'ZZ Stop and Kyle Alexander injuries impact Coach Barnes' March Perception Rick Barnes has won over 800 games during a head coaching career that dates back to the early 90s and has included stints at 5 different schools. But he's only taken one team to a Final Four. That was Texas in 2003.

Barnes' record in the NCAA Tournament is 27-26, which isn't great, but not as awful as some perceive.


He has been a March Madness participant much more often than not. However only 1 Final Four appearance out of 26 chances leaves lots to be desired.


Coach Barnes' teams are usually highly seeded. On multiple occasions they have lost to a lower seeded team much earlier in the tournament than they should have. That is a fair point to make.

It has to be pointed out that the NCAA Tournament is a random, single elimination crap shoot where lots of luck can be needed to advance real far. Lots of luck not only includes favorable bounces of the ball, but also key players staying injury free for an entire season.


Case in point: The Vols were a 3 seed in 2018. They shared an SEC regular season title with Auburn, swept Kentucky in the regular season before losing to the Cats in the SEC Tournament championship game. The #1 seed in their region was Virginia, who became the first 1 seed in tournament history to lose in the first round to a 16 seed, who was Maryland-Baltimore County. Whatever and whoever that is. The 2 seed was Cincinnati, who blew a huge lead before losing to 7 seeded Nevada in the second round. The Vols easily dispatched 14 seed Wright St in the first round. They looked ready to make a serious run, right?


At the end of the Wright St game, Kyle Alexander sustained an injury that didn't look to be too serious. Not much was made about it by the TV crew. But his hand injury was serious enough to keep him out of their second round game vs 11 seeded Loyola Chicago. Loyola knocked out 6 seed Miami in the first round on a 3 pointer in the final seconds. You know what happened vs the Vols.

If Kyle Alexander plays, the lack of a rim protecting center versus Loyola would not have been an issue. As that's what came back to bite the Vols in that game.


13 seed Buffalo knocked out 4 seeded Arizona, paving the way for 9 seed Kansas St to meet Loyola in the Elite 8 game. Kansas St took advantage of 1 seed Virginia's absence in the second round. K St upset 5th seeded Kentucky in the Sweet 16. That bracket opened up nicely for the Vols. Their loss to Loyola by 1 point will always sting and bring out the what if Kyle Alexander had been healthy question.

Fast forward to 2023. Last season. Point guard Zakai Zeigler tore an ACL vs Arkansas during the second to final game of the regular season. He wouldn't play again until November. The Vols earned a 4 seed, which enabled them to get past Louisiana in the first round. Tennessee was a slight underdog to 5th seeded Duke in the second round due to no Zakai. But they dispatched Duke pretty easily by 13 points, bullying them around in the process.


The 1 seed in this region was Purdue, who became the second #1 seed in tournament history to lose to a 16 seed in the first round. Both times that's happened, Tennessee was in the same regional. Wild. 9th seeded Florida Atlantic was fortunate to beat Memphis in round 1 before taking advantage of 16 seed Fairleigh-Dickinson in the second round. You know what happened in the Sweet 16 vs the Vols. The Vols would have only needed to win over a very beatable 3 seed in Kansas St in the Elite 8 to make it to a Final Four. With Zeigler healthy, they might have been favored to do just that. I should also point out that 2 seed Marquette got upset by Michigan St in the second round. This bracket also opened up favorably for the Vols. But without Zakai, they were not equipped to take advantage.


What if at least 1 if not both the 2018 and 2023 teams had made it to a Final Four? How would coach Barnes' history in March have been looked at differently?


That question needs to be asked in fairness to Coach Barnes. Unfortunately, both seasons will have to remain giant what ifs. Around these parts what ifs can be sometimes the best we can do.


Just my two cents

Through The Glass

Brian Hartman
Producer TB Show'

'Tennessee got back in the win column on a long and cold Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium with a 10-2 victory over Xavier.


The Volunteers improved to 19-3 (1-2 SEC) on the season and a perfect 16-0 at home.


After Christian Moore led off the bottom of the 1st with a walk, Blake Burke blasted his 8th home run of the season to right center field to give Tennessee an early 2-0 lead.


It was Burke’s 38th career home run, tying him with baseball hall of famer Todd Helton for 3rd-most in school history.


Zander Sechrist made his usual midweek start. The lefty went three innings, allowing a walk while striking out three.


Xavier used a 2-out, pinch hit double, a wild pitch and then an infield single to the left side to plate their first run in the top of the 4th and cut the Vols’s lead to 2-1.


Tennessee responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning after back-to-back hits to lead off the frame. Reese Chapman had a sac fly, another runner scored on a Charlie Taylor grounder to shortstop and an RBI groundout by Moore made it 5-1 after four.


The Musketeers scored a run in the top of the 5th to make it 5-2 but that was as close as they got.


Veteran lefty Kirby Connell left a runner stranded at 3rd base to end the 5th, then pitched two scoreless innings in relief to earn the win.


Dylan Dreiling's RBI double down the left field in the bottom of the 7th was the Vols’s first 2-out hit of the game and made it 6-2.


Three straight walks made it 7-2 but the Vols would leave the bases loaded after a strikeout ended the inning.


After three walks loaded the bases in the bottom of the 8th, Cannon Peebles brought all three runners home with a line drive double to left field that got past the diving fielder to make it 10-2.


Notes: — Right-handed pitcher Marcus Phillips left in the 8th inning after throwing just nine pitches and recording one out. Not good development for a team that currently lacks dependable bullpen arms, especially from the right side.


— Tuesday night’s game was the start of an 8-game home stand for the Vols. Tennessee hosts Ole Miss in a 3-game series this weekend, plays Tennessee Tech next Tuesday and hosts Georgia next weekend.


@Mattdixon3'

Baseball Vols Lose Series At Alabama: 'Disappointing weekend for Tennessee baseball as they saw their winning streak come to an end and ultimately lost the series at Alabama.


Evenly played 3-game series but the Crimson Tide had more timely hits and didn’t let their mistakes cost them in the final two games after the Volunteers won game one.

Friday

Tennessee hit three home runs and got another solid start from AJ Causey to take the opening game, 11-3.


The Vols scored one run in the top of the 1st on a walk with the bases loaded.


Alabama responded with back-to-back solo home runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 2-1 lead.


Dylan Dreiling and Blake Burke each hit 2-run home runs in the 3rd and 4th innings to give the Vols a 5-1 lead. Tennessee then added three runs in the 5th on RBI hits by Cannon Peebles and Dalton Bargo.


Kavares Tears’ 2-run home run in the 6th inning to make it 10-1.


The Vols added a run on a wild pitch in the 8th inning while Bama hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 9th.


After giving up the two 1st inning home runs, Causey gave up four home hits — all singles — during his 6.2 innings of work. He struck out eight and walked just one to earn his 4th win of the season.

Saturday
The Tide led 6-0 after three innings and held on to win 6-3.


Tennessee left nine runners on base and were 0-of-7 at the plate with runners in scoring position.


A leadoff double in the bottom of the 1st came around to score to give the home team an early 1-0 lead.

Christian Moore couldn’t cleanly field a grounder up the middle that would’ve ended the 2nd inning. Instead, the next batter tripled off the wall in right centerfield and scored on a throwing error by Moore to put the Vols in an early 3-0 deficit.


The 2-out bad luck for Tennessee starter Drew Beam in the 3rd inning as well. He took a line drive off his right foot. After a walk, a 2-out, 2-strike poke got past Blake Burke down the 1st base line and scored one. After another walk, a single to left field brought two more runs home to give Bama the 6-0 lead.


Robin Villeneuve hit a solo home run to left center field in the top of the 4th to get the Vols on the board.


Moore hit a moonshot well over the scoreboard in left field in the top of the 7th to make it a 6-2 game.


Billy Amick scored in the 8th inning on a Dylan Dreiling fielder’s choice ground ball to shortstop but Kavares Tears was thrown out at 3rd base on the play, the 2nd time the Vols ran into an out at 3rd in the game.


The Vols brought the tying run to the plate with two outs in the top of the 9th but Amick popped out 3rd to tie the series.


Beam went the distance, getting the rare complete game loss. Five of the six runs he allowed were earned. He gave up eight hits while striking out six and walking two.

Sunday

AJ Russell started for the Vols, making his first appearance since the second weekend of the season.


He only pitched two innings but his return should help solidify the weekend rotation for the Vols.


Russell gave up a single to lead off the bottom of the 1st and that runner eventually scored after a balk and an RBI single.


With bases loaded and two outs in the top of the 3rd, Dylan Dreiling cleared the bases with a double to the left-center field gap to give Tennessee a 3-1 lead.


Robin Veillenuve made it back-to-back doubles and brought Dreiling home to make it 4-1.

Bama responded with two runs in the bottom of the 3rd and a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the 4th to tie it at 4-4.


After back-to-back 1-out hits by Blake Burke and Billy Amick in the top of the 7th, Kavares Tears’s groundout to the right side scored one to give the Vols a 5-4 lead.


But a 2-out, 3-run no-doubt home run in the bottom of the 8th off Nate Snead gave Bama a 7-5 lead.


Tennessee would load the bases in the 9th and scored a run on a walk but Villeneuve struck out on three pitches to end it.

The Vols return to Lindsey Nelson Stadium for an 8-game home stand, beginning with Xavier tonight.


Tennessee hosts Ole Miss this weekend and Georgia next weekend with a midweek game vs Tennessee Tech on Tuesday, March 26th in-between.


I'll be on with Brian & Tony today ...

@Mattdixon3'

'T Club Team:

Random musings as the Basketball Vols end up in the Midwest Region and the Baseball Vols blow a series win on the road:

NOT A BAD DRAW ... For Rick Barnes as a #2 seed in the Midwest Region and being sent to Charlotte for rounds 1 and 2. The Volunteers should handle Saint Peter's on Thursday and then face an interesting array of possibilities as an opponent in round 2. The chalk will say Texas in round 2 but the winner of Virginia/Colorado State in the First Four game will be a live dog against the Longhorns.


BASKETBALL VOLS BLOW A TIRE AT BRIDGESTONE ... Call me crazy, but I'm glad Chris Jans' State Bulldog team is in the West Region ... The Bullies bullied the Tennessee Vols in a Friday matinee at the Bridgestone Arena on Broadway. The damage from the decisive loss included a fall from a possible 1-seed in the West Region to the 2-seed in the Midwest but it remains to be seen if that is worse. Rick Barnes' team served up a bad performance to the thousands of Vols fans who showed up to cheer on the SEC champions but all will be forgotten and forgiven if the Large Orange advances this weekend.

PAIN IN THE PAINT ... We've talked this season about the real achilles of this Tennessee team and it is inside depth. Barnes and his staff found a great offensive solution in free agency in Dalton Knecht but failed to replace Olivier Nkamhoua after running him off to Michigan, where he was a walking double/double this season. J.P. Estrella is a nice prospect but wasn't and isn't ready to battle hairy-chested men like Mississippi State has. Tobe Awaka is limited and Jonas Aidoo tends to get outmuscled in matchups like we saw on Friday. Even Plavvy could have been of some use against State.

THE FIGHTING VOLTELLOS ... Dropped an SEC opening series on the road at Alabama. Friday saw the offense hammer home an 11-3 win. Saturday saw a terrible start and missed opportunities to overcome an early 6-0 deficit and lose 6-3. Sunday saw the encouraging sign of A.J. Russell throwing 40 pitches in two innings and yielding one run. The culprit Sunday was two-headed: Alabama's bullpen outperformed the Vols and so did their hitters in clutch situations. Not a disaster at all to get one of three on the road to begin the season. Ole Miss comes to The Lindsey next weekend.

FB COACHES CONTRACTS REVEALED ... One of Doctor Danny's quirks is he likes to hold coaching contract info until releasing it in a big glob but Volquest beat him to the punch on Friday by getting access to new deals on Josh Heupel's staff. The most notable is Willie Martinez only getting a one-year deal. The next step for Tennessee's defense is improved secondary play and for sure at cornerback, which is Martinez' responsibility. The 2024 Vol roster has some new players in the mix in the secondary as spring practice starts today.


LADY VOL ROUNDUP ... Kellie Harper's 6th-seeded Lady Vols are being sent to Raleigh to play #11 Green Bay. If they get past the Phoenix, they'll play 3-seed NC State for a chance to advance to the Sweet 16. Charlie Creme on ESPN proclaimed the Lady Vols as a team to watch! How about that? Karen Weekly's 9th-ranked softball team got off to a good start in the league sweeping #11 Missouri.


Orange Throat'

2023 Amachi Tailgate 2018 Amachi/Emerald Youth Tailgate 2017 Amachi Tailgate 2017 Ga Tech (Matt Dixon) 2016 Keeneland

2023 Amachi Tailgate Click for Slideshow