Filling the Void: Vols beat Auburn without Hopson, Dooley signs 27

by Griffin H.

I wonder how many teams in the SEC could win without their head coach and their star player in a conference game? At least one, and that team is Tennessee. The Volunteers continue to prove they can win by beating the Auburn Tigers 69-56 in Auburn. While Auburn is the worst team in the SEC, Tennessee continues to be one of the best. After an 0-2 start, the Vols have won 5 in a row staying a half-game behind Florida for the East, and third in the conference overall. The Tigers were never really in the game, and the Vols led by as many as 22 points in the second half. Brian Williams led the team with 15 points, and 8 rebounds. Cameron Tatum put up 15 points, and pulled down 7 boards. Tobias Harris scored 14 for the Vols. The key for the Vols was rebounding, they out-rebounded the Tigers 38-24, and everyone who played for the Vols pulled down at least one. The Vols jumped from a 9 seed last week, to a 7 seed on the newly released ESPN Bracketology. The Vols next opponent will be the conference-leading Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday at 5pm. Scotty Hopson, the Vols leading scorer is expected to play, but there is no official ruling. Tony Jones will also coach his last game before Bruce Pearl returns. Let’s send him out on a bang!

Signing Day: The Vols received 27 letters of intent, including the number 1 and 2 players in the state, as well as many other great players. The Vols seemed to fill lots of voids at the offensive and defensive line. One issue, there will be a lot more freshman playing next year. But that’s okay, there will be 27 of them.

In Other UT Sports:

• The Lady Vols softball recruiting class was ranked # 1 in the nation.

Factoid of the Day: The football recruiting class was ranked #12 in the nation by Rivals.com