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While I agree that the NCAA is still just a distant dream, if the season ended today, the Vols WOULD be in the NIT. Even their present RPI of 69 would place them WELL within the bracket of the 32-team NIT. I know of course that there will be teams with RPI's worse than 69 in the NCAA tournament because of the automatic bids to the lower mid-major conference champs and there will likely be teams left out of the NCAAs with RPI's perhaps considerably better than 69. I also agree that the NIT is far short of what everybody was hoping for at the beginning of the season, but if you asked the team and the coaches if they would prefer to stay home rather than go to the NIT, I think they would to a man prefer the latter.

Fans can feel however they wish about it. We can all lament the sub-par performances in the non-conference schedule and the weakness of the SEC that has put something of a ceiling on how high their RPI can rise the rest of the way. However, compared to the way everybody was feeling after losing those clank-fests at G'town and UVA, it says something for the resolve of the team that they are now within shouting of the NCAAs and a LOCK for the NIT. I would certainly agree that the main prize for this season is probably out of reach. But I would rather have a lesser prize than to go home empty-handed.