Tennessee Wins in Rupp Arena 61-59

If you are new to this team or this program in 2018, it’s hard to put into words what winning in Rupp Arena means for Tennessee. Take all this win means for this individual season – and it will be significant – and set it aside. We’ve got an extra day before going to Tuscaloosa, and we’ll take it. There will be plenty of words to come about seeding, brackets, RPI, etc.

Rupp Arena opened for the 1976-77 season. The Vols won twice in the first four years. In the 38 years since, the Vols had two wins: 1999 in an ugly affair like tonight, and 2006 because Chris Lofton willed it to be so.

Many, many Tennessee teams have gone into Rupp and left something beyond embarrassed. In 1993 the Vols lost to Kentucky at the SEC Tournament at Rupp by 61 points. The next four years they lost by 19, 19, 17, and 34. When the Cats came to Knoxville you could at least hope, even if only for a couple of media timeouts. When the Vols went to Lexington, hope died at the state line.

And when Tennessee Basketball came to life, first under Jerry Green and then Bruce Pearl, the results only changed those two times. Two wins in the last 19 years is bad without the 19 years of bad before it. The #6 Vols went to Rupp in 2000, en route to the Sweet 16, and lost by 13. Bruce Pearl’s 2007 team, also a Sweet 16 participant, lost by 19 in Rupp. The 2008 squad was ranked third when they faced an unraked UK team in Rupp; they lost by six. The next four years Tennessee lost by 19, 11, 12, 25, and 10. Cuonzo’s last team got it down to eight.

Rick Barnes’ first team lost in Rupp by 10. Last year the Vols lost by 25 in Lexington.

Tonight, we won.

Rick Barnes is now 4-2 against Kentucky at Tennessee.

Play this game ten times, each team wins five

If it felt like you couldn’t breathe watching this one, that’s because the entire game was played within one possession, except for one possession. Tennessee went up 50-46 on two Grant Williams free throws with 4:54 to play. That lasted ten seconds before PJ Washington hit two free throws. And that was the start of a 7-0 Kentucky run to put the Cats on the cusp of a two-possession lead, 53-50 with 3:18 to play.

Jordan Bowden kept pace with Tennessee’s next four points. Grant Williams hit two free throws when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed one. But when Gilgeous-Alexander made a jumper to put the Cats up two with 90 seconds left, Admiral Schofield missed a three. Kentucky had the ball and a two-point lead with 1:09 to play.

It wasn’t just the scoreboard, but the stat sheet as well that proved how close these two teams were tonight. Tennessee shot 42.3%, Kentucky 42.2%. Tennessee hit 23.8% from the arc, Kentucky 21.6%. The Vols were 14-of-16 (85.7%) at the line; Kentucky shot just 72% but got there more often, going 18-of-25.

Tennessee was +1 in offensive rebounding, +2 overall. Both teams blocked four shots. Kentucky had 15 turnovers, Tennessee 13. One foul separated these two teams.

But the most important difference for Tennessee was steals. Most of UT’s turnovers were self-inflicted. Most of Kentucky’s were Tennessee takeaways.

The Vols had nine steals, and two of them came in that final 1:09. Kyle Alexander came up with the first, giving them a chance to tie or take the lead. Tennessee struggled to run its offense all night; Grant Williams had just three shot attempts thanks to excellent work denying him the ball by Kentucky. Admiral Schofield’s 12 points came on 16 shots. Jordan Bowden had 13 points but was 1-of-5 from the arc.

So when in doubt on their most important possession of a game when every possession mattered, the answer was Lamonte Turner.

He was the answer at the end of regulation against Purdue, another 50/50 affair with an even better opponent. And he may very well represent Tennessee’s true ceiling in March. The Vols are a great basketball team. When he’s hot, they are an elite one.

His “why not?” three will probably leave Kentucky fans asking the opposite question, and that’s fine. A game like tonight could have gone either way. But they only go one way in the end, and tonight Tennessee wasn’t just close in Rupp, they cashed in.

Turner’s three led to the second steal in those final 61 seconds, as Jordan Bowden found the ball and found Schofield on a run-out to put the Vols up three with four seconds to play. They survived a missed Kentucky free throw in the final second, survived the building, and are helping Tennessee fans survive enormous disappointment on the football side. It’s funny how it works, but for the third time in a dozen years – after missing bowl eligibility for the first time in 17 years in 2005, watching Lane Kiffin leave in the middle of the night in January 2010, and everything that went sideways last fall – Tennessee is putting together a truly special basketball season from the ashes of autumn.

For that, for tonight, and for everything Rick Barnes has done for a program that can proudly stand on its own two feet, and quite tall tonight…for everything, we are grateful.

Enjoy this.

Tennessee Vols at Kentucky Wildcats: game time, TV, and online game-watching party

The Vols travel up the road to Lexington and Rupp Arena looking for a rare road victory and season sweep against the Kentucky Wildcats this evening. The game tips at 7:00 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN. You can catch it online via WatchESPN.

Just in case you’re not quite in the mood yet, this should help:

And while you’re waiting . . .


Our players are more talented than yours, nanananananana.

Tonight, we’re experimenting with including a curated Twitter stream of Tennessee media folks we follow in hopes that filtering out some of the non-game noise will make Twitter less of a distraction and more of a complement to the game. We’ll see how it goes.

See you in the comments below.

Go Vols!

Gameday Today: All aboard the Vols hoops bandwagon

Hoops

Warning: Mixed metaphor zone. If you’re still a wallflower, standing on the sideline, reluctant for whatever reason to jump on the Vols hoops bandwagon — it’s time to find your courage, get in the game, and enjoy the ride.

Tennessee men’s hoops is quietly becoming a great team, doing what great teams do like beating opponents by 33 points.

Their coach, who has gotten them to this point by always, always, always finding something they can do better, is having to work especially hard to find something to criticize (video).

The opponents are handing out the rat poison of effusive praise like it’s candy, and the pollsters are piling on, slotting Tennessee at #15.

And we’re talking realistic dreams of a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

So make yourself happy and get on the train before it leaves the station.

Tonight, #15 Tennessee travels to Rupp Arena to take on #24 Kentucky, and we’ll be re-introducing the GRT game thread for it. John Calipari is calling for all hands on deck, so not only do we have a road trip to a blue-blood rival at hand, that rival is wide awake and in attack mode. Will’s Tennessee-Kentucky game preview tells you what to watch for. This is basketball, so a road loss to a ranked rival won’t be devastating to the Vols, but tonight provides a significant opportunity to sweep Kentucky and continue to build momentum heading into the postseason.

Recruiting

Tomorrow is National Signing Day, and nobody knows anything about how the Vols are going to finish.

247Sports has an 18-click slideshow Crystal Ball update on the Vols’ remaining tagets. It’s kind of depressing, to be honest, as it only gives the edge to the Vols for 5-star Quay Walker and 3-star Cedric Tillman and puts them in a tie for 3-star Otito Obgonnia.

This similar post from SEC Country is a relatively more optimistic version of the same thing, guessing that Tennessee leads for Walker, 4-star Isaac Taylor-Stuart, and 4-star Emmit Gooden. The reason for the increased optimism is likely this post, also from SEC Country. Rivals, too, appears to think the Vols’ chances to land ITS are better than the Crystal Ball.

SB Nation has an NSD headquarters, complete with some announcement times for tomorrow.

We’ll have more on recruiting today and tomorrow, but for now, remember this: Nobody knows anything.

Lady Vols

The Lady Vols beat Vanderbilt two days ago, 74-64. Highlights:

Other fun stuff

Congrats to VFL Derek Barnett for his role in winning the Super Bowl for the Philadelphia Eagles and to Tom Brady for losing well:


And also to Butch Jones, Mike Debord, or whoever’s actually responsible for designing the play that resulted in quarterback Nick Foles catching a touchdown pass.

Tennessee at Kentucky Preview

You know the numbers by now: four wins in the 40-year history of Rupp Arena, none since 2006. Tonight an even bigger prize is on the table: Tennessee hasn’t swept Kentucky since 1999.

In the north, Calipari calls for aid:

When the head coach of a program like Kentucky basketball (or Tennessee football) posts something like this, things aren’t going as well as they’d like. The Cats are 17-6 (6-4), hanging on at 24th in the AP poll. A three-game win streak was snapped at Missouri on Saturday; Florida beat them in Rupp three weeks ago.

Three keys for tonight’s opportunity:

  • Who has the better game: Admiral Schofield or PJ Washington? In our first meeting, Washington had 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, but played just 23 minutes with cramps. While Tennessee’s post players will have to do a better job defending Washington this time, Schofield plays the corresponding role on the other end of the floor. Rick Barnes loves to attack Kentucky with undersized bigs:  Armani Moore had terrific games against the Cats, Schofield had 15 points off the bench in Tennessee’s win over #4 Kentucky last season, and followed up with 20 points and nine rebounds in Knoxville earlier this year. Grant Williams will get the attention, but Tennessee needs Schofield to take advantage to get this thing done.
  • Kentucky’s three-point shooting. This season Kentucky is 16-1 when they shoot at least 30% from the arc, 1-5 when they don’t. If I was a Kentucky fan, I’d take comfort in this stat: 30% isn’t much to ask for, and when the Cats can splash just a few threes to go with their incredible talent, they’re really tough to beat. But the memories of John Calipari’s first team in Lexington – still the only one at UK to feature a pair of NBA All-Stars in John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins – would also make me a little uneasy. That team lost in Knoxville because it made only two three-pointers, then lost in the Elite Eight for basically the same reason. The good news for Tennessee: the Vols are the one in 16-1 this season, beating Kentucky despite the Cats hitting 7-of-19 (36.8%) from the arc.
  • Kevin Knox is Kentucky’s leading scorer at 15.1 points per game. But he has struggled in Kentucky’s four SEC losses. The Vols held him to six points on 1-of-9 shooting. At South Carolina he had 21 points on 16 shots, but went 1-of-8 from the arc. Florida held him to nine, and Missouri held him to five last time out. Tennessee’s defense has been more vulnerable to elite guard play; they did really well against the 6’9″ Knox the first time around, but how will it go in Rupp?

You know you’re having an incredible year when losing in Rupp could be considered a disappointment. The history of this series in Lexington makes me feel like this is a nothing-to-lose date for Tennessee. But the narrative of Tennessee’s season suggests the opposite. The Vols have stared down better foes, but if Calipari gets his wish, not a more hostile environment. Can this Tennessee team pull off one of the program’s rarest feats?

7:00 PM ET on the big boy network for once, Dickie V and all, baby.

Let’s win.

 

How High Could Tennessee Realistically Be Seeded?

If Tennessee’s third straight 20+ point win didn’t give you the vapors, this definitely will:

Deep breaths.

This is a ceiling week for Tennessee: at Kentucky, at Alabama. These two and a visit from Florida on February 21 are the remaining signature wins on Tennessee’s schedule. The Vols also have a second date with Ole Miss, plus four games with teams currently on the wrong side of the bubble: two with Georgia, a visit from South Carolina and a trip to Starkville.

So here’s some good news if the topic of this post is a little too much for you: if the Vols just go 4-4 in these last eight games, they’ll finish 21-9 (11-7) with a projected RPI of 20. The Sagrain ratings at RPI Forecast project a 5-3 finish, Ken Pomeroy’s like 6-2. And so does ESPN’s BPI, which thinks so highly of the Vols as a one seed.

Before last weekend, I felt like thinking of the Vols as a three seed was greedy. After missing both the NCAAs and NIT the last three years, it’s good for us to be cautious. But BPI has no such burden.

Villanova, Purdue, Virginia and…

The only three teams to receive first place votes in both polls, this trio is clearly college basketball’s top tier. They also go 1-2-3 in KenPom. Villanova is +33.22 in adjusted efficiency margin; only 2015 Kentucky and the team that beat them from Wisconsin have finished above 33 in KenPom in the last six years. Virginia is right behind them at 32.86, with Purdue at 29.85. They have four losses between them; Virginia and Purdue are a combined 23-0 in conference play.

Five weeks is still a long time til Selection Sunday, but these three are putting significant distance between themselves and the field. But that fourth one seed?

Can Tennessee really get in the mix? Should we even take Tennessee seriously as a potential two seed?

Historical Context: The Last One Seed & The Four Twos

I’d expect Tennessee to be a three in the Bracket Matrix this week. What would it take for the Vols to go higher than that?

Here’s how the last one seed and the four two seeds have looked on Selection Sunday since 2012, using the selection committee’s seed list (thanks, Wikipedia) with RPI ratings from Real Time RPI and pre-tournament KenPom data:

Seed Team Record RPI KenPom
2017 L1 Gonzaga 32-1 8 1
2017 2A Kentucky 29-5 4 4
2017 2B Arizona 30-4 2 21
2017 2C Duke 27-8 6 14
2017 2D Louisville 24-8 7 6
2016 L1 Oregon 28-6 2 13
2016 2A Michigan State 29-5 12 2
2016 2B Oklahoma 25-7 6 8
2016 2C Villanova 29-5 4 5
2016 2D Xavier 27-5 7 18
2015 L1 Wisconsin 31-3 4 2
2015 2A Virginia 29-3 7 5
2015 2B Arizona 31-3 5 3
2015 2C Gonzaga 32-2 8 7
2015 2D Kansas 26-8 3 12
2014 L1 Virginia 28-6 9 4
2014 2A Villanova 28-4 5 7
2014 2B Michigan 25-8 10 12
2014 2C Kansas 24-9 3 5
2014 2D Wisconsin 26-7 6 10
2013 L1 Gonzaga 31-2 6 4
2013 2A Miami 27-6 4 13
2013 2B Duke 27-5 1 5
2013 2C Georgetown 25-6 11 15
2013 2D Ohio State 26-7 10 7
2012 L1 Michigan State 27-7 3 3
2012 2A Kansas 27-6 6 4
2012 2B Duke 27-6 5 13
2012 2C Ohio State 27-7 7 2
2012 2D Missouri 30-4 10 5

A couple observations:

  • The last one seed had six or seven losses three times in the last six years. Two other times it was Gonzaga. Only once, with Wisconsin in 2015, have we seen four truly dominant power conference options on the first line.
  • Of the 24 two seeds in the last six years, nine had between 7-9 losses.
  • All 30 teams represented here had an RPI of 12 or better. 28 of them had a KenPom rating of 15 or better. RPI isn’t the best way to judge a basketball team, but the committee still values it, especially at the top. Strength of schedule matters, and the Vols will be in good shape there.

What does Tennessee need for an RPI of 12 or better? RPI Forecast puts the Vols at 11 if they finish 23-7, 15 if they’re 22-8. There would still be an opportunity for those numbers to go up or down at the SEC Tournament (and remember, unless the Vols are going to win the SEC Tournament for the first time since 1979, they’ll pick up an additional loss in St. Louis).

History suggests if the Vols want that last one seed, they’re going to need a 7-1 finish, or 6-2 and an SEC Tournament title. Both RPI and BPI project all the other teams in the hunt for the last one seed to finish with fewer losses than Tennessee, and considering the pedigree of that list, I’m not sure the Vols would get the benefit of the doubt. A one seed seems unlikely.

But a two seed? That’s doable.

Even a 5-3 finish would get the Vols in that conversation. Tennessee’s resume is extremely strong, as is the SEC’s reputation this year. Going 6-2 in these last eight would make Tennessee awfully hard to deny on the two line.

The most meaningful opportunity left in the regular season is the next one. We’ll know a lot more about Tennessee’s ceiling this time next week. But from a distance, it’s quite high. And while a one seed might be a little out of reach, a two is not…and this team would probably be a three if the tournament started today.

What a ridiculous thought that was at the start of the year. And what an incredible job Rick Barnes and this team have done.

Lots of good work still on the table. Go Vols.

Tennessee 94 Ole Miss 61 – What Great Teams Do

The Vols have been checking off all the signs of a great team this season:

  • Signature wins (Purdue, Kentucky, get back to me on Texas A&M)
  • Competitive with elite teams (Villanova, North Carolina, Auburn?)
  • No bad losses

The graduate-level version of no bad losses is, “Blow out bad teams.” Add another check.

After letting Vanderbilt rally from down 20 to within two before surviving, the Vols have discarded drama: beat Iowa State by 23, beat LSU by 23, and today beat Ole Miss by 33.

Look at all this: 53.2% from the floor, 13-of-29 (44.8%) from the arc, 78.9% from the line, 27 assists on 33 made baskets, and six turnovers. Ole Miss shot 11-of-25 (44%) from three and lost by 33!

Next week was going to be a ceiling week before today’s result: the Vols are at Kentucky, then at Alabama. Tennessee hasn’t won at Rupp since 2006, hasn’t swept Kentucky since 1999, and has four wins in the history of that building. Alabama just dominated Florida in Gainesville and beat Oklahoma in Tuscaloosa last weekend.

But what might be on the other side of next week now seems even higher. The Vols are a four seed in the Bracket Matrix; I’ve thought for weeks this team had 4-6 potential, which is amazing compared to preseason expectations. But saying Tennessee is a great team and Tennessee can beat anybody is a long way from hyperbole now. I think we can start dreaming a little bigger. The Vols have earned it.

Big, big week ahead. Enjoy it.

Gameday Today: Quay Walker update, hoops in historical perspective, and dumb smart people

Recruiting

Jeremy Pruitt and two of his staff were in-home with 5-star linebacker Quay Walker last night, and, according to Walker, it went all-caps GREAT.


Walker is technically committed to Alabama, but he’s recently taken official visits to Tennessee and Auburn and will take one at Georgia this weekend. The 247Sports Crystal Ball is showing the Vols and the Bulldogs as the favorites to land Walker, who’s the No. 2 outside linebacker and the No. 31 overall prospect in this year’s class. To say that he’s a priority for the Vols would be an understatement.

Meanwhile, the Vols and defensive tackle D’Andre Litaker have decided to go their separate ways.

Hoops

At this point in the season, the Vols basketball team has put together a resume that rivals the program’s best. So why isn’t there more interest? Will makes a great point in the linked post that the TV schedule, which was made based on preseason projections, is partially to blame.

What does Tennessee have to do to catch up with Auburn in the race for the SEC regular-season crown? Check out this video from the SEC Network on that topic and have a look at those BPI game-by-game projections for the Vols:

The Vols are favored in every game except the one against Kentucky and the officials at Rupp, and even that one is a coin flip. Woo.

Who’s the coach of the year in the SEC? So far, Jimmy Dykes says, it’s the guy whose team is currently projected as a four-seed in the tournament despite being picked next-to-last in his conference:

And if you weren’t convinced after yesterday that Rick Barnes is driven primarily by something other than money, add this to the exhibit list: He’s focused on the season, not on leveraging his recent success into a contract extension.

The No. 12 Lady Vols took care of business last night, beating No. 14 Texas A&M 82-67 with a strong fourth quarter. Highlights:

Other fun stuff

The SEC is distributing $596.9 million among the 14 conference schools. In case you don’t have a calculator, I’ll just go ahead and tell you that that’s a lot of money.

Hey, look. Dumb smart people!

And congrats to Alvin Kamara, who’s been named the NFL Rookie of the Year.

Putting Tennessee’s First Three Months in Historical Context

The Vols are 16-5 (6-3), tied for second in the SEC, and host Ole Miss tomorrow (6:00 PM ET, SEC Network). The Rebels are 11-11 (4-5), 76th in KenPom, and yet to win on the road this year. They are probably a little better than their record: three of their home losses were in overtime, and two weeks ago they lost at Texas A&M by two and at Arkansas by four. But if the Vols can win their eighth game in nine tries, we’ll get to test the ceiling again next week at Kentucky and at Alabama.

We’ll save the larger conversation about Tennessee’s potential until then. For now, let’s put UT’s first three months in historical context.

A dozen Vol squads have made the NCAA Tournament since it went to 64 teams in 1985. Two of them won the SEC (a four-way tie in 2000 and outright in 2008). Jerry Green’s 1999 and 2000 teams earned a four seed in the NCAA Tournament; Bruce Pearl’s 2006 and 2008 squads earned a two seed. And of course, the 2010 squad made the program’s only Elite Eight from a six seed.

And all of them made it through January with less than six losses.

Season Record Pct. NCAA Seed SEC Sixth loss
2014 21-12 (11-7) 0.636 11 4th January 18
2011 19-14 (8-8) 0.576 9 7th January 11
2010 25-8 (11-5) 0.758 6 3rd February 13
2009 21-12 (10-6) 0.636 9 2nd January 24
2008 29-4 (14-2) 0.879 2 1st n/a
2007 22-10 (10-6) 0.689 5 2nd January 24
2006 21-7 (12-4) 0.750 2 2nd March 1
2001 22-10 (8-8) 0.689 8 6th February 10
2000 24-6 (12-4) 0.800 4 1st SEC Tourn.
1999 20-8 (12-4) 0.714 4 2nd February 2
1998 20-8 (9-7) 0.714 8 5th February 11
1989 19-10 (11-7) 0.655 10 5th February 1

(Records listed from Selection Sunday)

By any metric, Rick Barnes’ team is having one of those years to this point.

Tennessee’s schedule is third nationally in KenPom; the Vols have been challenged without question. But the schedule hasn’t been as kind for fans wanting to get on board with this team. The Vols’ biggest win came the day before Thanksgiving with the football program in the midst of a coaching search. They hosted Auburn on January 2, long before anyone knew Auburn was this good. Then they caught Texas A&M after the Aggies had fallen out of the Top 25.

Three of Tennnessee’s nine SEC games earned the dreaded 9:00 PM tip-off slot, and two more are on the schedule. And, other than the Battle 4 Atlantis games, the Vols will be on ESPN or ESPN2 just five times this year (North Carolina, at Wake Forest, at South Carolina, at Kentucky, and Florida).

The Vols have the television schedule of a team picked to finish 13th in the SEC. And their overall conference schedule was not only easier, but front-loaded. If you were looking to get invested in this team and wanted to come to a big home game beyond January 13, the choices weren’t great: Vanderbilt, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina at 9:00 PM on a Tuesday, Florida at 9:00 PM on a Wednesday, or Georgia. The league office didn’t do this team any favors in that regard.

It may not feel the same because of the schedule, or because the coach doesn’t paint his chest, there’s no Chris Lofton and no soon-to-be NBA stars, and they’re not breaking a lengthy tournament drought like Jerry Green’s teams. But this team is on the same pace through three months that Tennessee’s best teams of the modern era have set. And with one more win tomorrow, we can spend the next week dreaming even bigger than an amazing first three months have allowed.

Go Vols.

 

Final Weekend Preview: When the Music’s Over

This is it.  The final weekend before Coach Jeremy Pruitt’s first signing class puts pen to paper.  And not surprisingly there is still a ton up in the air with merely days to go, which makes this final weekend (and the inhome visits that are happening leading up to it) so important.  As we discussed earlier in the week, Tennessee’s board has continued to narrow as prospects have fallen off the board – some publicly committing elsewhere (e.g., WR Warren Thompson to FSU, OL Ryan Winkel to Arkansas, DL Jordan Miller to Miami), some trending away from the Vols (DL Malik Langham, CB Eddie Smith, WRs Antoine Green, Tre’shaun Harrison and Geordon Porter, RB C’bo Flemiser) and some being told there is no room at the inn (WR Trevon Johnson).  That leaves Tennessee with an increasingly small list of targets that they’re zeroing in on.

Tenneessee’s Official Visitors

As of a few weeks ago this list included DL Malik Langham and the aforementioned Green and Johnson.  But as the weekend has gotten closer those have been cancelled and the official visitor list consists of just three targets:

RB Jashuan Corbin – A former commitment to both Tennessee and then FSU Corbin is now down to Tennessee, and Texas A&M, with TCU likely only an option if neither the Vols nor the Aggies have room.  Pruitt and staff were inhome with Corbin on Monday laying the groundwork for the official visit, and this one looks like it’s trending the Vols way.  The question right now from a Tennessee fan’s perspective is whether or not Corbin ends up being a take for the Vols. What’s interesting is that it’s unclear if that is contingent upon a final decision from current Vol commit Anthony Grant. Grant, whose commitment is obviously still shaky (and it’s notable that the very well-informed Jesse Simonton from Volquest.com continues to maintain that he doesn’t see Grant signing with the Vols) is visiting FSU this weekend and has both UNC and Virginia Tech firmly in play.  Is that one spot either his or Corbin’s?  Or would Tennessee take both, with Grant projecting at a few other positions besides RB?  Or might it not matter if there ends up being room and Pruitt just wants the best available players – and Corbin is a helluva playmaker?  The goal for Tennessee this weekend is to make Corbin absolutely want that spot if it’s there, which makes this visit a big capper to a big week between the two parties

CB Isaac Taylor Stuart – In contrast to quite a few prospects like DBs Eddie Smith, Taiyvon Palmer, and Treveon Flowers (below) who have seen their recruitment skyrocket in the late period as teams reevaluate their needs and the remaining prospects after the first ever Early Signing Period, “ITS” has found himself in a strange position of being a 5-star CB who appears to have fewer real suitors and options than he had just a month ago.  That’s not to say he’s not every bit of the prospect people thought he was then – he’s without a doubt an elite talent whose 5-star status was solidified at January all-star events.  But with schools like Alabama – where he had a great visit just this past weekend – seemingly focusing elsewhere, Tennessee now finds itself in a prime position to swoop in and land the California star.  DB Coach Terry Fair, who has quickly built a nice relationship with ITS along with TE Coach Brian Niedermayer, was inhome on Monday, and secured an official visit, and now Volquest is reporting that the entire family will accompany him on the trip to Knoxville.  That’s obviously a great sign, and the guess here is that both the prospect and the family are blown away.  Whether that proves enough come next Wednesday will remain to be seen, although I wouldn’t rule out a commitment while they are in town

CB/S Treveon Flowers – As noted above, Flowers has seen his recruitment change dramatically in the Late Period, though for slightly different reasons.  The Atlanta-area prospect signed to play shortstop for Kentucky back in December but after asking out of that he’s gotten offers from Tennessee and yesterday from Clemson.  He visited the Tigers yesterday and assuming they push they will be major factors.  However, the Vols will get the final shot this weekend.  I speculated a couple of weeks ago that Flowers was lower on the DB board, but that was when Eddie Smith was penciled into this class and Olaijah Griffin (more below) was thought to be more likely to leave California than he is right now.  Obviously Clemson offering raises his stock quite a bit, and after playing only one season of high school football his coach was quoted as saying “He can be as good as he wants to be. We’ve got guys who have played for us here playing in the National Football League. He’s as talented as anyone we’ve coached here. The sky is the limit for him,” so there’s clearly talent there.  I do think he’s still lower on the staff’s board in terms of if they had their druthers, but as we all know you can’t always get what you want, so you might see the Vols go hard for him this weekend

Major Vol Targets Visiting Elsewhere

WR Jordan Young – The Tennessee commitment who Pruitt and Co. pulled out of nowhere and then became a 4-star prospect with offers and interest from tons of other schools, Young hosted Willie Taggart and some FSU staff last night and agreed to take an official visit to Tallahassee this weekend.  However, the Tennessee offensive staff is set to visit with him today in an effort to at worst solidify his already strong commitment and at best shut down his recruitment and cancel the FSU visit.  We’ll see – Young appears to be an outstanding talent and it would be a shame to lose him, but I ultimately think the fact that Tennessee found him first will make all the difference.  That said, the Vols would certainly rather that visit not take place

ATH Anthony Grant – As noted above Grant will be at FSU.  I think it’s notable that Pruitt never went inhome with him despite hosting him on an official visit – a decent sign that either a) Tennessee doesn’t think he’s coming, b) as Austin Price from Volquest astutely posited, they don’t mind if he goes elsewhere but didn’t want to be seen as “dropping” a prospect from the always-loaded Buford High School outside of Atlanta, or c) both.  Again, with numbers tight Grant’s decision will be one to watch as it could mean someone else on the board gets a spot.  I don’t think he’s going to FSU – UNC or VT seem more likely –  but FSU has room and Willie Taggart could definitely blow him away

WR Jacob Copeland – Seemingly down to Tennessee and Florida with Alabama running out of room for the talented Floridian (and former Gator commit), Copeland will be at UF this weekend.  Going into that visit Tennessee gave it all it could, sending in Pruitt and the entire offensive staff on Wednesday night.  Copeland visited Tennessee six weeks ago, seemingly a tactical error on Pruitt’s part as when he didn’t commit/sign with the Vols in the Early Signing Period (and few really thought he would) despite a great visit and a deep relationship that Pruitt has cultivated over the course of Copeland’s entire high school career, Tennessee was forced to play defense for the rest of December and January.  That could prove to be too much, as many think Copeland will end up signing with the Gators.  Copeland likely has a spot until he tells Tennessee “no,” so until then he’s one to watch

LB Quay Walker – Arguably the most important target left on the board, Walker continues to be relatively quiet as his recruitment winds down.  That said, every other school trying – Alabama, Georgia, and Auburn – thinks Tennessee is at worst tied for first here, while no one can agree who the other top contender is.  I’ve maintained for a while now that Tennessee’s combination of coaching relationships, JJ Peterson, and the allure of immediate playing time is going to win out.  Tennessee appears to have a lot of momentum right now with a trip to Georgia upcoming, and Pruitt also will be going inhome with Walker tonight to try and extend that and create a lead that is insurmountable.  Ideally Walker would commit tonight (and I don’t think that’s beyond the realm of possibility) and cancel the UGA trip.  But worst case seems to be the Vols’ increasing their momentum heading into the weekend.  Walker is UGA’s lone official visitor so they’ll no doubt roll out the red carpet and try to convince him to stay home and be the next Roquan Smith (a not-attractive proposition, mind you) so Tennessee will be sweating this one out for sure.  What will be interesting to hear is how much commination Walker has with Vol coaches while on that visit – that could be a tell-tale sign as to how serious he is about UGA and whether or not Tennessee is indeed the true leader here

DL Otito Ogbonnia –  The one true NG prospect, and one of only two DL left  on the board, Ogbonnia is a an extremely sharp young man who had a great visit to Knoxville last weekend.  He’ll visit Nebraska this weekend and then decide between the Vols, Huskers, and UCLA with Texas Tech (where two of his siblings attend) also somewhat in the mix.  Hard to read where this one is headed, but DC Kevin Sherrer and DL Coach Tracy Rocker saw him this past week so there is no doubt that Tennessee is trying very hard here.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see him make a decision before Signing Day

TE Glenn Beal – The Vols appear to be in a good spot here for the Jumbo ATH who could play TE (his preferred position), DL or even potentially OL.  He’s teammates with new CB commitment Brandon Davis (a blueshirt candidate at the moment) and Tennessee is battling down the stretch with Texas A&M and Ole Miss, and to a lesser degree Alabama though apparently they would like to try a way to fit him in.  He’s that good of a prospect. Beal is scheduled to visit Florida this weekend, but I don’t consider them real players.  To make matters more complicated it seems like he would love a chance to go to LSU if the Tigers have room, and they may not know until Signing Day and what their other top targets do.  So unless he publicly commits somewhere or LSU pushes hard before Signing Day I think this one will be a mystery until someone receives a fax from him

CB Tyson Campbell – Likely still a longshot, Campbell had an excellent visit to Knnoxville last weekend and will be at hometown Miami this weekend along with ostensible DL target and high school teammate – and Miami commitment – Nesta Silvera.  Campbell wasn’t even in the picture as of two weeks ago, but Pruitt went inhome and convinced him to take an official visit and appears to have gotten enough positive feedback to have sent the entire defensive staff to see Campbell on Wednesday night.  It feels like this is going to be one where Tennessee comes out of nowhere and makes up a ton of ground only to fall short in the end (UGA is the likely landing spot) but it also seems like the one recruitment where Tennessee could pull off a massive Signing Day coup

Major Vol Targets Staying Home

There are really only four more realistic targets (and those run the spectrum in terms of true likelihood), and these prospects are not visiting anywhere this weekend:

DL John Mincey – Mincey is down to Tennessee and South Carolina.  Both sides seem to have some confidence and Pruitt, Sherrer and Rocker were inhome with him on Wednesday.  South Carolina coaches (sans Muschamp) will be in his house tonight.  South Carolina has more buzz right, for what that’s worth, but this one is far from over.  Mincey has great size for a 3-4 DE and would be a nice pickup for sure

CB Olaijah Griffin – Griffin has gone from saying Tennessee was his big leader as recently as New Year’s weekend to most people thinking he’s more likely than not to stay home and sign with USC.  Tennessee has fired all of its shots here and though Griffin has stayed relatively mum for a few weeks there does not seem to be a lot of momentum for the Vols right now.  Things could change though as Griffin clearly likes the Vols a lot, and even though he also really enjoyed a trip to Alabama last weekend and they are perhaps a darkhorse Tennessee is still the likely choice should he decide to leave the nest and head East to play real football in the SEC.  We shall see…

CB Taiyvon Palmer – Another post Early Signing Period fast-riser, Palmer went from a Duke commitment to having offers from the likes of Clemson, Alabama, and Tennessee.  However, after an outstanding visit to Knoxville last weekend this appears to be a Tennessee-NC State battle.  I honestly can’t understand why, even removing my orange-tinted glasses, but word from Volquest.com is that Palmer is leaning to the Wolfpack.  Palmer is a good player with a very strong academic background and would be a nice add to a class that need Cornerbacks in the worst way.  Tennessee will keep trying to sway him so we’ll see if they can be successful and of course what happens with the other CBs on the board (ITS, Campbell, Griffin, Flowers – though he might be more of a Safety)

OL Dylan Wonnum – Always a longshot, the South Carolina legacy was convinced to make an official visit to Knoxville two weeks ago.  He visited Columbia last weekend and though he’s still considerd a strong Gamecock lean he hadn’t shut the door completely on the Vols as of early this week as Pruitt and Friend went inhome on Tuesday.  Again, he’s probably going to sign with South Carolina, but Tennessee will probably keep trying to communicate with him as long as he’s willing to listen

Gameday Today: Hoops rolls, Barnes is a bad, bad man, and Papa likes Pruitt

Hoops

Tennessee dominated LSU last night, 84-61, and we have gathered up everything you need to know about it. Here are the highlights:


And a video game recap from the SEC Network with both highlights and commentary:


Here’s what Rick Barnes had to say in a short post-game segment on the SEC Network despite not being able to hear the questions at all (Flashback to: “I can’t hear you! Rocky Top is playing!”):


And here’s a playlist of Barnes’ longer post-game presser, along with a few player interviews (Grant Williams, JD3, and Kyle Alexander, whose golden tones rival Barry White’s):

Grant Williams, by the way, is fine despite having left the game early with an injury.

And OH NOES! Rick Barnes committed an NCAA violation. What is the egregious sin of which he is guilty? Paying one of his assistants out of his own pocket because he thought he deserved as much as another assistant. Barnes brought it to the attention of the purse string folks, and they said it wasn’t in the budget, so Barnes fixed that for them by paying it out of his own salary. Hang him high!

Recruiting update

Brad has an excellent status update of where we are in recruiting with under a week to go, along with a handful of awesome things we’ve already learned about Jeremy Pruitt.

In the process, I think we’ve also learned something important about Phillip Fulmer. Do you remember how a certain former coach used to get roasted for touting his own (sometimes questionable) accomplishments? And have you noticed that Pruitt’s not been doing that? Fulmer’s doing it for him. Accolades are always more credible and thus better received when it’s someone other than you giving them. Maybe that will change once Pruitt’s not playing catch up with recruits, but if that’s the model going forward, it’s an important public relations improvement.

Fulmer’s latest public praise for Pruitt is that he tripled the number of prospects considering Tennessee and did so immediately:

“He showed he can turn recruiting around in a hurry. We tripled our recruiting board in like two days, with that staff — and not people that we were looking at, but people that were looking at us. That made a big difference. Unfortunately we had the early signing period. I’d like to have had another couple weeks with that, or it could have been really good.
“But we got recruiting turned, and turned quickly, and hopefully we can finish strong here. That’s the foundation of winning, is having the good players here.”

And here’s something else The Papa understands well: Recruiting isn’t about what Tennessee wants, but what the prospect wants. Understanding that is key to crafting a good pitch.

But Pruitt still has to do the work himself, and he and his staff visited 4-star wide receiver Jacob Copeland last night. Good move, but the 247 crystal ball still points to Florida or Alabama at this point. Bummer.

Tennessee does still appear to be in great shape with Quay Walker, though.

Excited yet? USA Today isn’t. Pfffffftttt.

Other fun stuff

If you missed our Three Products Not Even Peyton Manning Could Sell post from yesterday, go check it out and add your own list. Right now, Will leads the field with his first answer, which was “Greg Schiano.”

And finally, Tennessee has sent more players to the Super Bowl than any other SEC team. Woo.

Go Vols.