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Monday, February 25, 2008
This past weekend, Tennessee defeated the Memphis Tigers 66-62. Today, they're the number one ranked men's basketball team in the country. I'd intended to blog about the "big game" all weekend, but I've quite frankly been too interested in reading what other people had to say about it.
I know this much - I am jazzed about UT hoops, and have been since we pasted Texas in Austin in 2005 (Bruce Pearl's first season). There's just something about this guy and his team that is contagious. It used to be that we'd yawn through basketball season, asking when kickoff for football was going to be. Now, quite frankly, football is the last thing on my mind. I don't want this basketball season to end. It's been that much fun.
I'm trying not to drink the orange Kool-Aid, but I know that if Bruce Pearl is selling it, I'm probably going to be taking a swig. I can imagine this guy talking to his players about winning an unwinnable game, but never wavering in his confidence in them. I imagine that if he told them they could fly, they'd be leaping right off the roof of Gibbs Hall, flapping their wings all the way. Of course, the way things have gone for the Big Orange, I wouldn't be surprised if the team took to the air and looped around campus.
Seriously though, if we can somehow manage to take down the Commodores, Wildcats, Gators, and Gamecocks, even without an SEC Tournament win, we're getting a number one seed. Did anyone think seriously that we'd be a number one men's basketball seed, ever? Seriously? I didn't. I gotta believe that Bruce Pearl is the only one who believed that.
One more thing. Today's poll reflected a unanimous choice of the Vols as #1 by the coaches, but, undeterred, three nincompoops chose UNC or UCLA as the new #1 in the AP poll. To those writers, I ask - did you even watch the game? What does it take for you guys to vote for the Vols for the top slot? I can figure out the 2 Illinois writers, since the whole state still carries a grudge against Bruce for ratting on the Illini for recruiting violations. But what's with this joker in Tacoma? Didn't he see the Vols smack around the Zags in Seattle? Probably not, based on the voting. But you know, voting isn't nearly as relevant anymore anyway. I'm just asking - what's the reasoning?
You might believe that UCLA or UNC would beat UT, but so what? Look at the body of work. Did UT lose to the ninth place team in their conference? Did they lose to unranked opponents on their home floor? Did UNC or UCLA beat a previously unbeaten foe on the road? When they do, give me a ballot, and I'll vote for them too. Until then, you're crazy not to give the Vols their due.
Oh, and if we somehow make it to San Antonio, I am there. (Please, honey... can I go? :-) )Labels: Basketball, Vols
.: posted by
Dave
4:11 PM
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Don't ever let it be said that ESPN doesn't respect what's going on with Volunteer basketball.Labels: Basketball, ESPN, Vols
.: posted by
Dave
1:43 PM
Thursday, November 29, 2007
I'm Just Sayin'...
Every sign points to a sure Tennessee loss in this week's SEC Championship Game. Statistics all favor the Bayou Bengals. So does sheer talent. You can argue about the intangibles such as motivation, injuries, etc. But of all the things I've seen this week, here's the one I have found most interesting.
Tennessee is 6-2-1 against the spread in its last 9 games and LSU is 1-7-1 against the spread in its last 9 games.
The spread - LSU by 7 1/2.
Again, I'm just sayin'.Labels: Vols
.: posted by
Dave
5:36 PM
Saturday, November 24, 2007
In case you missed it, the Vols are the SEC Eastern division champion after their spectacular 52-50 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats. Lots of coverage here.
And for some sour grapes coverage, see here and here. One particularly amusing article stands out in the Athens rag. The reality-challenged sportswriter penned this hilarious item:
"If Georgia's players saw the Tennessee-Kentucky highlights after the Bulldogs' seventh straight win over Georgia Tech, they had to realize how badly they played against the Volunteers on Oct. 6. Bottom line? If Georgia played Tennessee in a week, the Bulldogs would win by two touchdowns. Tennessee, as the rest of the country saw in Lexington, Ky., is nothing more than an average team."
This ilicited the following response from me:
Do you really believe that? You think that the Dawgs just played poorly, and that the Vols' effort in the 35-14 pasting in Neyland Stadium had nothing to do with the result? That's more than just arrogant. It's stupid.
Look, I've watched every available SEC game this season. The Dawgs had their moments. So did the Vols. Who is the better team? There's only one way to know for sure, and that's to look at what happened on the field.
It bears repeating (since you firmly believe that the Dawgs are far superior to the Vols) - 35 to 14. In case you are numerically challenged, that's thirty-five for the Vols, and fourteen for the Dawgs.
So when you're sitting at home years from now recalling your BCS invitation, remember this - only one thing matters in competitive team sports, and that's championships. And in 2007, the Vols won the SEC East. The Dawgs did not.
Now excuse me while I go to the TiVo and watch the 35-14 Vols win over Georgia. It bears viewing again, for old times' sake.Labels: Vols
.: posted by
Dave
9:19 PM
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