Seat belts should be required for following an NCAA basketball tournament.
You are flying along on the wings of a team seemingly Final Four bound . . . then, wham! You stop; the tournament goes on without you. The ending is so abrupt and jarring, you feel like a crash dummy without an air bag.
Tennessee fans felt the impact as much as anyone Sunday afternoon. The crash was exacerbated by their history. An excursion this deep into the NCAA tournament was a foreign trip for them. They were just getting comfortable when they were blown away by a game-deciding whistle.
So Michigan State advanced to the Final Four; the Vols returned to Knoxville, one game and one point short.
By the time J.P. Prince's last, desperate shot flew off course, I actually had convinced myself that a team whose tournament run was projected to end in the Sweet 16 according to my bracket, was capable of winning the national championship.
A couple of diverse forces were at work.
You had a UT team doing what Final Four teams do, peaking at the right time. The shortcomings that were so evident at the worst of times didn't just drift away, but they were overshadowed by the team's sheer will as much as anything else.
Everybody talks about refusing to lose in March. But the Vols played that way for four games.
They will be remembered for over-achieving, not falling short.
No NCAA tournament run can be explained solely in terms of talent and effort. You can't ignore the whimsical nature of the event. Immersing yourself in this tournament can be akin to living in a casino. From the seeding to the officiating, this is a game of chance.
And when the game is going your way, you get the euphoric sensation that it will keep going your way. UT fans probably felt that way until Prince's blocked shot was ruled a foul with 1.8 seconds to play.
Notice how that angel-on-your-shoulder feeling can vanish on a single shot or call?
Even in the best of times, there's no getting around the game's inherent flaw. It's regulated by one high-speed judgment call after another by officials. The foul on Prince that afforded Michigan State its game-winning free throw looked like a block on the replay. But officials don't have the luxury of extended reviews.
It was a close call made in real time, nothing like the officiating travesty that denied Robert Morris a first-round upset of Villanova. Yet that doesn't reduce its resonance with the players, coaches and fans. Nor does it diminish the casino effect.
When you negotiate all the obstacles on the way to the Final Four, you can't help but feel the dice will roll your way in the next game, too. "Team of destiny" seems to fit anyone in the foursome.
West Virginia and Michigan State have overcome injuries to their starting point guards since qualifying for the tournament. Think they won't have a heightened sense of optimism this weekend?
Or how about Butler, whose Final Four trip will be nothing more than a crosstown drive? And then there's Duke, the last No. 1 seed standing, which has a sense of entitlement when it comes to these affairs.
But only one team's fans will celebrate a national championship. The others will need a seat belt.
John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.
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Comments » 26
OrangePride writes:
I've looked at that play about 6x on my DVR......no way did Prince foul on that shot! BUT, the official call is what it is and the game was put on the foul line. Tennessee had it's chances and played like champions. Proud of this season is an understatement! Congratulations VOLS!
798orange writes:
Good article, John. Thanks to the Vols for bringing back the excitement in March and for the earlier big wins.
Realist writes:
Watching the foul live looked more like a rape! You cannot blame the refs for this one.
UT played hard and lost. There were many factors in the loss. Not just the call with 1.8 seconds left. They played and coached hard. They never gave up and did not fall apart like they did in the SEC tourney! At least this time, they died with their boots on!
10volunteers98 writes:
'UT caught up in high-speed NCAA chase'.Adams,you moron.Your headline led me to think that the Vols were in some kind of trouble with the NCAA in the Lame Kitten aftermath!Still a little paranoid after Kitten and monkey boy Orgeron bent the rules at UT.
KptDBVol writes:
guess the final call would have been easier to accept if it was called by the slot official that could see it. The baseline official made the call, he could not have seen the play. The Mich St player had his back to the official that made the call and Brian Williams had him shielded too.
Many other chances to win and lose, not crying or whining over that call, but so long as it is the topic of conversation...might as well wade on in with my two cents worth.
I am very proud of this team too. Played like champions and grew as a team all year. Playing our best at the end! We have the best coach in the country! GO VOLS!
Volumnus writes:
All the calls in the game did not make MSU hit their free throws and UT miss theirs. Simple basics, hit your free throws and advance.
We had a good run. It is sad that it ended on free throws but big games do. Think back to Jan. 1, we would all have taken an Elite Eight appearance no questions asked.
OrangeCounsel writes:
Volumnus is right - you gotta hit free throws to win. The replay was clear; there wasn't a foul on that play. But, it's hard to blame the official. You're going to get called when you're as out of control in the air as Prince was. Not his fault - it was his only play - but you're going to get called on that every time, no matter how clean the block turns out to be.
Foul or no, this was a team that seemed like a let down in January. The season was lost before it started, but nobody told them. They came together, played together, and put in what is easily the most memorable season in the last several coaches' tenures. Congratulations to the Basketball Vols, and here's hoping we're not stuck on Elite Eight as long as we got stuck on Sweet Sixteen.
VOLsince68 writes:
Yeah, I agree totally. They've run that story into the ground. Ready for it to go away.
Awesome season and looking forward to next year.
GO VOLS!!!!!!
always_vol (Inactive) writes:
Three things:
-we needed better FT shooting, that was certain.
-the idea is have the game far enough out of reach to make the officials somewhat irrelevant at the end of the game
-live by the sword, die by the sword with JP and his blocks. Just as the official made a good call at OSU, we got jobbed a bit in this one. Maybe if JP stays on the floor, the game simply ends in a tie and we go to overtime. As it was, it would have taken real balls for the ref to let it go.
There should probably be instant replay rules for the last 30 seconds of a game, or maybe just the last 15 seconds. Add to that a one-time 'challenge' per team.
I think most refs want to get it right when it comes to the NCAA's. It's not like going to Rupp, where you automatically asses your team 7 fouls to start the game and figure your star is only good for 26 minutes or so.
always_vol (Inactive) writes:
The utter heartbreak of this one is that it was not a poorly-officiated game. Yes, there where some misses, but not systemic or one-sided.
Fro that, go back to Conley, jr and OSU a couple of years ago.
This game was just us NOT making some key plays....and we know it.
I seriously feel we had a good shot at an NC. NOt a great shot, but I thought we could take Butler. After that, it's a wild guess as to what happens.
gwills228#231210 writes:
free throws free throws free throws!!!!!
spvol writes:
Can't help but think back on the "experts" on CBS who said we would be one and done.
kctcloth writes:
Ha! I remember Selection Sunday when one of the analysts had San Diego State beating us. i was so mad.
tmartin writes:
why was the guy open in the lane to begin with? so
CoverOrange writes:
BW lost his man.
jakethevolguy writes:
Where was that official when Bobby Maize got whacked across both forearms on that layup that hit the top of the backboard? Bobby's two free throws may have made a difference. The 29 point Ky loss is easier to swallow than this one where a couple of bad calls cost the VOLS the game.
volaboard writes:
Would have loved to have seen Chism play the post more on offense. Seemed to me that he had a real advantage down low with his size and quickness. But, he spent most of the second half on the perimeter. I know that he is a 3 point threat, but MSU took most of the 3 point looks away after the first 10 minutes.
bretonbound writes:
Have always like Adam's writings for the most part as they usually seem unbiased and without prejudice; however, John, this time you sound like the typical vOL fan...look at Prince's foul without the tennessee eyes & there's no way you can call it anything but! Not to mention that everytime Michigan moved, they got whistled while tn ran roughshod, including running over players from behind...In fact, tn seemed to have the refs' favor throughout the tournament. Call 'em like they are, not as you would prefer them to be.
rockytop33 writes:
It is what it is. This team and coaching staff put it all on the line Sunday. It just came down to that last 1.8 seconds. I am so proud of this team and coaching staff. I thought if i heard about Jan.1 one more time I was going to throw up. This team pulled together made a little history along the way and excited Vol fans all over planet earth. Anyone says Bruce Pearl can not coach is a moron. He and this team has put Tennessee Basketball back on the map. It is GREAT TO BE A TENNESSEE VOLUNTEER!!!!!!!!!!
TommyJack writes:
As for NCAA games, I've seen hundreds with worse officiating.
volhome writes:
One thing that we were unable to do was a review of the final drive by MS. It seemed that two MS players were in the lane for a VERY long time, and severely pushed off to get clear. Just as we were about to hit the pause button and go back to check, the power went out, just long enough to reset the digital receiver. Power came back, we dashed to the TV without the DVR and saw the end. Did anyone else notice the long time in the lane? Not that it changes anything. Just another in the LONG line of basketball calls that we wonder about.
Still, more than anything, we were sad at the game's outcome, but proud of the team. The guys could not have given any more, and did something that had never been done at UT. It may be a loss, but it's still great to be a Vol.
fpcoach writes:
Thank you Wayne, JP, and Bobby for giving us a basketball season to remember. You guys gave your all for The Tennessee Vols and represented well. I too was heartbroken Sunday but didn't want to post while I was an emotional wreck. Michigan State is a program that all teams should aspire to be like. Those guys have been in the final four 6 times in 12 years. They've been there and knew exactly what they were doing in the last 11 seconds. Izzo is a great coach but I wouldn't trade him for Bruce. This will not be our last venture into the elite 8, this is only the beginning. We played a great game and came up 1 point short. I won't be surprised if we are back in the hunt next year. The future is bright guys, and this old UT fan is enjoying every minute of it. As long as CBP is here, and I get the feeling he loves Tennessee, we will be a top 20 program. And one of these days, maybe, just maybe, things will go our way in the big dance and we will all celebrate hanging a banner in TBA GBO
TNslammabama writes:
One of John Adams' best-ever articles, balanced all the way. He really captured for me the atmosphere of the tournament (casino-like) and how it comes to a sudden, screeching halt when you lose. I guess this guy (bb) was looking at another game than the rest of us. As was pointed out earlier by an astute viewer, the foul on Bobby Maze when the ball went over the backboard, if called by these typical morons in striped shirts (I can say it; the SEC can't fine me), completely turns the game UT's way if Maze goes to the line and hits the free throws as he typically has. Instead, ball back to MS. BB, unfortunately, is so very typical of a Knoxville type the rest of us have to deal with on a daily basis. He refuses to let Knoxville be a college town like Ann Arbor or Baton Rouge just because it happens to be home to our University of Tennessee. No, anyone who writes for the local newspaper must go out of his way to make sure no out-of-town transplants who went to school somewhere else and could not possibly care less about our university won't be offended by any possible minute inkling of, dare I say it?: Favoritism toward a local institution. You want total objectivity? You'll only find it back where you came from.
Mule_Days_King writes:
Harris, McRae, Maymon and Golden added to Tatum, Goins, Williams, Hall, Hopson, Woolridge, McBee and Pearl.
Next year's team will have high expectations, deserved or not, simply because of what this year's team did. Hopefully the seniors on next year's team will have as much heart and desire to win as this year's did.
Go Vols!!
justincredible369#357762 writes:
Can anyone explain to me the why we are loathed by the national media? The announcers were still talking about Ohio st, WHILE we were playin Michigan st. Totally ridiculous imo. Is there something we have done in the past 10-20 yrs thats caused it? Really no clue at all!
volbald writes:
UT had a chance to win with free throws and intelligent plays. But Prince's two blocking fouls in 3 seconds swung a 5 point lead to a 2 point deficeit. And Maze's bizarre drive along the baseline and throwing the ball staight up ended any chance UT had. The boys were too tired to make the free throws in the end. B. Pearl has done a tremendous job with marginal talent this year. The next time Pear recruits a McDonald's All-American, the boy needs to be able to play at an SEC level. Should do better next year.
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