringing down the mighty Tennessee Vols basketball program. 

Can you not read good? I was referencing Knoxtnhorn's post where he was quoting Volnation. According to those numbers, Barnes has brought down Tennessee's winning percentage overall and in the SEC. I could give a flying shit about Kenpom

Edited January 19, 2022 by 4doorsMoreWhores

[shadow_operative 15932]

imagine this ^^^ being your entire program history (keeping in mind how much of that success was done under Bruce Pearl, who was fired for cause and given a three year show-cause penalty) and then feeling you "deserve" better than a coach like Rick Barnes. just imagine how delusional, entitled, and plain stupid you'd have to be. 

[shadow_operative 15932]

Tennessee Volunteers all time tourney record: 22 total appearances, 22-24 tourney record 

three conference titles since 1982 (one under Barnes)

one elite 8 appearance, ever 

"WE DESERVE BETTER THAN RICK BARNES!!!"

 

[Knoxtnhorn 6066]

In speaking for Vol fans, I believe the "deserved" is aimed more towards Barnes being a Top 5 paid coach.  They're not bitching because they feel historically entitled; they're bitching because they're paying him a lot of money and they don't have "Top 5" results to show for it.  TN has been a Top 5 team for a handful of weeks over the course of 6+ years.  In Barnes' 6 years...

2016 - No tourney

2017 - No tourney

2018 - Lost to the 11 seed as a 3 seed

2019 - Lost to the 3 seed as a 2 seed

2020 - No tourney (covid year)

2021 - Lost to the 12 seed as a 5 seed

2022 - Currently 24th

FYI, TN had 3 Sweet 16s and an Elite 8 in the 7 years before Barnes arrived.

 

 

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

On 10/20/2021 at 8:54 AM, LTtxfan said:

Chancellor Donde Plowman

I wonder if they were able to serve him with the suit. Seems like a hard guy to find.

[shadow_operative 15932]

4 hours ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

In speaking for Vol fans, I believe the "deserved" is aimed more towards Barnes being a Top 5 paid coach.  They're not bitching because they feel historically entitled; they're bitching because they're paying him a lot of money and they don't have "Top 5" results to show for it.  TN has been a Top 5 team for a handful of weeks over the course of 6+ years.  In Barnes' 6 years...

2016 - No tourney

2017 - No tourney

2018 - Lost to the 11 seed as a 3 seed

2019 - Lost to the 3 seed as a 2 seed

2020 - No tourney (covid year)

2021 - Lost to the 12 seed as a 5 seed

2022 - Currently 24th

FYI, TN had 3 Sweet 16s and an Elite 8 in the 7 years before Barnes arrived.

 

 

this is what happens when all you focus on is tourney results. in 2018 y'all lost on a buzzer beater to a team that went to the final four. in 2019 you lost a S16 game in OT against a red hot Carsen Edwards. those aren't bad losses. they're tough pills to swallow,  it that's the tourney. 

this is also what happens when fans immediately get tired of the amazing things happening in front of them and decide they deserve more. name another coach who takes the likes of Bone, Schofield, and Williams and turns them into All Conference/All American players who end up as the no.1 team in America for more than a month. go ahead, name any other coach who could feasibly have done that. you can't. nobody does that better than Rick Barnes. nobody.

that's the blessing and the curse of Rick Barnes- he takes a bunch of spare parts who nobody else wants, turns them into the absolute best versions of themselves, has them playing over their heads for entire seasons, gets them to a high ranking/nice tourney seed, and then when he doesn't make the EE or the FF he's a failure. it's just sad to me how many fans can't appreciate the things he does simply because he doesn't win big in the tourney. 

Edited January 19, 2022 by shadow_operative

[shadow_operative 15932]

Barnes currently has the Tennessee program as:

•a perennially ranked team

•a team that plays in the tourney every year

•a team that is competitive for a top 2-3 finish in the SEC essentially every year 

•a program that is attractive to 5 star recruits from all over 

 

that should be enough. that should be more than enough for a program like Tennessee. When i think Tennessee Hoops i think of random good players/teams that pop up every decade or so- Bernie and Ernie; Dale Ellis; Alan Houston; Chris Lofton; Schofield/Bone/Williams. the history of Tennessee Hoops is so spread out and underwhelming, it just sort of blows my mind that people would be bitching about the current state of the program, and feeling like y'all need to fire the coach. to me that's just totally delusional.

 

Edited January 19, 2022 by shadow_operative

[4doorsMoreWhores 107]

They deserved better

[shadow_operative 15932]

oh yeah i almost forgot, the other HUGE thing about Barnes- he was brought in to Tennessee to change the culture, and he's done that. how does no one appreciate that? 

Pearl- fired for cause, three year show-cause

Cuonzo- the fans turned on him so quickly he got the hell outta dodge after taking y'all to the S16 with a mediocre team 

Tyndall- was fired for cause offer one season 

 

that is toxic dysfunction if i've ever seen it. Barnes was brought in to stabilize things, and to do so knowing that he wasn't going to put a black mark on the program a la Pearl and Tyndall. Barnes has done everything he was hired to do and then some. the only thing left for him to do is go further in the tourney. if/when he does that, it will be the second EE appearance in program history. and people want him fired? again, that's just delusional.

Edited January 19, 2022 by shadow_operative

[LTtxfan 49372]

On 1/17/2022 at 1:19 PM, Knoxtnhorn said:

He's turning into persona non grata in Knoxville.  There are a few that have his back; however, this recent slate of games have not helped him at all.

[Knoxtnhorn 6066]

Goddammit Derka.  I did NOT go to TN.  You call me a Vol again, I'm going to drive down to Pflugerville and beat your ass.

Just kidding.  You're one of my fav posters and do make good points in defense of Barnes.  I hope to be able to shake your hand next week at the game.

[shadow_operative 15932]

24 minutes ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

Goddammit Derka.  I did NOT go to TN.  You call me a Vol again, I'm going to drive down to Pflugerville and beat your ass.

Just kidding.  You're one of my fav posters and do make good points in defense of Barnes.  I hope to be able to shake your hand next week at the game.

lol it's true though, i do keep doing it, no matter how many times you remind me. maybe one day i'll learn. maybe. lol

and hell yeah bro. just shoot me a message and we'll make it happen capn. 

Edited January 20, 2022 by shadow_operative

[Deej 76944]

When you have Derka on ignore, it's funny how you can scroll half a page without a single post because he can't consolidate his thoughts into less than 4 or 5 posts.

[shadow_operative 15932]

having a brain this big and an intellect this vast can definitely be a burden at times.

[Brian Fantana 6691]

wrong thread

Edited January 20, 2022 by Brian Fantana

[4doorsMoreWhores 107]

1 hour ago, Deej said:

When you have Derka on ignore, it's funny how you can scroll half a page without a single post because he can't consolidate his thoughts into less than 4 or 5 posts.

It must look like a big cave inside here to you

[shadow_operative 15932]

 

 

[shadow_operative 15932]

[shadow_operative 15932]

 

[shadow_operative 15932]

5 hours ago, MotownHorn said:

It’s funny that you tell that story like it shows what a great coach Barnes is instead of it being clear evidence that he wears his guys down and that’s why his teams almost always get worse as the season goes on instead of getting better. 

from 1997-2012 Barnes' teams finished in the top 32 of the kenpom rankings 15/16 years. the one year finished outside the top 32 (98-99, Rick's first year at Texas), the team started out 3-8, only to go 13-3 in conference play, ending with a league title for Texas. during that time Barnes's teams went to six Sweet 16's, three Elite 8's, and a Final Four, winning three league titles along the way. doesn't really sound like a guy whose team get worse as the season progresses, does it?

the truth is that Barnes had two late season collapses at Texas, one that was totally egregious, and totally on him, and another that was a combination of shitty luck, and bone headed guard play. other than that, yeah, Rick Barnes's teams lose more games in january and february than they did in november and december- just like every other major conference team in America. you and all of the reddit dorks can keep banging that uninformed drum of you want to, but it won't make it any less stupid or incorrect. 

[shadow_operative 15932]

Rick Barnes goes to Tennessee, inherits a program in shambles, signs two recruiting classes full of players who nobody else in the SEC wanted, develops those players into becoming better than they'd ever dreamed they could be, wins the league title, sees his players earn All Conference and All American Awards, sees them go on to play in the NBA, and oh yeah, churns out seasons like these:

 

and yet people like motown horn still ignorantly insist, "BuT hE AlWayS bEaTs HiS PlaYeRs dOwN AnD hiS TeAms AlwAyS gEt WoRse." 

tune in later today for more lazy and combative takes from the board's resident derka, Motownhorn.

[LTtxfan 49372]

On 1/17/2022 at 1:19 PM, Knoxtnhorn said:

He's turning into persona non grata in Knoxville.  There are a few that have his back; however, this recent slate of games have not helped him at all.

9-3 in conference is good.  Next 6 games include Auburn, Kentucky, and two vs Arky.  My guess is Vols end up with 6 conference losses.

Pretty respectable regular season for Barnes imo...

[MotownHorn 1798]

56 minutes ago, shadow_operative said:

Rick Barnes goes to Tennessee, inherits a program in shambles, signs two recruiting classes full of players who nobody else in the SEC wanted, develops those players into becoming better than they'd ever dreamed they could be, wins the league title, sees his players earn All Conference and All American Awards, sees them go on to play in the NBA, and oh yeah, churns out seasons like these:

and yet people like motown horn still ignorantly insist, "BuT hE AlWayS bEaTs HiS PlaYeRs dOwN AnD hiS TeAms AlwAyS gEt WoRse." 

tune in later today for more lazy and combative takes from the board's resident derka, Motownhorn.

Somehow you think posting his 2019 record where Tennessee lost 4 of the last 11 and got knocked out in the Sweet 16 as a 2 seed proves that his teams don't get worse as the season goes on.

It's amazing.

[MotownHorn 1798]

If you Google "worst NCAA basketball tournament coach" a whole lot of links come up naming Rick Barnes.

But yeah, it's just me who thinks his teams almost always get worse as the season goes on 🙄

[Rimbo 26140]

On 1/17/2022 at 9:34 PM, shadow_operative said:

the one thing that i'll never be able to explain is why Shaka Smart garnered so much good will from so many UT fans for 4, 5, or even all six years. motown is a perfect example. he's still hopelessly obsessed with rick barnes; his favorite team is whoever is playing against Tennessee. and yet he has *zero* animosity towards Shaka Smart. dude creams himself every time Tennessee loses (despite his name being motownHORN and Rick Barnes being the greatest coach in UT history by a mile), and yet he has zero negative feelings towards Shaka Smart. never says a word about him. and he's not alone. not by a long shot. it's a bewildering level of stupidity.

bitterwhiteguy has entered the battle!

[Rimbo 26140]

1 hour ago, MotownHorn said:

If you Google "worst NCAA basketball tournament coach" a whole lot of links come up naming Rick Barnes.

But yeah, it's just me who thinks his teams almost always get worse as the season goes on 🙄

"It's on Google; it must be true." 

Yeah, I can also Google and find lots of links showing that the universe was in fact created by the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Does that mean we should all convert to pastafarian? We should live in fear and awe of his noodly appendages?

Or, you know, you could pull out some actual data and see if it backs you up. @shadow_operative has already, so you've got some work cut out for you.

Oh, and, counterpoint: Barnes is only a worse tournament guy than Shaka because Barnes actually made it to the tournament regularly.

Edited February 13, 2022 by Rimbo

[shadow_operative 15932]

1 hour ago, MotownHorn said:

Somehow you think posting his 2019 record where Tennessee lost 4 of the last 11 and got knocked out in the Sweet 16 as a 2 seed proves that his teams don't get worse as the season goes on.

It's amazing.

right. those losses:

at # 8 Kentucky

at #19 LSU, by two, in OT

at #11 Auburn

vs #11 Auburn in the SEC Title Game

vs #9 Purdue in the Sweet 16

 

only someone with an axe to grind (or just a moron) would characterize that as any sort of late season collapse. it really is amazing. 

 

[shadow_operative 15932]

1 hour ago, MotownHorn said:

If you Google "worst NCAA basketball tournament coach" a whole lot of links come up naming Rick Barnes.

But yeah, it's just me who thinks his teams almost always get worse as the season goes on 🙄

no, it's not just you. it's you and every other CBB fan who likes to parrot false truths that you've heard without ever bothering to actually educate yourselves on the subject. and there's a whole bunch of you. plenty of people also believe that the earth is flat, and that the last US Presidential election was rigged. doesn't make it any less stupid or incorrect.

Rick Barnes has coached in 22 of the last 25 NCAA Tournaments. he missed once in 17 years at Texas, then missed it his first two years at Tennessee. after those first two years at Tennessee he won the league (when his team was picked to finish 13th out of 14 teams), played in back to back league tourney title games, and then won ncaa tourney games in back to back years, only losing last second contests to Loyola-Chicago (Final Four team) and Carsen Edwards' Purdue team (Elite 8).

Tell me more about how every team that Rick Barnes coaches collapses as the season goes on.

Edited February 13, 2022 by shadow_operative

[Rimbo 26140]

1 hour ago, shadow_operative said:

no, it's not just you. it's you and every other CBB fan who likes to parrot false truths that you've heard without ever bothering to actually educate yourselves on the subject. and there's a whole bunch of you. plenty of people also believe that the earth is flat, and that the last US Presidential election was rigged. doesn't make it any less stupid or incorrect.

There's actually research behind this: The more you state something, the more it's believed to be true.

What's more, if you state the negation of something, people will forget the negation and strengthen the association with the positive statement. The more you deny it, the more people will believe it, and those who believe it will believe it more strongly.

The more you deny it, the more people will believe it, and those who believe it will believe it more strongly.

For example, I could tell people that Craig James did NOT kill 5 hookers when he was at SMU. You might not know that Craig James was a football player at SMU in the 80s, where he allegedly murdered 5 hookers, but the allegation that Craig James killed 5 hookers at SMU is categorically false. That Craig James murdered 5 hookers while at SMU is a vicious lie made up by some message board miscreants. But the more I tell you that Craig James didn't murder 5 hookers while at SMU, the stronger your brain makes the association between Craig James and killing 5 hookers at SMU, even though I am doing nothing but telling you that the opposite of Craig James killing 5 hookers while at SMU is true. I admit I can't disprove that Craig James killed 5 hookers while at SMU, nor can I prove that EDSBS just made up the fact that Craig James killed 5 hookers while at SMU for some ulterior purpose. Also, the less you know about him, the stronger the statement that Craig James killed 5 hookers while at SMU becomes, even though I keep telling you it's false, to the point that years from now, all you'll remember about Craig James is that he killed 5 hookers while at SMU, even though I keep telling that Craig James did not kill 5 hookers while at SMU.

Your brain drops the "not" from the sentence, and all it remembers is that Craig James killed 5 hookers while he was at SMU.

Anyway.

Where was I?

Oh yeah... drunk posting on a Sunday afternoon, waiting for the Superb Owl to start.

 

[shadow_operative 15932]

 

 

 

i was just told that after the Baylor loss, Coach Beard brought out all five starters to the post game presser, and straight up called them soft to the media before having them all answer questions. this is exactly what i'm talking about. accountability. "i have to be honest." yes you do Coach Beard. and all great coaches know this. 

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by shadow_operative

[Herpa Derpa 6132]

THE collapse was 2009-10, when the team started 17-0, were ranked #1, then finished the season 6-8, and lost in the Round of 64. A similar year followed in '10-11 with a high ranking of #3, then losing 3 of last 5 in the regular season, and a Round of 32 exit. With no subsequent deep runs over the following years, the die was cast.

His time at Texas is unfairly marred by that two year span in an otherwise outstanding tenure. But '09-10 was an epic collapse of monumental proportions, and it's no surprise the stain is still visible.

[Underdog 28784]

OT:  that Purdue team should’ve been a FF Team if not for the unprecedented luck shown by UVA,  Edwards was just on another level that tournament. 

[Rimbo 26140]

22 minutes ago, Herpa Derpa said:

THE collapse was 2009-10, when the team started 17-0, were ranked #1, then finished the season 6-8, and lost in the Round of 64. A similar year followed in '10-11 with a high ranking of #3, then losing 3 of last 5 in the regular season, and a Round of 32 exit. With no subsequent deep runs over the following years, the die was cast.

His time at Texas is unfairly marred by that two year span in an otherwise outstanding tenure. But '09-10 was an epic collapse of monumental proportions, and it's no surprise the stain is still visible.

I'll never disagree with the decision to terminate Barnes, any more than I disagree with the decision to terminate Brown. Both were showing signs of decline, and changes needed to be made.

But anytime you make a change like that, you take a risk. Strong and Smart obviously were not the guys. I take issue with the folks who defend Smart (and by "take issue with" I mean "point and laugh at") vs.... well, anyone.

[shadow_operative 15932]

1 hour ago, Herpa Derpa said:

THE collapse was 2009-10, when the team started 17-0, were ranked #1, then finished the season 6-8, and lost in the Round of 64. A similar year followed in '10-11 with a high ranking of #3, then losing 3 of last 5 in the regular season, and a Round of 32 exit. With no subsequent deep runs over the following years, the die was cast.

His time at Texas is unfairly marred by that two year span in an otherwise outstanding tenure. But '09-10 was an epic collapse of monumental proportions, and it's no surprise the stain is still visible.

the 09-10 season is the worst sports moment/memory of my life, and something that i'll never fully get over. by all accounts that one was 100% on Rick losing his team with his anger.

in 2011 we got screwed all kinds of different ways, from our seed, to our opponents, to the bogus five second call. just terrible, and something that severely impacted Barnes's legacy as well as his job security at Texas. the other part of that late season collapse was J'Covan Brown feuding with Barnes and Jordan Hamilton, and just not being ready to lead a team in that situation (not until the Arizona game anyway, which, again, was some total bullshit.

those two seasons and one bill simmons article have led to college basketball fans everywhere to parroting this narrative that Rick Barnes teams always collapse, that he's the worst tourney coach ever, and that he wastes more talent than anyone. and as @Rimbo has laid out, no amount of fact checking has had any effect on this people's insistence that they're right.  

[shadow_operative 15932]

6 hours ago, Underdog said:

OT:  that Purdue team should’ve been a FF Team if not for the unprecedented luck shown by UVA,  Edwards was just on another level that tournament. 

Edwards went full Steph Curry during that tourney. 

[Texastaco20 32]

I love Rick Barnes. Rick Barnes loves me. That is all. 

[chitown bevo 17]

Barnes may not be the best but, Calipari is not leaving UK to come to Tenn. So I would ask Vols fans a simple question.......Who are you bringing in to replace Barnes that would be an upgrade that would actually take the deal ? Based on the dumpster fire in the football hirings, I would say leave Barnes alone before you end up in the desert like the football program was.

 

Edited February 14, 2022 by chitown bevo

[MotownHorn 1798]

On 2/13/2022 at 5:54 PM, Rimbo said:

I'll never disagree with the decision to terminate Barnes, any more than I disagree with the decision to terminate Brown. Both were showing signs of decline, and changes needed to be made.

But anytime you make a change like that, you take a risk. Strong and Smart obviously were not the guys. I take issue with the folks who defend Smart (and by "take issue with" I mean "point and laugh at") vs.... well, anyone.

Here’s a crazy idea guys….

Maybe Barnes and Shaka both suck. Maybe you’re a grown man who doesn’t need to figuratively suck the dick of another grown man because he’s your favorite basketball coach.

Derkas obsession with defending Barnes is just sad and pathetic 

[MotownHorn 1798]

Here’s statistical analysis from 2018 showing Barnes ranking 558th out of 560 at coaching in the tournament in terms of wins over expected wins.

Since this analysis was done Barnes has lost as a 3 to an 11, a 2 to a 3, and a 5 to a 12

In other words, his wins over expected wins stat has gotten EVEN WORSE since he was ranked 558th out of 560

This conversation is stupid and I’m not having it anymore. You can call me names because your favorite basketball coach objectively sucks as much as you like, derka. Have at it!

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/jim-boeheim-is-the-new-king-of-march-madness/

[shadow_operative 15932]

1 hour ago, MotownHorn said:

Here’s a crazy idea guys….

Maybe Barnes and Shaka both suck. Maybe you’re a grown man who doesn’t need to figuratively suck the dick of another grown man because he’s your favorite basketball coach.

Derkas obsession with defending Barnes is just sad and pathetic 

why do you even post here? why do you even come into this thread if it bothers you so much? haven't you already gotten a timeout for this exact type of post in this thread?

edit: LMAO, i just now saw motowns next post. jesus christ. the guy who obsessively bumps this thread to start these conversations and to talk shit to everyone else in here says that he's done with this thread, that this conversation is stupid, and that we all can continue to call him names (???) if we want to. 

i won't hold my breath on motown keeping his word.

Edited February 15, 2022 by shadow_operative

[shadow_operative 15932]

and for anyone else who still wants to earnestly participate in this thread, that 538 article has been addressed ad nauseam since TOS was still around. The fact is that Rick Barnes is a completely average tourney coach who you generally can pencil in to play to his seed. he's been to the tourney 26 times, a huge sample size, and he has zero big upset wins, and really only 2-3 bad losses in that time. the idea that he's the worst tourney coach (which isn't even the argument that motown was making until an hour ago) is false.

 

[shadow_operative 15932]

46 minutes ago, longhornmatt said:

No, his tournament record is bad for being such a large sample size and for having so much talent.  A Longhorn message board thread didn’t debunk the 538 analysis.  The numbers are what they are.

the 538 article is based on how you do vs your seed. losing a bunch of 4 vs 5 and 8 vs 9 games as the higher seed does not equal "bottom 0.2% of tourney coaches." that's frankly asinine. Rick Barnes is not a good tourney coach, but he is FAR from being the worst. anything that ranks him 558 out if 560 is patently flawed. 

[shadow_operative 15932]

also, you know as well as i do that a part of Barnes's tourney struggles are a result of his ability to get lower rated recruits to play over their heads. he takes flawed, under-appreciated recruits and gets them to play above what anyone would have predicted coming out of HS. he wins 20, 25, 30 regular season games and earns a high seed, and then he struggles to go any further than his talent says he should in the tourney. no doubt he has underachieved as a tourney coach, but again, a part of that is that he consistently overachieves during the regular season. nobody is suing he's even a "good" tourney coach. but claiming he's one of the absolute worst is a)wrong, and b)ignoring his overachievement during the regular season.