It was evident when Rick Barnes’ voice barely filled up the microphone after Tennessee Basketball lost to Florida following the SEC Championship Game on Sunday, preventing the Vols from winning the SEC Conference Tournament for the second time in three years.
It was obvious by the way Tennessee charged back in the second half despite the Vols being obviously outmatched against the deeper Gators. However, it didn’t take that long to see that these Vols were about playing with heart – and not with one eye on that other tournament in March.
Did you see what happened in the first half? Did you see Zakai Zeigler rack up a steal, dive to the ground to secure the loose ball then draw a foul – on one play? How about when Felix Okpara blocked two shots against Florida – on one possession?
Zeigler and Okpara are the heart of this Tennessee basketball team and, as usual, their defense was the pulse that kept the Vols alive. Were they thinking about Selection Sunday or the SEC Championship Game? I think the latter.
The problem with this Tennessee basketball team and any notion that an early exit from the SEC Tournament would help them down the road is that this team doesn’t look down the road. It fights in the middle of the street, which is exactly what the Vols did in what many consider a meaningless tournament that is little more than a cash grab for the SEC.
One could certainly argue that, pragmatically, it would have been better for the Vols to have not even made the trip to Nashville, that expending any energy or risking injury with the NCAA Tournament on the horizon was just a waste of time.
I can’t imagine Tennessee coach Rick Barnes trying to deliver that message to Zeigler or Okpara. However, I can easily imagine the stone-faced, blank stares that Barnes would have received if he tried to treat the SEC Tournament different than he does every other game, which he wants to win.
The Vols could certainly be more fatigued given their deep run into the SEC Tournament, but let’s be real for a moment: We’re dealing with young men who are used to playing basketball everyday. This isn’t a geriatric unit trying out the decathlon.
While some will say the run to the SEC Championship Game was all in vain, I’d argue that the Vols competed, succeeded and showed their toughness was ever-present. That’s a better sign for the NCAA Tournament than having a few days off.
Tennessee may flame out early in the NCAA Tournament. That would be nothing new. Barnes may fall short of his second Final Four. Nothing shocking about that. However, there is one thing that would stun me.
The Vols will fight in the NCAA Tournament and – with a talented, but imperfect team – that’s about all Tennessee fans can ask for. If Tennessee can almost overcome a talented field in the SEC Tournament with nothing much on the line, I like their chances when everything is up for grabs.
