Frankly, I'm not getting much satisfaction out of winning girls' games and losing boys' games. First GPS wins a championship, which is great, but McCallie falls short and I'm depressed. Now the Vols lose their home finale to the Kats, but the Lady Vols whip them to win the SEC Tournament.
Still doesn't make me feel any better.
Thoughts:
The game was about what I expected, except Kentucky wasn't as good as I remembered. Knight really hurt us with his shooting, but otherwise I wasn't especially impressed. This was a young, beatable Kentucky team and the Vols needed the W.
In the end, this is who we are - a good team, not a great team, with a bunch of role players asked to be more than they can be. I wish Scotty Hopson was the second best player on the team (he might be one of the most talented players in the country, but who cares about that anymore? He scores, but doesn't pass well and disappears). I wish Tobias Harris was not our #2 option right now (great player, but cannot create consistently yet). I wish Cameron Tatum, Josh Fields, and Melvin Goins came off the bench.
I feel like Donald Rumsfeld, but there is the team you would like to have and the team you do have. This is the team we do have - they aren't that great.
That being said, the Vols had a shot for a big home win without Brian Williams. I love Williams in big games, so I think his absence hurt a ton. Kenny Hall played one of his better games, but he has way too much Charles Hathaway in his offensive game to replace Williams.
Two killer plays for the Vols both involved Harrelson on the boards - you don't think Williams gets those defensive rebounds and gives us a chance?
What has happened to the home court advantage this year? I thought our crowd was fantastic, but it didn't help at all. We don't seem to shoot any better at home on familiar rims. The only thing I can come up with is an infatuation with bad refereeing that might be something a young team cannot play through...but are we even that young? With the exception of Harris, these guys have been through the wars enough to get past a few tough calls. I don't know what to make of the Thompson-Boling troubles.
Reggie Miller - stick to the NBA. I like you there, but you reminded me of the Fox announcers calling college football bowl games who clearly haven't been following the sport all season. And on behalf of all Tennessee basketball fans, please know that we certainly do not have fond memories of watching Wade Houston coach his son. In fact, I think it is fair to blame CBS and Miller for the loss with their repeated mentions and camera shots of the worst coach in Tennessee, perhaps college basketball, history.
If Tennessee loses to Arkansas in the SEC tournament first round, is there any chance we should be worried on Selection Sunday?
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