Maybe somebody should have told the Vols what they were up against when facing the Kentucky Wildcats in the Sweet 16 Friday night. After all, this is a Tennessee Basketball program that has a history of coming up short against Kentucky and flaming out in the NCAA Tournament. Rick Barnes himself is also known for March Madness flameouts.
It didn’t matter in this one.
The Vols manhandled the Wildcats 78-65 in a game that wasn’t even that close. This was supposed to be a tough matchup between a No. 2 and a No. 3 seed in which the No. 3 seed would have more fans in the stadium and had swept the No. 2 seed during the regular season. Instead, it was a sleeper.
Yes, the most historic win in program history for the Vols was a sleeper, and not just because of how easily they controlled the game. Kentucky was never within double digits after the eight-minute mark of the first half, and UT never relinquished its lead after 17 minutes to go in the game.
More importantly, how the Vols handled their Sweet 16 win afterward really stood out. Sure, there were chippy moments in the game, and they didn’t mind doing some talking, but when they walked off the floor, it was as if they had done this before. Only, they hadn’t done it before.
Okay, so they did do it last year, but they didn’t beat Kentucky to get there.
UT has never made back to back Elite Eight appearances and certainly never reached No. 1, 30 wins and the Elite Eight all in the same season. The latter two happened with this win. To be fair, this is the first time in history the Vols have made three straight Sweet 16 appearances. Barnes himself has never made back to back Elite Eight appearances despite all his accomplishments.
Simply put, the Vols are not supposed to be here, and they are acting like they have been here.
That’s what happens when you have a senior-laden team with two players in Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack who have fully bought in to how Barnes coaches. They have truly been here before to a certain degree, and their experience is rubbing off on the other players.
After struggling in clutch moments earlier in the year, Chaz Lanier, another senior, is finding his groove and again finding ways to score. Jordan Gainey is peaking at just the right time. These are all seniors who have played this game at some level for years, and they are showing it.
We asked earlier in the week if the moment would be too big for the Vols. They gave us their answer in this one. For the biggest win in school history, the moment didn’t even feel big enough. Tennessee Basketball is headed to another Elite Eight, and it’s clear to the Vols on the team they have more work to do.
