Plug in the win total machine and what do you get? A fitting 8.65 expected regular season wins for the Vols in 2023. That would make 9-3 our most expected outcome this fall. We’ve been running this thing since 2017, making this easily the highest total we’ve seen in terms […]
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The 2023 Expected Win Total Machine
Hello, old friend. With spring practice behind us, we unveil the first edition of our Expected Win Total Machine. Last season, we found running it after the Orange & White Game produced almost exactly the same result as running it the week before kickoff. Perhaps that would change if you […]
How good do you have to be on the other side of the ball?
In basketball, Tennessee just finished as the number one defense in KenPom, their third consecutive Top 5 finish there. Outside of how the 2023 Vols looked night-to-night due to injuries, the real question there was about the gap between offensive and defensive efficiency. How good do these teams need to […]
Tennessee’s Modern Era Continues in the NBA Playoffs
Last year, we looked at the rise of the modern era for Tennessee basketball in the NBA. In particular, the Vols aren’t just getting more players into the league, but more opportunities for the spotlight in the playoffs. And that continues this week: Josh Richardson and New Orleans are in […]
What does it take to make it to the Final Four?
Another NCAA Tournament has come and gone, and it gives us another opportunity to try and figure out why in the world the Vols just can’t seem to make it to the Final Four. That, of course, has been a question on the minds of Tennessee fans for decades now, […]
Adding Context to Yet Another March Exit
Hello there. It’s been a while since I’ve done this, so I hope I’m not too rusty. It’s been a little over two and a half years since I’ve written an article about Tennessee athletics. For those of you who know me, welcome back! I don’t think this will be […]
What was Tennessee’s “easiest” path to the Final Four?
In this chaos bracket, shout out to Miami: the Hurricanes went through the hardest possible path as a five seed, knocking off a 12, 4, 1, and 2 to reach the Final Four. That’s a seed score of 19, far stronger than UConn (29), Florida Atlantic (31), or San Diego […]
FAU 62 Tennessee 55 – The One Leads to the Other
I’ve been doing this a long time, which means I’ve been wrong a lot. Tennessee’s continual lineup fluctuations this season made them harder to predict in some ways, but we felt like their rebounding had moved to the forefront in playing taller lineups since Zakai Zeigler went down. The Vols […]
What’s been most different without Zakai?
In basically six full games without Zakai Zeigler, the Vols still rate among the nation’s best teams. Bart Torvik has Tennessee ranked 13th since February 28; down from their full-season rank of fifth, but still plenty good enough to win. You’ll note that Duke is/was the fourth-best team in the […]
Alive, Kickin’, and Doors
These are the days you enjoy the most, because later this week it’s gonna get stressful again. That’s the beauty of the beast, especially in a world where 16 seeds can win and 15 seeds are in the Sweet 16 again. The tournament only allows enough time to celebrate the […]