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UT AS UNDERDOGS
Tennessee has been an underdog in nine games this season, going 4-5 in those contests. The Vols are once again underdogs Friday against Ohio State in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. A look at how the Vols have fared as underdogs, whether the game was played at home (H), away (@) or at a neutral site (N), with the closing line listed:
Opponent Closing Line Result
Purdue (N) -1 L, 73-72
Memphis (H) -2 W, 66-59
Kansas (H) -5 W, 76-68
@Vanderbilt -3 L, 90-71
@Kentucky -10 L, 72-63
@Florida -2.5 L, 75-62
Kentucky (H) -2.5 W, 74-65
@Miss. St. -3.5 W, 75-59
Kentucky (N) -5 L, 74-45
Ohio State (N) -5* ?????
* Indicates current Las Vegas line
"Tennessee has no business being in the Sweet 16," ESPN college basketball analyst Andy Katz says.
Of the remaining 16 teams in the NCAA tournament, Sporting News writer Mike DeCourcy ranks the Vols last.
Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports states "The Big Dance needs Evan Turner and Ohio State to keep winning.''
It's quickly become apparent the sixth-seeded Vols (27-8) are overlooked and under-appreciated heading into Friday's 7:07 p.m. Sweet 16 showdown in St. Louis with the second-seeded Buckeyes (29-7).
Perhaps UT isn't ranked high enough (15th) to be respected as a favorite nor seeded low enough to be adored as an underdog.
Ohio State is a 5-point favorite to eliminate the Vols.
"We love it,'' UT senior Bobby Maze said Monday. "I'm happy to be the underdog. We've been the underdog all year.''
Especially after the Vols lost All-SEC forward Tyler Smith to dismissal after a Jan. 1 traffic stop that led to three other players being suspended and missing games.
It has been well documented how Tennessee overcame that crisis, stunning No. 1 Kansas and scoring a win over No. 2 Kentucky later in the season.
The Wildcats avenged that loss with a 29-point beatdown of the Vols in the SEC tournament.
That was enough for many to jump off the Big Orange bandwagon.
There's a sense it's time for the Vols to go away and be happy with their 15 seconds of regular-season fame and the top-25 ranking they carried throughout the season.
"We've been doubted from the jump,'' sophomore Scotty Hopson said. "Remember, we were picked as the first upset in the tournament (by CBS' Seth Davis). It just fuels our fire.''
Hopson had a Pilot-sized tanker dumped on him Monday, when a columnist at UT's student newspaper suggested he played lazy, lacking "intensity, hustle and what seemed to be an overall lack of desire to play'' in the Providence, R.I., regional.
"I've had some bad stuff written about me before,'' said Hopson, who was 7-of-9 shooting in the 83-69 win over Ohio on Saturday, "but nothing like that.''
The Vols are relishing being doubted and don't appear to be discouraged by the critics.
"I've been doubted from the time I've picked up a basketball, so it doesn't bother me,'' said 6-foot-10, 279-pound center Brian Williams, who dropped nearly 100 pounds before signing with the Vols three years ago.
"Besides that, I've got a Sports Illustrated in my bag with a Preseason Top 10: Only four of those teams are left in the tournament, and three of those teams didn't even make the tourney. So who cares what people write?''
The way senior J.P. Prince figures it, who are these sportswriters to know what they are talking about, anyway?
"They aren't coaches; all they do is watch games,'' Prince said. "I don't even know who runs the Sporting News.''
Neither does associate head coach Tony Jones, who was more direct in his response to DeCourcy's Sweet 16 picks.
"Guess what Mike who cares what u think" Jones tweeted.
Not Vanderbilt graduate Skip Bayless, whose egotistical and insightful rants have made him an ESPN sensation as the lead analyst on the network's First Take show.
That said, Bayless is overlooking the Vols, too.
"Of the Cinderellas, have to give N Iowa best shot at Final Four,'' Bayless tweeted. "Only two teams from the overrated Big 10 stand it its way.''
Northern Iowa plays Michigan State in St. Louis on Friday before facing the winner of Tennessee's game with Ohio State.
UT coach Bruce Pearl's reaction to the critics and doubters?
"They all may be right," Pearl said. "It's our job to prove them wrong.''
Auerbach Finalist: Pearl has been named a finalist for the 2010 Red Auerbach Award given annually to the nation's top Jewish college coach.
The other finalists are Josh Pastner (Memphis), Keith Dambrot (Akron), Brad Greenberg (Radford) and Seth Greenberg (Virginia Tech).
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Tennessee defeats Georgia 3-2 in…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 63
MNP78 writes:
1st. So very proud of this team and this coaching staff. Absolutely enjoying the ride. Keep it up and GO VOLS!!!
dvols writes:
JP is the man, to heck with these talking heads espn douche bags!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
if a trailer park frenzy is what they want ......espn shall recieve!!!!!!
dvols writes:
talk about overated conference year end and out....the big east!!!!!!!!!!
Fryinpansvols writes:
We don't care about what all the commentators, talking heads and analysts say about our program. We'll let our team prove them wrong when we go up to St. Louis and knock off Ohio State. GBO and beat Ohio State.
VolInIndy writes:
I loathe OSU having lived there for 10 years with the most obnoxious, arrogant fans in the world. In Ohio, everbody sucks except the bucks. I was there in '98 but heard how we got lucky but when they one it in 2004 or whenever, it was the greatest team in history.
My son's girlfriend is an OU grad so we had some fun going against each other in Saturday's game but she is not allowed to wear OSU garb(age) in my house or cheer for the bucks. My three sons hate the bucks worse than I do because if there is anything more obnoxious than bucks fans it is bucks fans' kids.
vol_4_fan writes:
We keep winning and the number of teams to talk about will be down to us and 3 more after Sunday's games! Go Vols
77VolFS writes:
I love it !!! I hope the Media keeps it up. As long as Wayne stays out of foul trouble and we continue our shutdown "D" I like our chances to win the next two and get to Indy.
VolInIndy writes:
Definitely need to smother Diebler (sp). He can go off on a team if left open. One of the best three shooters around but can be shut down.
nola_vol writes:
At tournament time, every analyst touts the importance of having senior leadership, and getting reliable play and scoring from the point guard position.
SO... ?
These guys must still be using the regular season scouting report on Tennessee.
TNboy1972 writes:
Hopson had a Pilot-sized tanker dumped on him Monday, when a columnist at UT's student newspaper suggested he played lazy, lacking "intensity, hustle and what seemed to be an overall lack of desire to play'' in the Providence, R.I., regional.
"I've had some bad stuff written about me before,'' said Hopson, who was 7-of-9 shooting in the 83-69 win over Ohio on Saturday, "but nothing like that."
Whoever wrote that hit the nail on the head! I love my Vols, but Hopson, who has all the talent in the world, is lazy and has less composure than my seven year old. When the going gets tough, he looks down, sticks his lower lip out and his shoulders roll forward. No hustle. Steven Pearl is horrid on offense, but he does play with heart, hustle and passion. I would rather see that than a lazy player with an incredulous look on his face when things don't go his way.
UTByrd writes:
January 1, the VOLS were in the outhouse, no hope in sight, the world was coming to an end.
They've since risen like the Phoenix and, in doing so, have accomplished more than could have ever been imagined. They have created their own little niche in Volunteer lore.
My hope and dream is for these valiant young men to continue to add to that history in the next 3 games. After all, they have already surpassed the so called "experts'" expectations.
Goooooooooooo VOLS!!!!!
cdonsbach writes:
"Memphis (H) -2 W, 66-59"
Memphis was an away game!
carbonzip writes:
Look at the last issue of SI. Their review of the men's tournament focused on the Lady Vols instead of the men. Also, SI did not even write up the win over Kentucky. I used to like SI.
KptDBVol writes:
If Im not mistaken, at the very end of the SDSU win, Hopson came out and Pearl came in to play D...that ought to send a loud and clear shout to him and our fans...might be coach's son, but wins and losses are his meal ticket. I FELT better seeing Pearl enter at that time of the game.
Wish Hopson would become all he can be...Starts with a bit of confidence and hustle. That does not mean mugging at the cameras after an uncontested dunk!
I'm a big Scotty Hopson fan. He has hit some big shots and made some big plays this year, just needs to be much more consistent! He has too much talent to EVER go to the bench during crunch time...that is nothing more than him not having enough "want to"
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
Your post was toooo funny! I could just hear YOU preaching that! GBO beat OSU!
orangeismydream writes:
lets go vols from what ive seen is that we can beat ohio state specially if we stop their guards and get the big man in foul trouble.we defintantly cant let diebler get going but if we make him put it on the ground we will be alright and i would rather be playing them than georgia tech because i dont think we match well with them.
1Volunteer writes:
Columnists going after a story love to write about the stars on a team. When they look at UT, they don't find one or two players who are prominent on the national stage. Wayne Chism is the only player who has garnered an award of any kind--All-SEC. So if we don't have nationally prominent players, we must not be "nationally relevant" as some trolls like to say. Right?
Well, 1Volunteer loves to see the balanced scoring by our team, the deep bench, the fierce defensive effort, and the great team spirit. When the guards put up those alley-oop passes for dunks by JP and Scotty, I know that these guys are together, reading each other's mind.
After playing a tough season schedule, the Volunteers are ranked 15th nationally, with 14th RPI. Five teams with higher rank are out of the tournament. So some sportswriters think they belong at the bottom of the pack? They don't know our Vols, and they are ignoring their body of work that earned those rankings.
Bruce will have them ready. JP, Weezy, and Bobby will lead this band of brothers to greater things.
I want to add that, win or lose this weekend, I like our lineup better than that of the KY Wildcats, regardless of awards. Thanks, guys!
licknpromise777#651578 writes:
These are the same knuckleheads that had UTEP and villanova in the sweet 16..We are the Rodney Dangerfield of basketball..I don't think beating OSU will even get us 30 seconds on Sportscenter
govols9875 writes:
skip bayless is a bi#@h....i doubt he's ever played competetive sports in his life
bigorange61 writes:
Scotty had 17 pts on 7 for 9 shooting against Ohio. Ohio's guards who combined for 55 points against Georgetown had 23 points against Tennessee.
That would be a pretty good game for most people I would think. I guess the bar for Scotty is set so much higher than anybody else.
I'm well aware Scotty has some off games but I didn't think Ohio was one of them.
brokebackvol writes:
I had a good feeling about this team from the time they took it to the wire vs Purdue early in the season. As long as they stick together as a team, they can reach the Elite 8. That's the goal, one game at a time.
GO BIG ORANGE!!
bobbarbilly writes:
Come Friday night, at least the Vols have a chance to be winners. The three talking heads can only look forward to always being losers.
PoochPuntOn3rdDown writes:
Dude!
.
.
.
<----------------- Use it!!!
He scored 18 points against OU to close them out (throws hands in the air in exasperation)!!!
PoochPuntOn3rdDown writes:
That was supposed to look like this
.
.
.
<--------------- Use it!!!
IBleedOrange444 writes:
I think that's the key to this game. Got to stay in Diebler's shirt the whole game and rebound the heck out of the basketball to win. Ga Tech turned the ball over a lot, took a bunch of ill-advised early zero pass shots, and got into foul trouble. They were still in the game for a while. Surely we can give them a better run than that. I like the match up. Don't care that the pundits aren't talking about UT. Go Big Orange!!!
PoochPuntOn3rdDown writes:
Let's try this one more time for complete clarification, so there is NO confusion...
.
<-----------------
tdvol1989 writes:
Look, I have been critical of Hopson at times too. But, there is a point where you cross the line from being critical to being destructive. The Vols can turn the heat from the National Media into motivation. But, they should not be publicly tortured by their own fans in the media.
You guys need to be careful. There are a lot of jobs open right now (including Iowa - remember Dr. Tom Davis was Pearl's mentor) and if Coach Pearl does get the win Friday, he might decide to look into one. He is already a bit disappointed in our traveling (though times are a little tighter these days) while other schools pack the arenas. Forget quoting me contract details. Any school can buy any contract out.
There comes a point where the negativity goes too far and no Vols of any sport should be blasted in the Beacon.
Besides, Hopson played a bit bitter in the Ohio game. Maybe he will turn the corner.
IBleedOrange444 writes:
Agreed. Shouldn't print that in the Beacon and I sure hope Bruce stays put. Would love to be in St Louis, but it's probably not in the cards. People need to remember that Scotty is only in his 2nd year. He will continue to develop and get better and better.
blazeglory07 writes:
I can't believe it an ESPN guy picked us to go to the Final 4.I hope Hubert did'nt jinx us.I believe our depth will wear them down in the final minutes. UT 69 - OSU 66
schymtz writes:
Re: 2007-08: Memphis had kept a banner commemorating that season hanging in the rafters at FedExForum during its appeal, but that banner now will be taken down. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/st...
murrayvol writes:
One step at a time.
Step 1: Be the worst team in the Elite 8.
Step 2: Be the worst team in the Final Four.
etc.
sticknmove15 writes:
not all espn is bashing ut though....colin cowherd said yesterday that he likes kentucky, duke, and tennessee....he said he really likes the fact that tennessee has a lot of tatoos. seriously...he said that.
lomas98 writes:
Andy Katz did say we had no business being there, but he was stating that because of what adversity we have faced this year. I thought his article was actually pretty good and he didn't bash UT at all.
tennrich1 writes:
JP, that was reaction as well...I know their not coaches and by the looks of most of them, they're probably not athletes either...Pay not attention to DeCourcy, i can assure you....:But like coach says...THEY MAY ALL BE RIGHT....ITS UP TO US TO PROVE THEM WRONG....
GeneralNeylandsReturn writes:
The Beacon...laughable...I have three degrees from UTK, and subsequently taught on the faculty for years; and I have never once seen a Beacon writer with the professional credentials to write an informative sports article much less an op ed worthy of criticism of their peers.
It's a training ground for journalists yes, but not the place for vitriol of fellow students.
The current editor and their faculty representative should be ashamed of abusing their privilege and position.
Thad123 writes:
That is exactly what the article was about. It was all one big compliment to Bruce Pearl. In no way did this article reflect badly on UT.
illinoisvolfan writes:
Everything's OK. It's not the first time KNS has slightly twisted around the facts for the benefit of an article, nor will it be the last.
Go Big Orange...shock the world (or at least, many members of the U.S. sports media).
asleep#212036 writes:
It's real simple. Most of these talking heads are either egomaniacal jerks or former athletes put on TV to appeal to a certain segment of soceity who might watch, whatever demographic the network is chasing. That said, they love to think they know more than anyone else and they hate, hate, hate, being wrong. Tennessee was overwhelmingly declared a first round upset loser by the pundits. Thus, they now have "no business" in the Sweet Sixteen, "proving" to everyone watching that the pundits' original predictions weren't wrong, we're just lucky. I find it fascinating that a 27 game winner from the SEC is considered a "lucky" misfit, whereas 28 and 29 game winners from the Ivy League or MVC, or a 23 game winner from the PAC-10 are considered deserving. They hate being wrong. If we win on Friday, we will then be the "worst" team in the Elite Eight. And if by some miracle we won it all, they would immediately declare us the "worst" national champion in NCAA basketball history. We are a football school from a football conference with a charismatic Jewish coach and a loose style of play. We will never get the accolades we deserve so I say let's move on and play ball. Win or lose, we know who we are and we will make no excuses. Go Vols!!!
Chartervol writes:
The Beacon is a legitimate paper and has the same right as any other paper to cover events and comment as it sees fit -- or at least it used to be when I was helping run the place. Names like Paul Finebaum and Gene Wojciechowski ring a bell?
The Beacon has launched dozens if not hundreds of successful journalism/communications careers. We are everywhere from the White House Press Corps to ESPN and syndicated radio. We are senior communications executives at major corporations, utilities and government agencies. We run public relations firms from coast to coast.
We were pretty good when we were holding forth down at Room 5 twenty and thirty years ago.
And we were not impressed with some snotty UT lifer on the faculty. We still aren't.
VolJunkie writes:
Agreed, that's how I read it as well. A comment taken out of context ... imagine that.
Go Vols!
VolJunkie writes:
"Make history" is exactly the right way to play this. Don't worry about the "talking heads", they are like the negative posters on this board; nothing UT does is good enough. Stories are already full of UT's "easy" path with GTOWN and KU gone. Bullsh!t! Ohio dominated GTOWN and we owned Ohio; KU, been there, done that, got the t-shirt. How fitting that UT now has a chance to exorcise past demons by facing OSU with a chance to go to the Elite 8. For a team that was not supposed to get past SDSU, we are not done yet.
I think we have one more meeting with Kentucky, it will be in the National Championship game. History indeed.
Go Vols!
OrangePride writes:
This kind of stuff is just the kind of thing that will motivate these VOLS. Ohio State barely beat us in this exact game a few years ago when they had Odom. We're looking to turn the tables this time. So,let's just go get after them, play Tennessee defense, and prove these doubters wrong! GO VOLS.
Gumby#1381110 writes:
Who cares what the so called experts say. These same know it alls said Kansas would win it all.
golfballs03 writes:
That writer for the Daily Beacon is a dweeb
usnavyvolfaninva_still_getting_paid writes:
Yeah, saw his tournament stats so far. THe guy is good from the perimeter.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Maybe the thing to do with Scotty is put him on Diebler with orders to not let him touch the ball. Scotty seems to rise to that kind of challenge. As I said in an earlier post, he seems to be that rare player who plays better on-ball defense than he does help defense. He loses track of his man when he is trying to watch the ball at the same time.
It will then be a tall order for the rest of them to contain Turner and keep any of OSU's big men from really going off, but taking away one of Turner's main options will contribute to that containment job. I think the Vols will do a credible job on defense, so it may well come down to how efficient we are on offense. If we can keep our turnovers below 12 or so, drive the ball to the basket, and cash in a few offensive rebounds, we will win this game. GBO!!! TCB!!!
usnavyvolfaninva_still_getting_paid writes:
Wasn't sure if I was the only one who can't stand SB... I'm sure his middle initial is O.
usnavyvolfaninva_still_getting_paid writes:
Yeah, after the emotional charge subsided, and I actually read through, it made more sense. I think that Katz could've worded it better, though.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
The Beacon sportswriters all want to be nationally-known pundits, too. They see what the "main-stream" commentators say and copy that style and mindset. They don't know any more about ball than any of us, but they think they know what sells in the media.
I don't think this negative talk hurts the players as much as it does fans. I think the players, especially on this team with this coach, use such talk as fuel and as evidence that it is "them against the world".
I do confess to a quiver of apprehension at the suggestion that CBP might go elsewhere if fan support on the road doesn't pick up, and some of that lack might well be attributable to negative attention in the press. As they say, winning cures everything...most of it, anyway.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Hubert Davis has been supportive of the Vols all season. He has the most recent playing experience of any of the ESPN talking heads, and he has noticed how well the Vols defend on the perimeter. Most of the rest of them either worship a team's playmakers or fawn over their big-name coaches. They can't really identify with the Vols' gritty, blue-collar approach to the game. In that regard, Bob Knight DOES give the Vols credit for playing tough half-court defense. I agree that OSU will give the Vols a tough test, but I also agree that they will likely prevail unless Chism and Williams get in early foul trouble and "bad JP" shows up again.
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