Strange: UT finally on basketball map

In case you hadn’t heard, it’s going to be a long day of basketball at Thompson-Boling Arena.

ESPN’s College GameDay show is in town this morning. Tune in at 11. Better yet, show up.

Florida’s Gators are here tonight. Tip-off is at 9.

The former should be fun. The latter? The way Tennessee’s playing, hold your breath.

While the football version of GameDay has rolled into our city seven times (but not since 2004), this is the first appearance for the basketball edition.

The basketball show launched in 2005. The current lineup is host Rece Davis, analysts Jay Bilas and Hubert Davis, and former coaches Digger Phelps and Bob Knight.

The broadcast team also includes Dan Shulman, Howie Schwab, Erin Andrews and, of course, Dick Vitale.

Bruce Pearl is pumped. Granted, when is Pearl ever not pumped? Still, this is a big deal. It means you matter on the college basketball landscape.

“They’re going to get a chance to see our new facility and environment,’’ said Pearl.

“It makes a statement in recruiting. It makes a statement to our fans. We’ve worked so hard to get Tennessee basketball on the map. A few years ago we couldn’t even get an ESPN game period, let alone College GameDay.’’

Tonight is UT’s 20th game and will be the 10th on one of ESPN’s outlets. You may be wondering whether ESPN waited a year too long to bring its GameDay show to town. It’s a fair question.

The Vols did get the GameDay treatment last year, but as Memphis’ guest at the FedExForum.

(We’ll see if sideline reporter Andrews is game tonight for another defensive demonstration from Pearl. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go to YouTube.com.)

By my count, this is ESPN’s 34th campus visit for College GameDay since it debuted in Storrs, Conn., on Jan. 22, 2005. That includes two stops in Lexington, two in Gainesville and one in Baton Rouge.

The spotlight arrives in Knoxville at a time when UT is near its lowest ebb of the Pearl Era. In contrast to the magic of 2007-08, Tennessee has lost five of its past eight games. Four of those were at Thompson-Boling Arena.

That top-10 mid-December ranking is a fading memory. The Vols didn’t garner a single vote in the latest Associated Press poll.

At 12-7, making the NCAA tournament bracket is more challenge than cinch. At 3-2, the Vols start the day in fourth place in the SEC East.

While it’s true that Tennessee has had Florida’s number lately, the Gators clearly come in with more momentum than the Vols.

“The atmosphere is not going to help us beat Florida,’’ said Pearl. “We’re going to have to improve in a number of areas.’’

That’s not entirely accurate. A raucous crowd might not stop Nick Calathes from assembling his second triple-double of the week, but it could infuse the Vols with some badly needed confidence.

How raucous will UT fans get today? Notre Dame’s students set the bar high last Saturday, showing up big and loud for GameDay’s morning show in South Bend.

Pat Summitt will help rally the troops. She’ll be on the set this morning, chatting legend to legend with Knight.

Summitt’s team, like Pearl’s is struggling to find its way. But the gravity of her imminent 1,000th win is a national story.

Even though Tennessee’s men have ceased to be a national story, all is not yet lost.

Two years ago at this point in the season, the outlook was grim. The Vols dropped six of eight games from mid-January into February. They were only 3-5 in the SEC after losing at Florida on Feb. 3.

They rebounded to finish 7-1 down the regular-season stretch. Then they came within a Greg Oden blocked shot of reaching the Elite Eight.

Another recovery is doable. The SEC, as ESPN will point out today, is watered down. With a few improvements, Tennessee could still make its mark.

“The SEC,’’ Bilas said in a preview of today’s show, “has got to mature, has got to get older.

“It’s still a good, solid league that will merit at least four teams going to the tournament.’’

Florida, by all appearances, is on its way. This is a big day — and night — for Tennessee basketball.

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strangem@knoxnews.com.