Wright State comes in 135th in KenPom; that’s the lowest 14 seed and lower than two 15 seeds. Since opening with Presbyterian and High Point, the Vols have only played two teams with a lower KenPom rating: Mercer (148) on November 29, and Lipscomb (165) on December 9. That’s what […]
Author: Will Shelton
Kentucky Outlasts Tennessee 77-72; On To The Bracket
A thrilling comeback made for a thrilling game, but Kentucky used a pair of offensive rebounds to turn a 62-61 Tennessee lead with five minutes to play into an advantage they would never relinquish. Jordan Bone’s corner pocket three cut the lead back to one with 1:26 to go, but […]
Vols Torch Arkansas, Face Kentucky in the Finals
On Friday, the Vols won an out-of-character contest against Mississippi State despite season highs in turnovers, missed free throws, and shots blocked. On Saturday, the pendulum swung. Against Arkansas, the Vols hit 11-of-17 from the arc, a season-high 64.7%. Jordan Bone, James Daniel, and Lamonte Turner splashed three each, and […]
SEC Tournament Semifinals: Tennessee vs Arkansas Preview
If last night felt weird, that’s because it was: 33.3% from the field was Tennessee’s second-lowest shooting performance of the season. 60.7% from the free throw line was Tennessee’s second-worst performance of the season, barely beating a 6-of-10 night against LSU. Eleven missed free throws were a season high. Twenty […]
SEC Tournament Quarterfinals: Tennessee vs Mississippi State Preview
When last we met…was 11 days ago. Tennessee played its best game of the year in Starkville, turning a 25-17 deficit into a 76-54 victory. The talking points from that win: Mississippi State put 6’10” Aric Holdman and 6’11” Abdul Ado on the floor at the same time, and made […]
Championship Week: Nashville via St. Louis
The Vols are off until Friday night, plenty of time to celebrate an SEC Championship and an impressive slate of awards: ⭐️ #SECMBB POSTSEASON HONORS ⭐️ + COY : Rick Barnes + POY : Grant Williams + All-SEC : Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield + 6th Man : Lamonté Turner […]
SEC Champions: The Fate We Make
I was 16 rows back in the upper deck yesterday. It’s the farthest from the action I’ve ever been for anything at Thompson-Boling, which was packed seat for seat in all directions for several rows beyond that. The arena’s capacity is sometimes thought of as a weakness. But when it […]
What to Watch: Saturday, March 3
The Vols play for an SEC Championship at 6:00 PM ET tonight, but a handful of other games could impact Tennessee’s fate in the bracket. We’ll all be watching Auburn host South Carolina (3:30 PM, SEC Network), which will in part determine whether the Vols are the one or the […]
Tennessee vs Georgia Preview: For The Scissors
It’s a dangerous thing to allow yourself a moment before the moment. Let’s take the risk. Postseason play of any kind would’ve been progress for Tennessee this year; perhaps flirting with the bubble last season made the big dance the only definition of success. When Tennessee beat Purdue and followed up by […]
Tennessee 76 Mississippi State 54 – The Right Time
We’ve been Mississippi State. For all three of Cuonzo Martin’s years and the final season under Bruce Pearl, the Vols came to the last week of the regular season on the bubble. There were some games like this one, when a tournament-bound team came into Knoxville, one last opportunity for […]