Happy Vols Are On To The Second Round Friday! 
Tennessee rolled by St. Peter's and now gets Texas in Charlotte after the Longhorns held on over upstart Colorado State. It was a rough day for the SEC, but all politics are local. Let the rest of them eat cake for all I care.
Listener Watch Party Tomorrow At Corner 16 Northshore & Pellissippi Parkway: Come one, come all to our family friendly event. We're going to cheer on the Vols to the Sweet 16. LFG Vols ...
I Hit Our Tony B Zen Parlay Yesterday: Look for one tomorrow ... Let's stay hot ... at Zensports.com.
Today's Guest List: 11:05 Mike Huguenin 11:40 Maury Hanks Noon: VFL Anthony Miller 12:20: Evan Russell 12:40 Allie Zen & Mr C
Our UT Insider Orange Throat Leads Off: Orange Throat
'T Club Team:
Random musings as the Basketball Vols advance to the second round tomorrow in the Queen City:
T FOR TEXAS, T FOR TENNESSEE ... The stage is set for a showdown between Tennessee and Texas in the NCAA second round at Charlotte tomorrow. Love the matchup of Rick Barnes vs. former assistant Rodney Terry, no offense to Rodney. No way future Hall of Famer Rick loses to his former employee and employer in the second round.
THIS TENNESSEE TEAM IS BETTER SUITED ... To get to the Elite Eight than any Rick Barnes team since the 2019 crew lost in OT to Purdue in the Sweet 16. The reason is most teams that get to last eight and four are very good offensively, usually ranking high in effective field goal percentage. Defense matters too but bad shooting teams usually get bounced in the first two or three rounds. Barnes' Volunteer teams have usually been elite defensively and poor shooting teams, usually not in the top 200 in EFGP. The 2019 Vols were an exception, ranking 22nd nationally with a 55.4 EFGP.
LAST YEAR'S TENNESSEE TEAM ... Was typical, ranking 236th nationally at 49.9% offensively. This year's Vols are significantly better, 155th in the land at 51.5%. Call that the "Knecht Effect." Effective field goal percentage factors in three-point made goals into the overall percentage. Hope I'm wrong but I'll take slight issue with The Dean in saying this Barnes team is the best prospect in the tourney in his nine years. My vote is for the '19 group but Grant & Company didn't get it done and this one still can. The similarity in both the 2019 and '24 teams is both lacked or lack inside depth.
SPRING FOOTBALL IS IN THE AIR ... As Josh Heupel's fourth Tennessee team has been on the field this week. Insiders say Nico has picked up where he left off in the bowl game. The '24 Vols aren't hitting yet but freshman WR Braylon Staley looks every bit the recruiting coup the staff thought they got.
SEC FOOTBALL SCHED RUNS IT BACK ... in 2025 As each team will play the same teams as 2024, just flip the sites. That means Georgia, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Vandy will visit Neyland and the '25 Volunteers will travel to Alabama, Florida, Mississippi State and Kentucky. So, we'll have to wait until 2026 to get the two UT's together in football, unlike tomorrow in the hoops tournament.
THE FIGHTING VOLTELLOS ... Host Ole Miss and Georgia the next two weekends and need to make hay before going back on the road in April. A.J. Causey ate almost 7 innings with 111 pitches in the win at Alabama and certainly looked like he belongs against SEC hitters. A.J. Russell's 40-pitch appearance at Alabama on Sunday was encouraging. Not sure Tony Vols comes back on The Show of Record for Tennessee Baseball after Tone grilled him three times for leaving Nate "Norm" Snead in for the three-run ding dong at Alabama on Sunday. We'll see.
LADY VOL ROUNDUP ... The 6-seed Lady Vol basketball team opens NCAA tourney play with 11-seed Green Bay tomorrow at Noon at Raleigh's Reynolds Coliseum. Tennessee should get past the Phoenix and play 2nd-seeded North Carolina State on its home floor Monday ... Karen Weekly's softballers stood on business in sweeping Missouri and now go on the road to South Carolina this weekend.
Orange Throat
Throatie ... I'll go semi whim for whim with you on very little sleep ...
T FOR TEXAS, T FOR TENNESSEE .. Look..I know Rick Barnes isn't great at March basketball but losing to that Texas team tomorrow won't compute in 5 lifetimes. Rick Barnes can't lose to a guy in Rodney Terry who's only there because Barnes went to bat for him after his days at UTEP where he had some issues. Barnes hired Terry in 2002 and went to bat for him to come back there in 2021 after a fall at UTEP. Terry is a lightly taken head coach in that profession. No slight here. Not throwing shade. Just calling it like it is.
He took an extremely talented team at mid-season after Chris Beard flamed out due to his issues and rode a very good roster to the Elite 8. As Mr C astutely pointed out on the air yesterday, Texas has one of the 3 highest NIL payrolls in college basketball this season but the parts don't fit. The Longhorns got through last night easily despite only going 1-13 from 3 point range. If Barnes loses to Texas tomorrow in Charlotte he may never live it down. Losing to a Rodney Terry coached Texas team on a neutral floor simply can't happen.
THIS TENNESSEE TEAM IS BETTER SUITED .. To get to the Elite 8 also because the draw is excellent. We need to really cheer for Oregon against Creighton. The Blue Jays couldn't miss in round one. If Creighton shoots anywhere close to that clip they'll make it to their first ever Final Four. If the Jays have an average shooting night
against Tennessee in the Sweet 16 (should it come to that) this is a potentially highly navigable game for the Vols.
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Scouting Texas:
Vols should open at -6.
Texas couldn't hit any shots though they had a bunch of pretty good looks.
Texas gave up a bunch of easy looks Colorado State couldn't hit anything.
Vols played best defensive first half in ages. St Peter's didn't belong on the court with the Vols.
Texas is very long and athletic but what's the point?
They're one of the 10-12 most talented teams but the whole doesn't equal the sum of the parts. They're poorly constructed.
Barnes would have this Texas team on the 3 line while Rodney Terry would have this Tennessee team on the 6 line. Coaching matters.
Asmus is really really really really bad defensively. Will Tennessee go at him with ZZ? Should be a GREAT matchup. Tennessee should exploit this.
Dylan Mitchell plays the 4 and is one of best specimens in major college basketball. He has ZERO offensive game. He was the #2 player in his class The Vols had him ALMOST committed.
Dylan Disu (Vandy transfer) is a nice player.
Tyrese Hunter visited Tennessee and was the #1 player in the portal two years ago. He came very close to coming to Knoxville. He's expected to enter the portal.
Olivier played well for Tennessee last year in this spot in a Tennessee win.
SPRING FOOTBALL IS IN THE AIR ... Nico is going to be UNLEASHED in the fall and I can't wait. If Tennessee can figure out a way to get some stops in key games they're going to be a sneaky playoff pick. Wow ...
SEC FOOTBALL SCHED RUNS IT BACK ... in 2025 The league is sooooo lazy and unimaginative in deciding to do this. Firstly they're punting on what to do with Alabama and Tennessee and other rivalries in future years. Plus deciding to do this means that Nico will never face Arch Manning and Texas while at Tennessee. Nico is only staying here two seasons max as he is as advertised. Meanwhile the SEC is kicking the can down the road. As Mr C pointed out yesterday, Eli Drinkwitz gets to stand on business without ever having to face Nico. That's lame.
It Was Blue-Bloods On Parade Thursday Sure it was trendy to pick against the likes of Michigan State and Gonzaga. After all, neither team has what can be considered a vintage team. Yet both teams won with ease in the first round over allegedly better teams. Michigan State smothered Miss State while Gonzaga put a line through the human C and Will Wade with McNeese State. The Zags were seeded several spots higher than they deserved due to BYU not being able to play on Sunday. BYU won't have to worry about it after losing to Duquesne who picked up their first NCAA Tournament win since 1969. How cool is that?
Except At Kentucky: LOLOLOLOLOLOL Can you imagine losing to Oakland? With that team? With that payroll? In that tournament? Somebody please wake up Cal. Incredible. Why this is the greatest sporting event in the world and it's not even close. That Jack Gohlke kid hit 10 3's and looked into the camera on CBS and said 'we're not a Cinderella.' Booooooooooom ... Jack Gohlke is a 24 year old transfer from DII Hillsdale College. Last night's bomb went off on Calipari in his hometown of Pittsburgh. His son was there behind the bench to witness it up close and personal. Can you make this stuff up? March Madness March Sadness ...
Jalin Hyatt's parents were spotted among the dignitaries in attendance last night. #Represent ...
See you on the radio and at Corner 16 tomorrow ...
ICYMI from Wednesday: Brian Hartman Stops By For This Food For Thought ... This is a very thought provoking piece. Of course the Barnes-Stormers are never going to read this with an open mind while people like me that toggle back and forth on the Barnes can smell what Brian is cooking here.
Brian Hartman
'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'
Here's Matt Dixon who was on hand for Tennessee's win over Xavier with more.
Matt Dixon
'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'
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Busted
Posted: Sun, Mar 24th, 4:22 PM
