CHATTANOOGA - As ESPN college basketball analyst Jimmy Dykes left Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena early last Saturday evening after the Volunteers' emotional win over Missouri, he was asked which Southeastern Conference teams should be expected to join Florida in the NCAA tournament.
"I think Tennessee's in and Kentucky's in," Dykes said.
Asked about Mizzou, which was 2-7 on the road in league games, the former Kentucky assistant coach said, "I think Missouri's been in for some time."
If you check out Jerry Palm's projected NCAA bracket on CBS's website, you'll find those exact four SEC teams reaching the Big Dance, with Tennessee and Kentucky headed for Dayton, Ohio, early next week for the "First Four" contests.
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Comments » 23
jt45 writes:
Right now I just want to see the Vols win the sec tournament and avoid any chance the committee has of playing favorites like they tend to do. They should really just call it the Network Championship nowadays.
DevoSanchez writes:
A loss tomorrow would be our first "Bad Loss" of the season and could be enough to push us out. Avoid that and we are likely in. Then again, the committee may see us vs Alabama as a play-in game. Better win 2 to lock us in...
murrayvol writes:
"NIT-ting needles"?? And just how long have you been waiting to use that one Mark?
2 wins does it. Beat FU for a better seed. Forget winning the tournament. Haven't done that since the Carter administration.
johnlg00 writes:
To me, the Vols' repeated failure to even show up for the SEC tournament is the biggest blemish on their historical resume. I would love for this team to finally slay that particular dragon. Even if there were no NCAA implications involved, and I think there probably are, it would be good for the team's psyche to prove, if only to themselves, that they could really rise to an important occasion and play their best when they really MUST.
John_10065 writes:
It's darn hard to put that big a string of wins in a row or people would do it all the time. That's why it's been so long since there was a 30-0 season and with today's parity in college ball it might not happen for another 37 years.
To go 9-1 after a 11-10 start then with less than a week's rest to follow up with a 4-0 run in 4 days then another 3-0 run the following week to make the sweet 16 with a play in game would be nothing short of miraculous.
And yes, I think this team is capable of being a sweet 16 squad regardless of what the local trolls think. It's just going to be a rough road to get there.
murrayvol writes:
Amen. We can hope.
johnlg00 writes:
Georgia did it in four games just a few years ago, including winning two games in the same day! Yeah, the odds are high against a team winning the SEC when they have to play more than three games, but just making it to the final game would be a HUGE boost to the team's confidence, not to mention putting them into the Big Dance with room to spare. I think the guys have done GREAT to finish the way they did, I would just like to see them KEEP doing it for a few more days!
1vavolfan writes:
The thought of having to beat Alabama or anyone of relevance in the SEC tournament is scary. UT has been consistently bad for 35 years there. Using Lunardi's formula UT should lose to South Carolina, that way they would secure their place in the tournament. After a loss to UGA he has us in, after a win over Missouri he has us back out.
johnlg00 writes:
I agree. I might be inclined to make an exception for a team that reaches the conference tournament final in a league like that, but putting anybody else in with a losing conference record is just a slap in the face to every team that won over half their conference games in any of the top six conferences or so but didn't get in, not to mention an affront to logic and good taste!
johnlg00 writes:
In fairness to Lunardi--and to the actual selection committee, for that matter--decisions on the ragged edge, so to speak, are always complicated. The number of teams whose late wins and losses affect the fates of other teams far outnumber the available at-large spots, especially these days. As always, the Vols task is simple if difficult--win all they can and see where it gets them.
johnlg00 writes:
Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean dark forces aren't at work! For the last several years, there have been ever-increasing howls over some of the committees' selections and rejections, yet nothing seems to have changed about the process. I guess as long as the tournament continues to draw the attendance and viewership it does, there is no real incentive for change on the part of those who could actually MAKE changes.
johnlg00 writes:
Hey, I'm with you on all of this! I'm just trying to imagine SOME standard that could add a little credibility to the proceedings, besides just a relatively small group voting each other's "friends" in.
dirty_don writes:
Posted this on an earlier thread this week:
The big east bias hurts all other conferences every year. I do not understand how it continues.
Every year they get in too many teams with seeds too high and lose as soon as they have a tough game they lose. Ex 2012:
1st round: Uconn a 9 loses to Iowa st. a 8, Notre Dame a 7 loses to Xavier a 10.
All others were seeded 4 or higher so had easy games except 12 S.Fla that upset a
bad 5 seed Temple which is also always over ranked and then lost to Ohio a 13 seed.
2nd round: Geargetown a 3 loses to NC St. a 11.
3rd round: marquette a 3 loses to Florida a 7.
4th round: Syracuse a 1 loses to OSU a 2.
Only louisville makes it to final four by beating Davidson, New Mexico and then good wins against Mich St. and Florida then get beat by Kentucky no surprise.
So only Louisville did better than expected of any of the Big Least teams.
It has gone on like this for years. They Still are living off the John Thompson, Raleigh Massamino -(SPELLING), etc.... era.
johnlg00 writes:
I can see you've thought about this more than I have. As one who has studied the dynamics of small, closed, yet powerful organizations, all I can say is that there is no incentive on the part of the "insiders" to create a more transparent process. Only widespread dissatisfaction on the part of the college presidents can force the NCAA to change its ways. And since getting agreement on anything major out of a group like that is akin to herding cats, I don't expect any significant change anytime soon.
John_10065 writes:
If UCONN wasn't banned from post season play, the committee would be hard at work to figure out how to justify only 3 SEC teams making the dance and 9 Big East teams to go.
The fun part would be seeing how they justify UK beating out yet another team who deserves it more. It has nothing to do with legacy either. They just know that UK fans will buy every ticket they can just like they did at the YUM center whether or not they even know if UK is playing.
vol98champ writes:
I don't see anyone on here worried about Miss St. I'm afraid I see an all too much repeated pattern. We face a hot team, they play lights out, we get a bad loss, and go home early. Man I hope I'm wrong.
RashaadSalabeb writes:
The Mighty Vols are in! Mark it down!
OldGolfer writes:
How can Kentucky go from next four out to last four in with one game.
stevefrommemphis writes:
Watched 90 minutes of Miss State game plus postgame, and it was like a 90 minute lobbying session for the Kentucky Wildcats by Joe Dean, Jr. Like father, like son I suppose. Joe Dean Sr. was the biggest advocate for UK for years.
If Kentucky loses Friday and Tennessee wins tomorrow, they're going to have a lot of explaining to do when they put UK in the tournament and leave Tennessee out.
Olddogsrule writes:
Could it be too much about market share and viewer ratings? Yes, they have to give a semblance of being fair, but when so many B10 & BE teams walk through the dance hall doors with, as CGB pointed out, less than a .500 conference record, what other criteria could they be using? Those two conferences with their population densities account for a HUGE television viewership, hence advertising dollars. It's the March Cash Cow!
Bark_at_the_Moon writes:
A team like Miss State can be very dangerous. Everyone knows they have played horrible this year. They've only won 10 games, BUT....they have won 3 out of the last 4 games. Watch out! Could be a trap game.
Olddogsrule writes:
Every single game from here on out is a trap game. This team HAS to play all the rest like they played the smurfkittys, the lizzards, and mizzyou.
Mr. Stokes please step up and be the MAN all your fans know you can be. All the time, every game. Get the FGs, Get the RBs at BOTH ends, and puh-leeease get the FTs! How about getting yourself a Triple Double!
GO VOLS! GO CCM! SMOKEY RULES!
johnlg00 writes:
Well, we've surely seen it happen before! Luckily, the team and the staff most likely has their focus where it needs to be, leaving us bystanders to indulge in whatever denial of reality appeals to us at the moment!
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