Happy Tennessee Is Tracking A #1 Seed Friday!

The Vols are in action this afternoon versus Mississippi State in Nashville. It's go time as the Vols look to lock up a #1 seed.


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Orange Throat sets today's agenda ...


Throaty: This is very fun stuff. Two seasons overlapping here with Tennessee in the SEC Tournament and Tony Vols opening at Alabama. Great sports day if the weather holds up for Baseball. You bring up a really good point about the upcoming NCAA Tournament and the forgiving and giving nature of our hoops fans. Not only do they show up in droves in greater numbers in this region than anyone this side of Lexington but they're a long suffering and patient group. I was shocked to hear people say that the NCAA Tournament was only 20 or 30 percent of the overall grade. I think Throaty offers an interesting thought that a 9-9 season in the SEC with a long run in the tourney is better than winning the SEC and going out early. Of course you'd rather win the SEC and go to parts unknown.
Vols #1????? NCAA Communications Director David Worlock tweeted that the committee officially seeded the 1 line on WEDNESDAY NIGHT. So anything that happens this weekend would require a "scrub" of the bracket to change the 1 line. We've been talking in this space that the importance of the conference tournaments could be negligible if Tennessee semi takes care of business today. This absolutely stands to reason that if Tennessee wins today they should be in very good shape. Therefore I'm agreeing with Throatie above.


One Very Good Development From The ACC Tournament: Also of note, UNC lost a quad 1 win yesterday with BC blowing out Clemson.

A One Seed In The West Is A Good Place To Start ... Try this nugget on for size ... Last 15 seasons the 1 seed in the west has made the final four 3 times. In the last 15 years only 17 1 seeds have made the final four total.
A Closer Look At Tennessee Miss State: Vols opened as a 10 point favorite. That's 3 points more than Kenpom. Do the Vols get the rub from having the game in Nashville? Maybe.

Rick Barnes is great in revenge games. He's nearly impossible to sweep. Since his 3rd year he's only been swept twice.


Hubbard has taken off since Tennessee last saw the Bulldogs. The diminutive freshman had 24 in a come from behind win over LSU Thursday.


Miss State has lost 4-5 coming in.


Tolu Smith has really struggled and only had 8 points on 2-9 shooting. He did have 13 rebounds. He's been very good against Tennessee in his career.


Aidoo has to meet the moment.


Tennessee will probably rotate Mashack and ZZ on Hubbard.


The last time out State shot FT's well but haven't been much from the line this year.


Last time out ZZ was only Vol with a good first half. Knecht only had 2 first half points but 26 in the second half.


This is a game that Awaka should be able to function in.
VFL Mark Griffin previews today's game vs Mississippi State




TLD Logistics Tennessee Baseball Report: Scoping Alabama: A New Head Coach For The Tide With A Tony Vols Tie: Alabama's new coach is young enough that he was recruited by Tony Vitello. Rob Vaughn is actually younger than Tony Vitello and spent 11 years at Maryland. He told the story about eventually choosing Kansas State over Tony. I just had my first interaction with Rob Vaught and he seems fantastic. He's very well thought of.

Bama has a Juco third baseman Gage Miller leading them in everything. This guy is hammering the baseball. He's near the top of the league in many categories coming out of the non conference season. He hits leadoff for the Tide batting .478 which is second in the league. He's near the top in everything.


Justin Lebron plays shortstop and has a bright future. His manager didn't say he was going to be good player or a great player but said he's going to be a superstar player. He's someone to keep an eye on this weekend.


#1 Starter Ben Hess is a big righty with a fastball in the high 90's. He's off to a good start.

#2 Starter a transfer from Louisville. A lefthander with a power arm.

#3 Starter will be a bullpen arm that's being elevated for the weekend. They're trying something new here.


The closer is Alton Davis who was a star last year as a freshman. A guy you don't want to see if you're Tennessee and you're down late in the 8th or 9th inning.


They have a lot pieces including CJ McCann in CF from Ole Miss. He was a member of the Ole Miss National Championship team and started the year with a long hitting streak.


They lost a lot in the portal including a starting pitcher Luke Holman who's at LSU and off to a great start ... While 3b Colby Shelton is off to a fast start.

Will We See AJ Russell This Weekend? 'AJ Russell is available to pitch. There's a high concern of weather in game one. Causey will pitch game one and Beam game 2. Tony made it sound as if Russell would pitch but he didn't say how the puzzle pieces would fit but he's not going to start either of the first two games.'

Chris Burke With A Great Story On How The Vols Found SS Curley: 'This is as good as any lineup the Vols have had. 5 guys capable of making all league. Curley was committed to USC as a pitcher and the coach got fired. Vols saw him in an Area Code Event playing 3rd and short and here we are. That's a very interesting story I've just learned. What a difference maker to have that kind of power at shortstop. Maybe down the line his body means he slides to 3rd but he's the shortstop right now for this team.'


We're Live Postgame As Soon As The Vols Go Final: It's Garza Law Tennessee Basketball Overtime as soon as today's game goes final.



Go Vols

Tone






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