Tennessee’s fan base won’t have a difficult decision when choosing who to root for in the national championship game on Monday night. For the Vols, it’s all Cougars.
Watching Houston win a national championship isn’t exactly ideal. The plan was for Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes to finally be hoisting a trophy or, at least, make the Final Four. Well, that’s not going to happen after Houston shut down the Vols in the Elite Eight. However, a Cougar win over Florida would be bittersweet at least.
A Houston win would also prove some things that Tennessee fans could point to as reasons why they can eventually achieve championship greatness. First, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson was often criticized for not advancing further in the NCAA Tournament throughout his career, just like Tennessee coach Rick Barnes. The two also share a similar style.
Tennessee and Houston are both defensive-minded teams that place a heavy emphasis on toughness. Some have wondered if Barnes is too tough on his players. That sentiment certainly won’t hold if Houston wins a championship. A Cougar championship would prove that teams can stay fresh enough to go the distance despite an intense style of play. It would also prove that defense can, indeed, win championships.
For some, there might be some conference pride on the line. After all, basketball could become the SEC’s new, unofficial past time considering the conference seems to have fallen behind the Big 10 in recent years in football, especially during the last two seasons in which Michigan won a championship in 2023-24 and Ohio State won a national title last season. However, I’m not willing to go there.
I’m sure that the SEC office would prefer Florida win a championship, but employees there don’t have to recruit against the Gators like Tennessee has to. That’s why it’s tough to find a reason to root for Florida, as if UT’s fan base didn’t have enough reason already.
I thought Florida would win the NCAA Tournament. I still do. However, it would most certainly be in the Vols’ best interest if that wasn’t the case. Florida beating Houston would just cement the Gators as the top program in the SEC. That won’t likely change with Todd Golden as the head coach of the Gators.
There are times in which fandom isn’t the best way to determine rooting interest. This is not one of those times. Tennessee fans can root for Houston – and against Florida – with their collective minds and hearts on the same page.
