Tad Smith Coliseum, home of the Ole Miss Rebels, is the SEC's least impressive basketball venue. It's old and dark and not exactly drenched in glorious history.
But none of that should matter to Tennessee's basketball team that pays a visit tonight.
The Vols get a court that's 94 feet long and two baskets 10 feet high. It's just another job site, same as Tuscaloosa or Madison Square Garden.
Their work is finding a way to hang around and give themselves a chance in the final few possessions.
And, ultimately, their job is actually closing out a road win. That's been the hard part.
The Vols are 0-4 in true road games this season, Last year's team was 3-8, bringing coach Cuonzo Martin's UT road slate to 3-12.
Road wins — especially conference road wins — are prized possessions in college basketball. There are few moments players enjoy more.
Also, the NCAA tournament selection committee assigns great value to road wins. Road losses at Oakland and College of Charleston last winter figured in sliding the Vols off the NCAA bubble into the NIT.
Breaking through tonight in the Tad Pad is a stiff challenge. Ole Miss is the surprise of the SEC.
Even after breezing through a light non-conference schedule at 11-2, the Rebels were in general lightly regarded.
Now they're 4-0 in the SEC schedule, including a 92-74 romp at UT and an overtime win at Vanderbilt.
Tennessee hasn't gotten over the hump, but has shown enough grit to hang around. Georgetown and Alabama were final-possession losses.
A 46-38 loss at Virginia was a four-point game inside the final minute. Kentucky's 75-65 final margin last week was its biggest of the game, which was tied with 6:27 to play.
Contrast that to last year when the Vols got whacked by 25 at Kentucky, 18 at Vanderbilt and 18 by Memphis.
So, from that perspective, UT is making progress.
On the other hand, here's what a champion looks like:
UT's 2008 SEC champion Vols went 9-2 in true road games, including 6-2 in league play. But what's more impressive is that aside from a laugher at South Carolina, every road win was single digits.
Five wins were by five or fewer points. That's a team that knew how to close out a tight road game.
It's a lesson this team — admittedly a less talented one — has yet to learn.
Tonight will be a formidable test, but there are six more to come after. If the Vols can close out several of them it will make all the difference.
Mike Strange may be reached at strangem@knoxnews.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/strangemike44 and http://blogs.knoxnews.com/strange.
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Comments » 8
SouthPaVol writes:
Road wins have been just out of reach, but not out of mind. Winning is a state of mind. Therefore, we need to get winning more on our minds. We're tough enough, but it would help matters if we go into the Tad Pad and shoot over 50% from the floor. Go Vols!
SummittsCourt writes:
Those road losses could have been and maybe should have been road wins if our team was better coached. Bad shots, turnovers, etc. have doomed this team each time. These are a sign of poor discipline on the court and poor coaching when these things are not corrected.
I hope they win, but it's hard to feel confident that they will. Go Vols anyway!
Sir_Spanky writes:
Wins in just about every sport have been just out of reach for TN lately. Now we have the Johnny Rebs playing in what amounts to a garage and they've got more going on than we do. More evidence everybody on the UT AD payroll oughta be run off. It's a disgrace.
mocsandvolsfan writes:
Go Vols and beat Ole Miss.
licknpromise777#651578 writes:
Agree..Only shot at winning is to come out hot shooting 55% but thats not this teams M.O. We were unfazed at Rupp but fouls and some very stupid turnovers cost us that game..My biggest wish is this team doesn't end up snake bit like the football team..At times in football it was like Murphy's Law..Just when things were about to go right; the opposite happens..Bad play with a side dish of very bad luck
voloffaith writes:
Mike they are da Bears now...PC world made them give up being REBELlious........
johnlg00 writes:
As I said on another thread, this team has a confidence issue, not a talent issue. Jordan is playing with a lot of confidence these days. The other guys need to take their cue from him without trying to do things they don't do well. The inside game needs to get tougher and more efficient. Avoiding cheap fouls would help a lot. Richardson, Moore, and Reese should take turns on Henderson. They are all tall enough that if they just stay on the floor so he can't get around them, they should be able to challenge his outside shots. He is a scorer, but if the Vols can make him take a lot of shots to get his points and rebound his misses, they can give themselves a chance to win. Ole Miss cracked the top-25 this week, so a Vol win at their place will be a "quality" win as the NCAA assesses these things.
DC82_Vol writes:
Gut feeling, we lose again. Nothing this team has done to suggest otherwise. Hope I am wrong.
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