Bruce Pearl came to Tennessee an underdog. It was a role that fit him and his new team to, well, to a T.
Before long, however, Pearl and his Vols weren't the hunters any longer. Their almost-instant success made them the hunted.
Beating Florida wasn't an upset any more. A win over Memphis was a relief more than a trigger for students to charge the court.
Win at South Carolina? Big deal. You're supposed to win at South Carolina.
In the beginning, seeing "Tennessee" in the NCAA bracket on Selection Sunday was cause for celebration. Now, if you don't see Tennessee in the Sweet 16 it's somehow a letdown.
But all of the above, of course, is what Tennessee wanted to happen. It's the culture change Pearl was hired to bring about.
Friday was one of Pearl's toughest days at Tennessee. He had to cut loose Tyler Smith.
Pearl has dismissed other players. It's an unfortunate part of a coach's job. But he'd never had to cut one loose quite like Tyler Smith.
A first-team All-SEC player. A senior leader, a guy with whom he had a special history and a promise to a dying father.
Three more Vols are in disciplinary limbo. Some or all may be back or none may be back.
With No. 1 Kansas in town Sunday and the SEC opener looming, the Vols face a scenario they wouldn't have imagined when they walked off the floor in Memphis on New Year's Eve celebrating a win.
In a sense, they're back to being underdogs.
"We are outmanned for once,'' senior J.P. Prince observed Friday. "We always had 11 or 12 guys. We don't have that any more.
"It's all about effort now. With less people, we've got to give a better effort.''
Hey, nothing wrong with that plan.
Pearl's first teams at UT were defined by effort. Nobody outhustled the Vols. Nobody was in better shape. Tennessee never backed down, never blinked.
If you took an exit poll of fans at Thompson-Boling Arena the past year or so, I'm not sure the above qualities would always get the majority vote.
Pearl was able to recruit better players but they didn't seem hungrier. It wasn't that they didn't play hard, but they didn't always play as hard as guys like Dane Bradshaw, Chris Lofton, JaJuan Smith and C.J. Watson played.
It remains to be seen how Tyler Smith's stunning exit will alter the chemistry of this team. That goes for the other absentees as well, if they remain absentees.
Pearl talks about beginning anew with a mere nine-man rotation that includes three walk-ons. It's not ideal but it's not the end of the world.
His first UT outfit won an SEC East title with a nine-man rotation. A year later the Vols went to the Sweet 16 and within a basket of the Elite Eight with a nine-man rotation.
For what it's worth, the Vols beat a decent Charlotte team 88-71 on Wednesday with a nine-man rotation.
"We've got to move on,'' senior Wayne Chism said. "That's what we did against Charlotte and that's what we've got to do now.
"The news we got hurt, but that's what coach preached, to keep moving forward.''
How far forward?
This, Pearl's fifth team, was supposed to be his best, his deepest team, his most veteran team. It was supposed to challenge star-studded Kentucky in the SEC. The stage was set to make a deep run in March.
"I still say we can compete at a high level,'' Prince said. "We've got to play smarter. We've got to use our brains a little more out there on the court.
"This doesn't change our goals. It's just to reach the goal, I think you have to go a different route.''
I'd see if the underdog route still fit. It worked before.
Mike Strange may be reached at strangem@knoxnews.com or 865-342-6276.
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Tennessee defeats Georgia 3-2 in…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 14
bosscat writes:
A silver lining in a black cloud.
rockytopatl writes:
Ironic to see J.P. Prince talk about playing smarter. Waiting to see that. Might be awhile.
rclarkfork#639958 writes:
Just want to see the same effort that we saw against Charlotte. It may not be enough to beat Kansas but it will be enough to get the fans behind this team and for them to have a good year.
richvol writes:
If these guys give 100% a 100% of the time they are capable of beating anyone.
To achieve the goal of playing smarter they must go inside and stop jacking up threes.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
I definitely see what you are saying, but, hey, let's give him a chance to show he means it and can back it up. He has to know that his play for much of his career hasn't been at an NBA-worthy level. I'm sure it has occurred to him that if the Vols finish strong and he is one of the reasons why, he will GREATLY help his stock as a future pro. Personally, I am of the "...and pigs might fly" persuasion on the issue, but I'm willing to be convinced otherwise.
GR82BAVOL writes:
Prince IMHO has always been a little overrated, but his statement about taking a different route to get to where they're going was intelligent. I've notice how he has stepped it up the last 2-3 games. We'll need him to keep up that level of play and we need him as a leader more than ever. For whatever reason, I think he just might be up to the task.
BillyVol writes:
This is the defining moment for Tennessee Basketball under Bruce Pearl. The rest of the year will set the tone for not only this years team, but also for future teams. Tennessee will be known as the era of Pat, Bruce, and Lane, as the Sports program of these major sports will rise to the top in all aspects of sportsmanship, in defining who we are. WE ARE THE VOLUNTEERS OF TENNESSEE.
WytheVol writes:
Well said, Rich... 100% all the time. That's the main thing lacking from the last couple of years. And, like you said, if they'll go inside and earn some respect, they'll get much better looks behind the arc.
Hopson has got to start driving to the basket more often. As it stands, he is probably the most talented, yet underperferming player on the team. I expect him to step up against Kansas. He has the capability to score 20+ in every game. IMO...
Go Vols!!!
fpcoach writes:
I'm excited to see how the remainder of the season plays out. I enjoyed the 1st half of the Charlotte game more thaan any game I have watched in the last 2 years. If the players there will give maximum effort for 40 minutes they will win a lot of games. In any sport, all you can ask kids to do is practice hard, play hard, and have fun. I coached fast pitch softball for many years. My favorite team was a team that had their best 3 players leave for another team. The girls left took their game to a whole new level. They had great chemistry and a goal. Bottom line, we reached our goal and had a great time doing it. One can only hope the current group of Vols can come together make us fans proud, win or lose.
Oh yeah, CBP is the best thing that ever happened to UT Basketball. GBO.
rbromley7#241642 writes:
Pearl's first two teams had a majority of players he did not recruit. It appears they were recruited with character in mind and as a result of working harder and perhaps better coaching from Coach Pearl, they succeeded. The played great defense, patterns/screening were developed that allowe the team to reach beyond their potential. Over the past few years, athletic ability has improved. Charachter? The team appears undercoached, not being able to reach their potential. Perhaps this latest situation will force the team into a better rotation for success. It appears that the coaching staff has disregarded the principles of winning that they initiated, ie., team work, good shot selection, screening,defense,zone offense.
tractoronthepole writes:
I have been critical of recent articles and mainly the lack of research done by the writers as of late. Mike Strange good article. Perhaps you have hit on something here. How many teams go deep in the tournament using a 11-12 man rotation? I certainly know the merits to having too many running backs in a rotation. It has been said a running back cannot get into a rhythm without getting his carries.
Can you make the necessary decisions to find your playmakers by giving many people limited time? Many may disagree but I believe Kenny Hall is a playmaker and more so than Williams. I also don't believe it takes 11-12 man rotation to press, heck when I was that age I could go full out the entire game with a couple of minutes rest each half (actually got mad when taken out).
Has the extended rotation actually hurt us?
GO VOLS
TrouserCough writes:
Please stop saying "SEC East Title". There is no such thing. It has no meaning. You can be the best team in the east and be the seventh best team in the SEC. It's not like football. You don't play in the championship game because your first in your division. This came from Pearl to couch the lame team performance's the last two years in a good light.
jhayes0926#638474 writes:
JP hit the nail on the head. The diff. in our team and the Dukes, Kansas, N.C., etc. is that they give 100% effort without having a crisis to bring it out. We should have been giving 100% effort every game. There are only 2 or 3 players that have been giving 100% effort every game and sadly those kids have mostly been riding the pine. How many loose balls have we seen Scotty or JP dive for. Chism occasionally gives his all but he more frequently disappears like he did in 2nd half against Charlotte.
UT will have to play 2 fantastic halves to even have a chance Sunday. If they disappear in the second half it will be a 20 pt. loss.
Basketvol writes:
It means you are the best team in the SEC East. Considering the competition, that means something to me.
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.