Tennessee Basketball has a shot at both a one seed and a path to the Final Four. But could the Vols already have seen the best in the store for them this season?
Tennessee Basketball team has been surprising the majority of the country this year racking up a 27-4 record while even holding the overall number one seed in the country for a short time. Obviously, I began to wonder, is this team for real or have the Volunteers already hit their peak. The reason I believe it is the latter is due to the team’s recent performances.
Tennessee has lost three of their last seven games, all to SEC opponents: LSU, Kentucky and Auburn. So what is the common thread across all three games? They were all road contests. That’s right, the Volunteers are the opposite of Road Warriors. I’m unsure what the name for that is, but I do know one thing, Tennessee should not be considered a legitimate threat to win the NCAA Tournament.
A couple of weeks ago, around the time Tennessee was ranked as the best team in the country, I saw a casino betting sheet where they had 30-1 odds to win the NCAA Tournament. Now, I am not a gambler, but the incentive of 30-1 for the current number one overall team in the country was quite intriguing. After that day, the amount of Tennessee basketball airing on my television increased exponentially. The Volunteers have a strong team-oriented playing style.
In my opinion, Rick Barnes is the front-runner for coach of the year for what he has done with this team considering they lack a big name star player or high lottery pick for the upcoming NBA draft. Don’t get me wrong, Admiral Schofield, Jordan Bone and Grant Williams are all impressive players, but individually they are not taking over a game and imposing a will over the outcome.
The strength of the Volunteers comes from the whole being greater than the sum of their parts. It also comes from the home court advantage and crowd support when the team has close games at home. Tennessee’s identity has disappeared however, during their recent Conference road games.
Kentucky and LSU are both top 10 teams and Auburn is in the top 25, but that cannot be an excuse. The Volunteers will not be playing at Thompson-Boling Arena in the NCAA Tournament. They will also be playing top-tier teams if they advance to the later rounds.
This leads me to believe that, while Tennessee surprised us so far this season, the surprises end come the Tournament. The best games for the Volunteers are behind them, and maybe that is a win for a team that had tepid preseason expectations.