All of these things can be true at the same time: The Vols were on the wrong end of an unfortunate call in the final minutes of a big game. An Auburn three should have been ruled basket interference. There are plenty of other things Tennessee could have done better […]
Author: Will Shelton
Tennessee at Auburn Preview
Since the SEC expanded in 2012-13 and went to an 18-game schedule, here are your champions: 2013: Florida wins at 14-4, three others at 12-6 2014: Florida goes undefeated at 18-0, two others 12-6 2015: Kentucky goes undefeated at 18-0, Arkansas 13-5 2016: Texas A&M and Kentucky split at 13-5 […]
Hello Defense My Old Friend
We’ve said it plenty of times this year: with the exception of seven seed UConn in 2014, every national champion of the KenPom era has had a Top 20 offense and defense (original story from the SB Nation Villanova blog last February). In the last week of the regular season, […]
Mississippi State Preview & #1 Seed Update
Let’s return to a question we posed before the Kentucky game: would you rather be the one seed in Kansas City, or the two seed in Louisville? I’m not worried about the difference between playing a 15 or 16 seed, or even the potential quality of opponent in the Sweet […]
If Lexington Was The Exception, Knoxville Must Be The Rule
The best blueprint to beat Tennessee was fairly straightforward: get to the free throw line. The only teams to do it – Kansas (34), Kentucky (33), and LSU (31) – all got to the stripe at least 30 times, and all shot at least 15 more free throws than the […]
All Roads Lead Through Kentucky
Welcome to March. Ric Flair turned 70 this week (woo). So yes, to be the man, you’ve gotta beat the man. And yes, generally speaking, Kentucky gets to be the man in the SEC until someone else takes it from them on a regular basis. But it’s also true that […]
Free Throws Carry LSU to 82-80 Overtime Win
Tremont Waters did not play with an illness. Tennessee held Naz Reid to a single point – one overtime free throw – and 0-for-9 from the floor. The Vols also were even with LSU on the offensive glass at 13 each, though the Tigers only had 11 until back-to-back offensive […]
Here Comes The Money
Here’s the best way I know to describe what’s no longer on the horizon, but finally here: Tennessee (24-2, 12-1) has played eight games against KenPom’s Tier A, representing a Top 50 opponent when adjusting for location. Half of those came in the non-conference (Louisville, Kansas, Gonzaga, Memphis). Both games […]
The Vols Still Make Their Own Fate
With 111 entries, all of them updated since the Kentucky game, the Bracket Matrix still has Tennessee as a one seed. And it’s fairly comfortable: the Vols are the last one seed with an average seed of 1.22, and Kentucky is the first two seed with an average of 1.88. […]
Kentucky 86 Tennessee 69 – Educated or Exposed?
The Vols will have to deal with some talk of the latter after this one. Its ultimate destiny will depend on how much it invests in the former. The first half was pure violence, Kentucky six points ahead behind the work of P.J. Washington inside and Keldon Johnson outside. The […]