Category Archives: Basketball

Tennessee Basketball Nets No. 3 Seed in South Region; Starts NCAA Tournament Against Wright State in Dallas

 

Beat Kentucky on Sunday, and Tennessee could have stared down a No. 2 seed, and the Vols were hoping they’d be getting it in their back yard in Nashville.

Instead, following a 77-72 loss to Kentucky in the SEC Tournament Final, UT had to settle for what could wind up a pretty sweet consolation prize. Rick Barnes’ Vols wound up getting a pretty sweet draw in Dallas. No, they won’t get to play in the friendly confines of the Music City, but a glimpse at Tennessee’s bracket shows favorable matchups all the way through to the Sweet 16 and perhaps even the Elite 8.

First thing’s first with the news: Tennessee got the No. 3 seed in the South Region, playing No. 14 seed Wright State in Dallas on Thursday. The Raiders went 25-9 and finished second in the Horizon League, trouncing Cleveland State 74-57 in the tournament final to earn the automatic bid.

So, what does Tennessee know about the Raiders?

Yep. That’s about as much as we all know, but let’s look a little deeper at them and the Horizon League.

Northern Kentucky won the regular-season title, but Wright State was the best team throughout the season. The Raiders beat the regular-season champions both times it played them, by narrow margins each time. They also beat Georgia Tech, 85-81 in Atlanta back in December. There were some bad losses throughout the year, too, but Wright State is a well put-together team that thrives defensively but is inconsistent scoring the basketball.

The Raiders are led by senior guards Grant Benzinger and Justin Mitchell, as well as 6’9″, 275-pound freshman sensation  Loudon Love, who averages 12.9 points and 9.8 boards per game. But they have just two players over 6’7″, and they don’t pose much of a match-up threat for UT. They are 27th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 65.7 points per game, though they score just 72.1 (225th).

For what it’s worth, 5Dimes’ early line says the Vols are a 13.5-point favorite.

After going 12-3 over their last 15 games, the Vols finished with their highest seed since 2008. They unquestionably wanted to get that elusive SECT title with a third win over Kentucky on Sunday, but the the focus now shifts toward five days of rest and preparation for Wright State.

If the Vols get past the Raiders and the winner of the Miami-Loyola (Chicago) winner in the round of 32, they’ll be rewarded with a near-home trip to Atlanta for the regional finals where No. 2 seed Cincinnati could await in the Sweet 16 and a date with top-ranked Virginia could be the draw in the Elite 8.  While Loyola would be a tough out as an 11 seed, the Vols surprisingly match up well with all of those teams. Cincinnati is arguably the team the Vols could have unseated as a two-seed had they won Sunday, so, in my opinion, that’s the worst No. 2.

While Virginia is arguably the best team in the country, the Hoos aren’t going to embarrass anybody with their offense. So, that could be a rugged showdown if the Vols were to make it that far. Also, Virginia must get past Kentucky and Arizona in its half of the bracket, so that’s no guarantee, either. Is it possible the Vols could play Big Blue Nation for a FOURTH time?

Boy, wouldn’t that be fun?

Heck, this is the NCAA tournament. You have to know you’re going to have some very tough games against very good opponents, but the bottom line is this really worked out well for Tennessee. This isn’t where the Vols wanted to be (in Nashville), and while it’s a seed lower than they wanted to be, it’s where we all expected.

Now, it’s time to take this positive step forward, run with it and close the year on a high note.

As far as the other SEC teams, it goes like this. Tennessee earned the best seed because it was the best team from the jump, even if Kentucky is arguably hotter (and inarguably more talented) right now.

Kentucky is with Tennessee in the South, earning a No. 5 seed and a first-round tilt with Davidson, which beat Rhode Island and knocked Notre Dame out of the tournament. If the Wildcats win, they’ll perhaps have to face one of the nation’s hottest teams in the Arizona Wildcats for the opportunity to play Virginia if the seeds hold. Man, that’s a tough draw.

Auburn landed as the No. 4 seed in the Midwest after dropping its quarterfinal game to Alabama in the SEC tournament. The Tigers are an enigma with the short bench and all the injuries, but they play No. 13 seed Charleston in the first round. Win that one, and it could mean a date with Clemson before getting to No. 1 seed Kansas. It’s not out of the realm of possibility for Bruce Pearl to have his team in the Sweet 16 going up against the Jayhawks.

Over in the East, Florida rebounded from a tough start to play much better down the stretch, and the committee rewarded the Gators with the No. 6 seed, and they don’t have an awful draw, either. They’ll play the winner of the No. 11 play-in game between the St. Bonaventure Bonnies and UCLA. The Bruins would be a tough match-up for the Gators, but it’s winnable. Win that game, and it’s a possible Texas Tech and Purdue track to reach the Elite 8, so those aren’t unwinnable.

Arkansas is another possible noise-maker in the East as a No. 7 seed playing No. 10 Butler. If the Razorbacks get past that game, they can be a match-up mis-match for Purdue in the second round with their speed and senior guard play. Could it be possible the Hogs and Gators could match up late in that bracket? They’ve got long roads before then, but the paths aren’t too gnarly.

Still in the East, Alabama is a No. 8 seed playing a very intriguing match-up in the first round against Buzz Williams’ Virginia Tech Hokies, and the winner of that game will have a huge test in the round of 32, going against Villanova, which is arguably the top overall team.

Finally in the West, Texas A&M is the seventh seed with a tough, tough first-round draw with No. 10 Providence. If the Aggies get past that game, they’ll probably face North Carolina in the second round, so that’s not easy.

Missouri feels their pain. The Tigers are the No. 8 seed in that bracket, facing Florida State. If Cuonzo Martin’s Tigers win (and they will be a bit of a wild card with Michael Porter back and shaking off some of the rest) they’ll get a chance at top-seed Xavier in the second round. The Musketeers are the worst top-seed.

It was a strong year for the SEC getting eight teams in. Only the ACC had more with nine. But we’re all focused on the Vols, who look like they could have an exciting, deep March run. If they did, it may help us get some of the bitter taste of losing to Kentucky out of our mouths.

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 the story of the day was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and he buried a step-back jumper in reponse. SGA had 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting, and the Vols had no answer for the game’s best player. He kept the Cats in front at the end, and Kentucky wins the SEC Tournament 77-72.

The Vols were dead and buried before Admiral Schofield knocked down three threes late in the first half, trimming a 17-point Kentucky lead to five at the break. Schofield, who left the game for a few minutes in the second half after a loose ball scramble knocked him to the floor, had 22 points and 10 rebounds.

But it wasn’t enough to overcome SGA and 7-of-16 from the arc from the Wildcats, who go to 23-3 when shooting better than 29% from three. This game had the feeling of a second weekend tournament affair, and both teams should feel confident about their ability to get there.

We’ll find out the path at 6:00 PM ET; Tennessee’s should still go through Nashville.

SEC Tournament Championship TV channel, tip time, and online game-watching party

The Vols will play for their first SEC Tournament Championship since 1979 at 1:00 today against Kentucky. ESPN has the broadcast.

 

Game info

Go Vols! I’ll be in the game thread as soon as I finish my pizza. 🙂

 

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 Admiral Schofield added two others. The Vols jumped out to a 6-0 lead, then Daniel and John Fulkerson unleashed a 10-0 run at the eight minute mark to put the Vols up 17. That’s the sentence you were expecting to read, I know.

It was 19 at halftime on the strength of 19-of-25 from the floor in the first 20 minutes, an unbelievable 76%. That sort of fire can’t last, but Tennessee’s defense and excellent free throw shooting made sure Arkansas got no closer than 11 in the second half.

The win puts Tennessee in good position to earn a trip to Nashville for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Vols are eighth in RPI and putting on a good show in St. Louis, while teams from the Big Ten take the week off. And I wouldn’t rule out a No. 2 seed just yet, especially with a win tomorrow.

And tomorrow, a special piece of history will be on the table.

The Vols haven’t won the SEC Tournament since 1979. LSU won the league that year, but Tennessee beat Kentucky twice in the regular season, then took down the Cats in overtime in the tournament finals. Appropriately, it is Kentucky who will stand between Rick Barnes’ squad and a bigger slice of immortality tomorrow.

This team already has a piece of that pie, having won the SEC regular season championship. And, like everyone else, its ultimate destiny will be decided over the next few weeks. But not only does it have a chance to do something truly special tomorrow, it is also playing its best basketball in the present.

I thought we might have seen it the last time we faced Kentucky at Rupp Arena. Then I thought we saw it in Starkville two weeks ago. You can’t expect to shoot 76% every night or 65% from the arc, no doubt. But Rick Barnes’ team is relentlessly committed to improvement. The Vols have won 16 of their last 19 games. They are up to 11th in KenPom. They just keep getting better.

And they will need to in order to earn a three-game sweep of Kentucky. The game in Rupp Arena was as even as any I’ve seen, both in the box score and in its flow. The entire contest was played within one possession other than a four-point Tennessee lead that lasted 10 seconds. Tennessee won because they made the plays at the end of the game, including two of their nine steals on the night. The Vol defense was opportunistic against Arkansas today as well.

Kentucky isn’t a complicated animal: they’re 22-3 when shooting better than 29% from the arc, 1-7 when they don’t. We’ve seen both sides of that coin: they were 3-of-14 (21.4%) at Rupp, but did shoot 7-of-19 (36.8%) in Knoxville and still lost.

The Vols will need to dodge the kind of shooting performance we saw from Kentucky and Wenyen Gabriel today, and keep Kentucky’s size off the offensive glass and away from the foul line. Rick Barnes, who is 4-2 against Kentucky at UT, always uses undersized bigs like Armani Moore and Admiral Schofield to attack Kentucky; Schofield’s 16 shot attempts were the most for any Vol at Rupp, and I would expect something similar again tomorrow.

There is already so much to celebrate with this team, and so much still ahead of it no matter what happens tomorrow. This one will get to stand on its own, as Kentucky stands in their way one more time.

1:00 PM ET, ESPN. Wear your orange to church.

Go Vols.

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 offensive rebounds was a season high, by far. The Vols had 16 against Purdue and North Carolina (a good sign that the Vols can hang on the offensive glass when playing teams with tremendous size).
  • Seventeen turnovers tied a season high (Wake Forest).
  • Mississippi State had one assist. One. That’s unheard of, and is obviously a season high for Tennessee’s defense. The fewest assists for a previous opponent was six…also from Mississippi State.
  • Eight blocked shots for Mississippi State is the most any team has scored against the Vols this year. The Bulldogs’ size again clearly affected Grant Williams, and this time Tennessee wasn’t nearly as clean in running the rest of their offense.

But…we won. And today’s game should be much more pleasing to the eye.

Way back on December 30, Tennessee played 36 of its best minutes of the year. The Vols led Arkansas 70-61 in Fayetteville with 3:53 to go. Twenty seconds later, Grant Williams picked up his fourth foul. And then, chaos.

Arkansas scored 61 points in the game’s first 36 minutes, then 34 points in the last four minutes of regulation and five minutes of overtime. A frustrating component in several of Tennessee’s losses – a preventable turnover in the final minutes – really sparked the Arkansas rally: splashing a three, getting a steal, and getting a layup turned an eight point game into a one possession affair. The Vols still had a chance to win with 18 seconds left in regulation, but Jordan Bone only hit one of two free throws and the game went to overtime. Williams fouled out at the end of regulation and Admiral Schofield followed in the first minute of overtime. With Tennessee’s defense fundamentally altered by foul trouble, Arkansas exploded. Daryl Macon finished with 33 points, Jaylen Barford with 28.

Offensively, the Arkansas game was Tennessee’s best scoring performance from its guards: 21 from Jordan Bone, 17 from James Daniel, and 10 from Lamonte Turner. But that’s not Tennessee’s best basketball: we should see the Vols again try to play more through Williams and Schofield inside-out today.

As advertised, Arkansas has an incredibly efficient offense. The Razorbacks shoot 40.1% from the arc, 12th nationally. And they only turn it over on 15.2% of their possessions, 17th nationally, this despite playing the 28th-fastest pace in college basketball. Tennessee dictated the tempo for those first 36 minutes of the previous encounter, Arkansas for the last nine.

The Razorbacks struggle to keep teams off the glass because they want to get out and run, so offensive rebounds are there for the taking (Arkansas is 295th nationally in defensive rebounding percentage). They also foul a lot, 27th nationally, which means Tennessee needs to shoot better than the 69.2% they put up from the line in Fayetteville.

Tennessee’s objective is to stay physical in attacking the Arkansas defense, but do so at the pace they set instead of allowing Arkansas’ guards to turn this into a shootout. It worked really well until Grant Williams got his fourth foul last time. That first meeting also included 11 minutes from John Fulkerson and nine from Chris Darrington; if Rick Barnes sticks with the lineups he’s been using, it’ll be more Yves Pons and Derrick Walker today.

After a surprise run to the finals led by Allan Houston in 1991, Tennessee didn’t play on Saturday in the SEC Tournament from 1992-2007. Since then the Vols have seen Saturday in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2014. But they’ve only seen Sunday once since 1991, in 2009. And the Vols still haven’t won this thing since 1979.

A lot of history, a potential three-game sweep of Kentucky, and the continued pursuit of Nashville is on the line today against Arkansas. This game should be much more fun to watch. Let’s hope the outcome is the same.

Alabama and Kentucky go at 1:00 PM ET, then the Vols and Razorbacks will follow. This is only the fourth time the Vols have been on ESPN this year. Have you heard we were picked 13th in the league?

Go Vols.

 

Vols advance to the SEC Tourney semifinals with win over Bulldogs

Tennessee shook off some rust and sloppiness to beat Mississippi State 62-59 this evening and advance to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament.

It wasn’t pretty.

The Vols had 17 turnovers, shot 33.3% from the field, 25% from the arc, and 60.7% from the free throw line. Grant Williams had only 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting, and Admiral Schofield managed only 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting.

But it was enough.

Despite not shooting well, Tennessee did turn in a good performance on the boards and on defense. They had a 50-33 total rebound advantage over the Bulldogs, 22-10 on the offensive glass. And Lamonte Turner nearly had a double-double, scoring a team-high 15 points and pulling down 8 rebounds to go along with 4 steals.

Tennessee was mostly in control for much of the game, although both teams seemed to be (understandably) rattled for an extended period of time after a scary injury to Nick Weatherspoon, who was carted off on a stretcher early in the second half. He’d landed hard underneath the basket and stayed there while play continued. When his brother and teammate Quindarry Weatherspoon drove toward the basket on a fastbreak after a steal, no official stopped the play, and both Quindarry and Kyle Alexander (who was defending and in pursuit) landed on Nick. Alexander appeared to inadvertently land with a foot on Weatherspoon’s head and neck area, and Weatherspoon remained motionless for several minutes before being secured to a stretcher and taken to the hospital. Prayers for him and his family. The latest report:

When both teams had regained their footing, Mississippi State continued to threaten, but the Vols managed to stay ahead of each threat. The Bulldogs had an excellent chance to take the lead on their last possession of the game:

It was a good shot, but they missed, and so the Vols advance. They’ll play the winner of the Arkansas-Florida game that is being played right now. The tip for that game is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET.

Vols-Bulldogs SEC Tournament TV channel, tip time, and online game-watching party

The Vols play their first game of the SEC Tournament this evening against Mississippi State. The game tips at 7:00 p.m. and will be shown on the SEC Network.

Will posted the Vols game preview this morning, and you can hear him talking about it on the radio this afternoon right here:

Auburn lost this afternoon to Alabama, improving the Vols’ chances to open NCAA Tournament play close to home in Nashville, assuming they take care of business themselves. Here’s to hoping that starts with the Bulldogs tonight.

Game info

 

Go Vols!

 

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 it their business to deny Grant Williams. It worked on Williams, who had just three shots and eight points. But it left no answer for Admiral Schofield, who scored 24 points.
  • Tennessee went to Schofield and didn’t just settle for threes when Williams wasn’t a good option. The Vols were just 4-of-11 from the arc, but at one point made 11 consecutive field goals in the second half. The Bulldogs are a good defensive team – 42nd in efficiency – but had no answer for Tennessee.
  • Quinndary Weatherspoon had 17 points, but the Vols took away everything else. Mississippi State made just two shots in the first eight minutes of the second half, and Tennessee’s defense encouraged them to take threes. MSU went 4-of-20 in that game, and is 342nd nationally from the arc on the year at 30.1%.

In the last three games, Tennessee’s defense has been selling out to run shooters off the three-point line (Florida), or encouraging the opponent to fire away (Mississippi State, Georgia). The former leaves the Vols vulnerable to offensive rebounds. But the latter can negate an advantage big teams like the Bulldogs often enjoy. Mississippi State is 79th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage, but grabbed only five against Tennessee. I don’t know if we can bank on MSU shooting 20% from the arc again, but I’d imagine the Vols will once again take their chances.

The Bulldogs rise to 67 in RPI, and have to know what a win over Tennessee would do for their NCAA Tournament resume. The same was true 11 days ago, but it’s especially do-or-die now.

Meanwhile Tennessee continues to play for upward mobility in the bracket, and a trip to Nashville in the first and second rounds. We put this in the comments from Wednesday’s look at championship week, but here again is the easiest way to understand what the Vols need to get to Nashville, using projected seeding from the Bracket Matrix. Each of the eight first and second round sites can host two top-four seeds. The committee will start with the number one overall seed and place teams in the closest geographical opening. So if the matrix is a good guide, the field would look like this right now:

  • 1A Virginia (Charlotte)
  • 1B Villanova (Pittsburgh)
  • 1C Xavier (Detroit)
  • 1D Kansas (Wichita)
  • 2A Duke (Charlotte)
  • 2B North Carolina (Nashville)
  • 2C Purdue (Detroit)
  • 2D Cincinnati (Pittsburgh)
  • 3A Auburn (Nashville)
  • 3B Michigan State (Wichita)
  • 3C Tennessee (Dallas)
  • 3D Michigan (Dallas)

If the committee agrees with the matrix and the Vols are the third No. 3 seed, they need to move past two teams to find their way to Music City next weekend. The Big Ten held their tournament last weekend, so there is no additional opportunity for Purdue, Michigan State, or Michigan to impress the committee. But Michigan or Michigan State would still go to Nashville over Tennessee because it’s far closer to the Spartans and Wolverines than Wichita or Dallas (or Boise and San Diego, where every four seed will land).

Meanwhile Auburn faces Alabama in the SEC Tournament’s first quarterfinal game today at 1:00 PM ET. The Vols need to win, but could use some help from an Auburn (or even Cincinnati) loss. The Vols can still get to Nashville even if they’re a No. 3 seed, it just looks like they’ll need to be the first No. 3 seed.

Man, this math is a lot more fun than calculating the bubble.

The journey continues at 7:00 PM ET tonight. Go Vols.

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:

Rick Barnes is the first Vol to earn SEC Coach of the Year since Bruce Pearl in 2008. Ron Widby, Mike Edwards, Bernard King, Ernie Grunfeld, Dale Ellis, and Tony White combined to win eight SEC Player of the Year awards from 1967-87. But since then, only Ron Slay (2003) and Chris Lofton (2007) have captured the league’s biggest individual prize, which now belongs to Grant Williams.

It’s a great week. How might it get even greater for Tennessee?

In Tuesday’s Bracket Matrix (featuring 130 entries!) the Vols are the third No. 3 seed, with an average seeding of exactly 3; five entries have the Vols at No. 2, five at No. 4, and 120 at No. 3. That’s a pretty solid consensus. Is there any room for Tennessee to move up (or down)?

Here are what I believe to be fairly safe assumptions:

  • Virginia and Villanova are No. 1 seeds no matter what they do in their conference tournaments.
  • Xavier, Kansas, and Duke are fighting it out for the other two No. 1 seeds, but none of these teams are falling below the Vols.
  • The No. 4 seeds in the Bracket Matrix – Texas Tech, Wichita State, West Virginia, and Clemson – aren’t passing Tennessee without winning their conference tournaments.

The Vols can obviously help their own cause by winning their conference tournament; we’ll get to that later this week. But between now and then, a few targets above Tennessee in the matrix are in action in their respective tournaments. What losses would be meaningful to Tennessee’s chances?

Also on the table: trips to Nashville in weekend one and, potentially, Atlanta in weekend two. On this front, Tennessee’s neighbors on the three line are the biggest teams to watch. If seeded higher than Tennessee overall, Auburn and/or Cincinnati could secure an opening weekend in Nashville. This is why you’re seeing the Vols in Dallas in a lot of brackets today. The working assumption is Virginia and Duke will go to Charlotte, leaving North Carolina and a player to be named later in Nashville. Michigan or Michigan State (remember, the Big Ten is already done) could also slide in there depending on how things shake out. The Vols will need a good showing and some help to stay in-state.

What would that help look like? Here are games relevant to Tennessee’s chances to go to Nashville and move up the bracket this week:

WEDNESDAY

  • ACC Quarterfinals: North Carolina vs Syracuse – 9:00 PM – ESPN2

The Tar Heels did beat Tennessee and are currently a No. 2 in the matrix. But UNC also has nine losses, and will have 10 unless they win the ACC Tournament. No team has earned a No. 2 seed with 10 losses in the expansion era; Wikipedia’s detailed records go back to 1995, and I couldn’t find any there either. Carolina’s name brand will certainly count for something, but will the committee put them on the two line and/or ahead of the Vols if they make an early exit in Brooklyn? If the Tar Heels win here, they’ll face Miami at 9:00 PM on Thursday.

FRIDAY

  • American Quarterfinals: Cincinnati vs UConn/SMU – 12:00 PM – ESPN2
  • SEC Quarterfinals: Auburn vs Texas A&M/Alabama – 1:00 PM – ESPN

Chances aren’t great for Cincinnati getting upset: SMU is 87th in KenPom, UConn a lowly 174th. The Bearcats beat both of them by 25 the last time they saw them. But Auburn? Two of the five teams to beat the Tigers this year are Alabama and Texas A&M. If Auburn is bounced early and the Vols go deep into the weekend, Tennessee should at least move up the ladder for Nashville.

 

 

Volunteer Hoops: Present Looks Good, Future Looks Even Better

It’s hard not to be incredibly excited about Tennessee Basketball right now.  Heading into the SEC Tournament after an SEC championship and a 23-7 finish that will likely earn the Volunteers a 3-seed at a minimum in the NCAA Tournament, the 2017-18 season is already one of the best seasons in a long time for the Vols.  However, perhaps as exciting for those of us who like to look forward even just a little bit is the realistic notion that this kind of season could become more of the norm than an aberration for at least the foreseeable future.

Much has been made of the relative youth of this team – regular watchers of Tennessee games know they can rely on an announcer’s citation that the Vols are the fifth youngest team in college basketball, a ranking that would be even higher were it not for the veteran presence of 24-year old 5th-year transfer James Daniel III.  Looking forward though, it’s notable that “JD3” is the only player on the current 13-man roster scheduled to depart after this season, which of course makes a fan drool at the thought of the continued development of the rest of the team going into next season and beyond.

However, when you dig a bit deeper into the roster makeup you realize how much more upside there is to be realized in the not-too-distant future.  Of the current thirteen players on the roster, NINE are either freshmen or sophomores.  The sophomore class – which includes Redshirt sophomore G Lamonte Turner – is the backbone of the team and obviously has plenty of time to continue to improve and develop.  Perhaps more exciting, though, is that this year’s freshman class a) appears to have been meaningfully underrated, and b) is augmented by two redshirts from last season in SF Jalen Johnson – the #147 ranked player his class – and PF John Fulkerson (who redshirted after being injured early last year after a very promising start to the season).  Johnson has gotten some playing time later in the season and has shown flashes of the athleticism and shooting that has the staff very excited about his future, while Fulkerson has had an up and down season following missing almost a full year of basketball and strength and conditioning after his injury but has continued to get minutes deep into the season.  Both should be counted on to continue to develop and are likely to push much more strongly to get more into the rotation next season.

The true freshmen class of 2017 is comprised of PF Derrick Walker, SF/PF Yves Pons, and PF/C Zach Kent.  Walker has emerged as an integral piece of the current team, showing a beyond-his-years court awareness and passing ability to go with a soft touch around the rim (with both hands!) and a physicality matched on the team only by Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield.  Pons, the most hyped player of the class, came in as a very raw but very tantalizing prospect with uber-athleticism and a not-broken shot.  After getting barely spot minutes for most of the season, his progress has taken a step-function change in the last 3-4 weeks and he now finds himself getting regular – and increasing – minutes.  Part of the progress has been at the defensive end, as his improved comfortability has allowed him to showcase his length, athleticism, and physicality on the defensive end while at the same time expanding his offensive game, capped by hitting a 3-pointer at Ole Miss (he’s now 2-2 on the season) and making two slashing plays to the basket against Mississippi State that led to two free throws and a made layup off a tight curl. He also made a great pass in the haflcourt to a cutting Lamonte Turner in the game against State, showing impressive awareness on the play. Kent is another strategic redshirt for Coach Barnes following Jalen Johnson’s from last season – who though not particularly well known by Vol fans, especially since he’s sat on the bench all season – actually ended up being ranked in the Top 175 and earned offers over the course of his recruitment from Indiana, Maryland, Notre Dame and Oregon among others.  Kent will go into next season with no expectations but a skill set that is unique to the team: A 6’11, ~235 lb player with range to 25 feet, Kent is not a banger by any stretch but is likely more physical and athletic than given credit for.  He will give Barnes tons of options in terms of who he can pair him with – that kind of shooting threat from a PF/C will make teams think twice about double-teaming Grant Williams and Co. in the paint in a different way than Schofield’s slashing or Williams’ deft passing do currently, and with a year in the weight room Kent should be able to at least hold his own in the post on defense and on the board.

As one can see, not only is this year’s team young, but the really young talent in the program has a plenty of development in front of it, which is very exciting considering how good the team is already.  With Barnes’ history of player/skill development one can easily imagine large leaps for the bulk of the roster between this season and next and even beyond.

Class of 2018 will be Small but Likely Talented

Due to the aforementioned youth of the roster Tennessee has only one scheduled scholarship opening for the 2018 class.  It is well known that the Vols have been chasing 5-star Anfernee Simons, who took his official visit to Knoxville earlier this season for the UNC game. While the Vols seem to be in strong shape for Simons relative to other college programs, Simons is eligible for the NBA Draft and very likely could go that route (which he should if he’s going to be a 1st round pick).  He’s an elite player though and the Vols won’t give up until it’s over, and he would instantly upgrde the overall roster for next season.  Given the uncertainty with Simons the Vols have stepped up their pursuit of diminutive Memphis 4-star PG Tyler Harris.  Harris was scheduled to officially visit this past weekend for the Georgia game but had to cancel due to his team making a deep run in the state tournament.  There is clearly interest there, but Baylor is thought to be his leader with Mississippi State is strongly in the mix as well.  Getting him to campus will be paramount if the Vols want to land him.

After those two there isn’t an obvious target.  However, there are a couple variables that could lead to both Rick Barnes being very picky about what he does with that scholarship and at the same time what kind of options he and the Vols have.  For one, there are certain to be decommitments and even signees let out of scholarships when firings start as the regular season ends.  Secondly, Tennessee’s profile should rise quite a bit in the month of March Madness after what could be a big run in the NCAA tournament.  Knowing that one could step into a team primed for another big season and NCAA Tournament run next year would likely be very attractive to a high level player. And should the Vols not land the kind of high school prospect they want they will have the same uber-attractive pitch to make to a 5th-year grad transfer – plus they’ll be able to point to the success JD3 had in that role this year.  Put it all together and it seems reasonable to think that one way or the other Tennessee is going to add a very talented player with its one 2018 spot to further enhance its 2018-19 roster.

Class of 2019 Setting up to Be Best in a Looooong Time

Barnes has taken some flak from UT fans (criticism that has died down tremendously over the course of this season) for not recruiting at a high level in terms of industry rankings.  However, the Class of 2019 already looks likely to change that narrative, and that’s before the aforementioned publicity and jolt of momentum that should come from the team’s performance in March and what one would expect to be another very strong team – and the accompanying preseason buzz and subsequent national TV games – in 2018-19.  The Vols are already scheduled to participate in next season’s NIT Season Tip-Off in Brooklyn, NY along with Kansas, Louisville, and Marquette, and one can assume that Tennessee will get a marquee matchup in the annual SEC-Big 12 Challenge as well.  These will complement what is annually a strong non-conference slate under Coach Barnes, giving the Vols a myriad of opportunities to showcase the program.

When it comes to recruits themselves, Barnes and his staff are well ahead of where they’ve been to-date when it comes to high-level talent.  The Vols already have a commitment from SF Davonte Gaines, currently only the 200th ranked player in the country despite having a dominant senior season – he is working on a marvelous end to the season as his team makes a run towards a state title and has surpassed the 1,000 career point mark while being a do-everything star. He’s going to take a 5th year at Hargrave Academy and will spend the year bulking up his wiry frame and continuing to develop his already prodigious skill set in a tougher competitive environment.  I’d bet money he ends up ranked much higher when all is said and done.

It gets even more exciting when you consider what kind of other 2019 prospects the Vols are in deep with.  Tennessee took advantage of this year’s sellout at Thompson-Boiling Arena against North Carolina by hosting not only the aforementioned Simons but also 2019 stars PF/C DJ Burns (the #73 player in the country) and Guards Marcus Watson (#88), Trey McGowens (#89) and Kira Lewis (#119) along with C Jason Jitobah (#191) from Chattanooga who has offers from the Vols as well as Auburn and UF.  The Vols were also the first major conference offer for 5-star Wing Josiah James and look to try and remain firmly in the mix there.  Additionally, the Vols are going to try and wedge their way into the picture for former UGA 5-star PG commit Ashton Hagans after having been one of his options before he committed.  And finally, the Vols also just recently offered SG KyKy Tandy (#150) from Hopkinsville, KY (of Isaiah Victor fame) after watching him work out.

Burns in particular appears to be a Vol lean at this point, having been on campus multiple times including for a camp back in 2016 (when he was offered), and this past October for an unofficial visit before being in the house for the UNC game.  Jitobah has been another frequent visitor to campus, taking in both the UNC and UK home games after having visited unofficially in September.

Looking out to 2020 (an eternity, of course), the Vols have already offered 4 high-level prospects including 5-star Jaden Springer (who was on campus for an unofficial visit in September and then the UK game).  Obviously Barnes is looking to leverage this outstanding season and the increased national exposure into a higher-caliber level of talent.  That said, I would absolutely not expect him to go back on his stated desire to eschew the one-and-done types that burned him at Texas, and you can also be sure he will steer clear of anything that even smells of the kind of NCAA trouble that can sometimes accompany elite college basketball recruits.

Vol Fans: Enjoy the Ride

The bottom line for Tennessee basketball fans is that after being on the precipice of the college basketball elite following the program’s first Elite 8 appearance in 2010 and wandering in the wilderness since then (with the exception of the out-of-nowhere Sweet 16 run by Cuonzo Martin’s team a few years later that was immediately followed by his departure to Cal), it’s time to sit back and enjoy this success.  Because there is almost nothing better than March Madness when your team is not just involved but also a real contender, and when you look at what the program looks like now and what it could be in the near future Tennessee fans can only salivate at the thought that what Coach Rick Barnes is constructing in Knoxville is built to last much longer than one magical season but instead could realistically continue to get better and better