ESPN will continue to give Tennessee men’s basketball exposure in 2009-10 — just not at Thompson-Boling Arena.
UT announced Tuesday the Vols will be a part of the College GameDay experience when they visit Kentucky at Rupp Arena on Feb. 13.
The basketball version of the popular College GameDay football show features two one-hour segments, at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m.
ESPN previously announced the Vols will appear three times in the Tuesday night SEC featured slot: at Alabama, at Vanderbilt and at Florida.
Tennessee hosted the GameDay crew last year against Florida.
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
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Comments » 22
MurfreesboroVol writes:
A strong Kentucky team will be a good thing for the SEC and Tennessee. I am concerned the Cats could expose our weakness at the point. We might expose their inexperience.
CJVolNMemphis writes:
No Tuesday night home games? I Guess Bama, Vandy, and Florida need the Vols to come in so they can fill some seats for national TV.
kdcg#213137 writes:
I have attended many of Vanderbilt's home games and I've never seen many games at which there were any empty seats. I can't say the same for UT, before Pearl!
gbeejr#1354500 writes:
Four games on ESPN and all on the road and against tough competition. Investing in the thought to show us losing to these teams? Well, wonder then what turns them off about Thompson-Boling? Is it our second class facilities?? Or maybe it's our poor attendance??? Looks like to me the "testy" relationship we have had with ESPN is apparently alive and well.
TechsterVol writes:
Ummm...."second-class facilities"??!? Have you BEEN to TBA in the last two years? It's by far the best arena in the league since the renovations.
PoochPuntOn3rdDown writes:
We will win this game b/c Bruce Pearl is the best coach in the SEC, still.
Go Vols!
chad_t31 writes:
Ummmm, he was being sarcastic.
gbeejr#1354500 writes:
Techster, are you serious? EVERYONE knows about the facilities at TB. Did you really not see the sarcasm???? Sit down and take a deep breath and think before you speak.
DeerPark12 writes:
Of course, Vandy has half as many seats to fill.
PoochPuntOn3rdDown writes:
I thought it was OK for posters to have different opinions?
Why don't we meet up for a beer before the first home game this year?
PoochPuntOn3rdDown writes:
In case you get all defensive like you normally do, I just want to meet you so we can make a little wager. Put your money where your mouth is...
PoochPuntOn3rdDown writes:
How about that wager? My dad will come if you want. Don't think he needs to be there to help you part with your hard earned govt assistance pay check, though.
PoochPuntOn3rdDown writes:
I think there's a great chance that UK will be in the Final Four this year. Cal can coach a winner, there is no doubt about it.
But, I do agree with you that the TN-KY games this year will be competitive. One only need to look at the TN-Memphis game from Feb. 2008 for proof that Pearl can coach a team to a huge win against a future Final Four opponent.
chrisw2967 writes:
Tn vs Ky could be instant replay of Tn vs Mempuss,back in 08
Pearl holds his own against Cal. and I like Pearls chances.Ky will have some growing pains with all those star recruits and Cal better hope that team doesnt become a "me" team instead of a team.
PoochPuntOn3rdDown writes:
Let me know about the game in Knoxville and I'll see what I can do.
iowavol writes:
Hey, what happened to the Vols in preseason NIT? I saw a schedule 2 days ago and LSU is playing in it. OR are the Vols scheduled for next year?
SmokyMTNVol writes:
When you are not one of the top teams you have to play the tough games on the road. It's that simple.
VOLKING writes:
It sure is good to see the Pearl bashers back on here. Morristown and SmokyMtn....the poser brothers. No positive input whatsoever. Just Pearl bashing. Come up with something new, girls. We get it. You are not Tennessee fans. Move on....do your homework....get a date...move out of your parents' garage...get a life. Or do what I expect and come back at me with a nifty immature insult and continue to pose as UT fans. Whatever.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
It's not the "one discouraging word" that UT basketball fans dislike, it is the unending disparagement of the best, or at least winningest, coach we have had since, well, EVER! Yeah, I thought the team should have done better last year. Yeah, I have my doubts about CBP as a bench coach. Yeah, I wish we had a shot at a better level of recruits. SO WHAT?
Just who do all of you know-it-alls think UT could have gotten at the time that Pearl was hired who you KNOW would have done better? The way I heard the story, UT and its representatives made overtures to any number of better-known guys and none of them wanted the job. Oh, sure, there may have been some relatively unknown young hot-shot out there who is a success NOW who MIGHT have taken the UT job THEN, but at the time the offers were being made, that guy was just as much of an unknown gamble TO US, or anyone else outside his immediate family, as Pearl was, and at least we had Ernie Grunfeld's endorsement for Pearl.
And now, after taking UT to the NCAA FOUR STRAIGHT YEARS, which had never been done before, some of you think we ought to act all entitled, like generations of deluded Bama and UK fans, and throw overboard the coach with the best 4-year record against the best opposition, outside the conference anyway, that UT has ever faced. I just can't get it through my head how people can call themselves UT basketball fans, while knowing our history of an almost TOTAL lack of national attention, and yet want to dump the guy who brought us as much attention and success as we HAVE EVER HAD because those so-called fans want MORE, and want it RIGHT NOW!
Well, we will see what we shall see this year. As far as I can tell, this is about CBP's best chance to win big that he will EVER have unless he gets really lucky recruiting in the next couple of years. Justified or not, UT basketball fans have become used to winning at a certain level and will not tolerate a lengthy retreat from that level. So why don't we all--especially all those who claim to be UT fans--wait to see how the team does this year and how CBP recruits before throwing them under the bus. Because if he doesn't do it this year, we won't see real success in basketball for a decade or more to come, because no one of any PROVEN competence would come to work, at a price we are likely to pay, for such a bunch of unrealistic, ungrateful, demanding "fans" at a football school in a football conference.
Chris4Vols22 writes:
Man, it's a long-shot to think that the Vols will be worse than last season. Anyone who's been to the Rocky Top games knows how amazing Scotty Hopson is now. We're going to have 4 starting seniors and a deep bench. For this game MAYBE experience will outweigh freshman talent. But all in all, the Vols will reach the NCAA probably along with 4 other SEC teams. No way they're NIT bound.
VOLKING writes:
You just proved my point. No positive input whatsoever. Just venom and insults. Loser and poser. Not a UT fan at all.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Look, although I think you are somewhat overly caustic in some of your remarks, I agree with much of what you say about CBP's apparent shortcomings. My only point is that he DID win more than 25 games and win the SEC East last year, made the SEC championship game for the first time since one of Wade Houston's teams caught lightning in a bottle, and made the NCAA tourney AGAIN. You just don't fire a coach, at UT at least, after a season like that; not if you expect ANYONE of any competence and stature to follow him.
Compared with what we had before, which is the only reasonable standard to apply in this era of Vol basketball, CBP is a DRASTIC upgrade from what went before him. The arena is (nearly) full every game; the Vols are on TV more than I have ever seen them in 50+ years as a Vol fan; they have set records for Vol bball regalia sold; etc., etc. Now, if the team falls on its face again, given our experience and talent, THEN I agree that CBP's clock should start running--and fairly fast at that, barring some amazing recruiting coups.
Even then, it will take at least a couple of years of declining wins, interest, donations, and attendance before there are any REASONABLE grounds for giving CBP the boot. Then, it will take whoever the next coach is some time to get the program back up to the level it is at NOW, let alone go to the proverbial "next level". So if CBP doesn't get it done, it will be at least another five years before we can possibly improve much on what CBP has ALREADY done. So my conclusion is that if you want to see UT basketball continue to rise in national stature, a REAL UT fan would hope that CBP CAN get it done. Otherwise, we are starting all over AGAIN, and we MIGHT not be lucky enough to get someone who can win right away from such a low ebb as CBP did when he first came here.
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