GREENSBORO, N.C. — Way back in November, Winthrop at Marquette was a game that would appear to have no possible relevance to Tennessee.

Didn’t matter. Jason Schneider programmed the VCR and popped in the tape anyway.

"You never know,’’ UT’s senior manager thought.

No matter what or when the game, if it was on TV anywhere, anytime, Schneider programmed the VCR and popped in the tape.

Wouldn’t you know it, this afternoon, Winthrop at Marquette has great relevance to Tennessee.

And it has for the past four days. On Sunday evening, within an hour after the Vols learned the identity of their first-round NCAA tournament foe, coach Bruce Pearl and his staff were hunkered down watching videotape of Winthrop.

Had it been any of the other 63 teams in the bracket, Pearl would have been watching tape of them, too.

No waiting. No scrambling. Just roll the tape.

Schneider had done his job.

"Starting with the Preseason NIT, we tape every game,’’ Schneider confirmed Wednesday in the Vols’ locker room at Greensboro Coliseum.

Every game means every game. Literally.

All for this week.

"Exactly,’’ Schneider said with a weary smile. "We basically recorded about a thousand games to get eight tapes for Winthrop.’’

And, if the Vols need them, a dozen on Wichita State and 10 or 12 of Seton Hall.

"We build the whole season up towards the tournament,’’ assistant coach Jason Shay said.

"We build our conditioning so we don’t peak too early. It’s all about March and the taping is part of the process.’’

To the list of disparities between the mid-major schools and the big boys, add video recording.

Schneider followed Pearl to Knoxville after Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Sweet 16 run last March. At UWM he had time to perform functions such as watching the younger Pearl kids at the swimming pool because he wasn’t consumed with hi-tech duties.

"We didn’t even have cable or TV in the office,’’ Schneider said. "We got help from the (Milwaukee) Bucks. Here, we have eight satellite dishes.’’

There are TVs and VCRs in the various offices, in the training room, in the locker room, even one in a bathroom.

"Jason knows how I like things done,’’ Pearl said. "More importantly, he knows how I expect things done.’’

Schneider coordinates the programming. He, grad assistant Andy Fox and various student managers set up the VCR and then collect and log the tapes.

The other managers pitch in — one is back in Knoxville today taping all the first-round games — but the operation is Schneider’s baby.

"Ultimately,’’ said Shay, "he’s in charge.’’

Which is why it was Schneider whom Shay called early on a recent Sunday morning.

The tape from the previous day’s Kentucky-LSU game had cut off and the Vols had Kentucky coming to town on Wednesday.

"I’m asleep,’’ said Schneider, "and Coach Shay calls and says the game is not on the tape. I said, ‘You’re wrong,’ but when I drove in, it wasn’t there.’’

So Schneider highballed it up I-75 to Lexington, picked up a tape and had it back in Knoxville when Pearl was ready to switch on the VCR.

The more tapes, the more likely Tennessee is to discover an edge, either obvious or subtle.

"We watched last year’s Gonzaga-Winthrop (NCAA tournament) game,’’ said Shay, "just to see how Winthrop came out, how loose they were, how confident they were.

"Just to be able to show our guys they’re going to come in here and play like they belong.’’

Ultimately, today’s game probably won’t be determined by the schools’ relative video capabilities.

But if Tennessee wins, those thousand games on tape will have been worth the effort.

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strange2@knews.com