by Griffin H.

The bracket above is the set-up for this year’s SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament which will be hosted in Nashville starting tonight with two play-in games. The Vols will play the winner of one of these play-ins tomorrow at 3:30. I will go through each round of the tourney with my prediction, much as I did with the NFL Playoffs. You will have a chance to cast your vote on who you think will win too.

Play-In Games:

(11) Texas A&M vs (14) Auburn: 

• It’s no secret that Auburn is the worst team in the conference, and their seeding shows it. Texas A&M has the advantage of Elston Turner, an All-SEC First Team guard. This one is spelled out. A&M wins.

(12) South Carolina vs (13) Mississippi State

• Although many Vols fans would rather face Mississippi State in the second round, South Carolina is a better team. Not to mention the fact that Mississippi State has been clobbered by almost as many people as Auburn. South Carolina wins.

Second Round:

(9) LSU vs (8) Georgia:

•  LSU is a talented basketball team, however Georgia has been on a hot-streak in the last week despite losing to Alabama after a phenomenal half-court prayer at the buzzer. I would not want to play Georgia in the tournament if  I was an SEC team. Georgia wins.

(5) Tennessee vs  (12) South Carolina:

• Tennessee struggled in the course of getting a win on the road in Columbia during the regular season. That facts makes this Tennessee fan slightly nervous. Although, on a neutral floor against a much better team than they previously faced, South Carolina shouldn’t walk off the court with a win. Vols win.

(10) Vanderbilt vs (7) Arkansas:

• Vandy has not been the team they usually are this season. They have struggled in the SEC and will continue to struggle against the Arkansas Razorbacks. The 40 minutes of hell that will endure on the court in Nashville will leave the home-town Commodores without a win. Arkansas wins.

(11) Texas A&M vs (6) Missouri:

• I find it interesting that the two new faces to the SEC meet in the second round of the SEC tournament, but fate has it so. Missouri is a good team, and have already clinched a spot in the big dance. Texas A&M knows they don’t have a shot unless they win the conference, which is an unlikely outcome. Missouri is simply better. Missouri wins.

Quarterfinals:

(8) Georgia vs (1) Florida:

• It is true that the Bulldogs are hot, as I stated earlier. But not hot enough to beat the overall number one seed in the SEC. Billy Donovan has put together yet another great Gators team, and they should waltz through this one. They should, but you never know. This is the SEC tournament after all. Gators win.

(5) Tennessee vs (4) Alabama:

• The Vols and the Tide split the two meetings this season, each winning on their home court. Now meeting on a neural court, the outcome will depend on who wants it more. Both these teams are battling for a place in the NCAA tournament, but the Vols’ experience of playing under pressure against good teams gives them the edge. Vols win.

(7) Arkansas vs (2) Kentucky:

• Kentucky may be without Nerlens Noel but they have learned to play without him. Arkansas will play tough against the Wildcats, but will end up empty. Wildcats win.

(6) Missouri vs (3) Ole Miss:

• Ole Miss is yet another SEC team fighting for a chance at the big dance. It took me a long time in picking this matchup, but what it came down to was the strength of schedule and RPI of the two teams. Missouri played much tougher non-conference games, and have a higher overall winning percentage than Ole Miss who played fewer tough games. Missouri wins.

Semifinals:

(1) Florida vs (5) Tennessee:

• Tennessee beat these Florida Gators in Knoxville during their only meeting this season. However, it was in Knoxville against a short Gator bench. Tennessee has seemed to have Florida’s number the past few years, and it proved true during the regular season. In the tournament, the Vols will have a tougher time and will probably lose. Trust me Vols fans, it pains me to say that. I will be cheering for the Vols all the way! But… Florida wins.

(2) Kentucky vs (6) Missouri:

• During the regular season these two teams had to take it to overtime to decide a winner. That was in Lexington as well. Something tells me that Kentucky will win this match-up. They won against the Tigers once before, and might do it again in the tournament. Kentucky wins.

(1) Florida vs (2) Kentucky:

• I don’t normally find myself pitting the one and two seeds against each other in the championship game of a tournament, but as you can see this is the case we have here. Florida has the better chance to win this matchup especially against the Noel-less Wildcats. And so we find the number one seed winning this championship… Florida wins.

My updated bracket is below:

Griffin can be reached at teens4tn@gmail.com, or leave a comment. Follow @teens4tn on twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe in the sidebar! ->

by Griffin H.

A win is a win. It wasn’t easy, but the Vols pulled it out. For whatever reason, the team struggling to not be last in the SEC kept it close with Tennessee who is looking for an NCAA tournament bid. Auburn kept it so close, in fact, that Tennessee needed to close the game on an 18-4 run to win. The final score was 82-75.

Jordan McRae continued his hot streak and SEC Player of the Year campaign with 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Trae Golden rebounded from his atrocious Georgia game, also adding 21 points while dishing six assists. Big man Jarnell Stokes recorded yet another double-double with 11 points and 12 points. Josh Richardson put up nine points, Kenny Hall scored eight, and Armani Moore tallied seven.

I did not get a chance to watch the second half, and I might be glad about that. In the end the better team won, even if it was just barely. The Vols play host to Missouri on Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena. A win could boost the Vols to a higher seed in the SEC Tournament and get them closer to the big dance. Go Vols!

Griffin can be reached at teens4tn@gmail.com, or leave a comment. Follow @teens4tn on twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe in the sidebar! ->

by Griffin H.

It’s not often in college basketball that one player scores more than the rest of his team combined. It’s even more rare that the team ends up winning. Unfortunately, the latter proved true on Saturday when the Vols fell to the Bulldogs in Athens 78-68. Jordan McRae carried the team on his back, but it simply wasn’t enough.

This loss was a huge blow to Tennessee’s dreams of the big dance. Granted, there is still a chance that the Vols will make the tournament. They will need a little more help from their performance in the SEC Tournament, and will need to win their last two games.

Jordan McRae was the bright spot once again, matching his career-high with 35 points, including 8-of-11 from behind the arc. Kenny Hall scored 10 in his home state during his 16 minutes. Trae Golden was the exact opposite, scoring only four points and going an atrocious 1-of-10 for field goals. Jarnell Stokes and Josh Richardson both added eight, and Stokes pulled down 10 boards.

I was not impressed at all by the performance overall as a team, but that doesn’t mean people should count Tennessee out just yet! They will play at Auburn on Wednesday before a home date with Missouri. Go Vols!

Griffin can be reached at teens4tn@gmail.com, or leave a comment. Follow @teens4tn on twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe in the sidebar! ->

by Griffin H.

The title in bold at the top of the sports page of the Knoxville News Sentinel Wednesday morning read, “Streaking to the Dance.” Although this statement is a little premature, the win over Florida certainly improves Tennessee’s chances of making the NCAA tournament. The Vols would love to see themselves in the big dance at the end of the season as would all of Vol Nation. And with a win over a top-10 team, the Vols have put themselves in a solid position on the bubble. Tennessee currently has an RPI of 53, and their strength of schedule is 24th. The Vols (17-10, 9-6) still have a chance to win 20 games, or more depending on their success in the SEC tournament at season’s end.

Florida led for most of the first half, and a good portion of the second. Tennessee led the game when it mattered, going on a run to take the lead heading into the final minutes of play. The Vols were up four, at 58-54, when Jarnell Stokes converted a three-point play to take a commanding lead. Thompson-Boling Arena erupted.

Jordan McRae was the only Vol in double-digit scoring and posted a game-high 27 points. Trae Golden and Jarnell Stokes each added eight. Josh Richardson scored seven. Stokes pulled down 14 rebounds, and McRae led the team in playing time with 39 minutes. Florida point guard Kenny Boyton, who averages 12.9 points per game, scored a measly two points against the Vols’ stout, Cuonzo Martin defense.

I was extremely proud of how the Vols played Tuesday night, and they truly look like they can beat anybody with the way they’re playing right now. I wish we had started playing like this earlier, but I’ll definitely take what we’ve got right now! The Vols travel to Athens, GA to take on the Bulldogs Saturday. Go Vols!

Three New Retired Jerseys: Three former Vols with have their jerseys retired in the 2013-14 season. Dale Ellis (Men’s basketball), Candace Parker (Women’s basketball), and Monica Abbott (Softball). I am hoping to write three pieces highlighting each individual and their achievements soon.

Griffin can be reached at teens4tn@gmail.com, or leave a comment. Follow @teens4tn on twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe in the sidebar! ->

by Griffin H.

It was quite the game. In fact, it was one of four games in the SEC yesterday to go into overtime. It was the only one, however, that played four overtimes. The Vols and Aggies needed an extra twenty minutes of play to decide a victor. On Saturday in College Station, TX the victor was orange and white.

Here are the highlights:

Point guard Trae Golden continued his hot streak with his fourth-consecutive double-digit game scoring a career-high 32 points. Guard Jordan McRae scored 23. Big man Jarnell Stokes scored 20 points and pulled down a monster 16 rebounds. All three players played over 50 minutes when it was all said and done. Skylar McBee seems to be emerging from a season-long shell as well playing with a ton of hustle and scoring 12 points off the bench.

“They were dancing, jumping around, blasting music. It was a good time,” head coach Cuonzo Martin said about the locker room after the game. The Vols deserved to have a good time after battling for a grueling extra half’s worth of basketball.

“You’ve got to have heart. We came too far. We came all the way to Texas. We’re not trying to go all the way back to Tennessee with no loss. We’ve got NCAA dreams.”

-Trae Golden

The Vols will play #5 Florida at home Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m. and I expect a sell-out. Thompson-Boling Arena should be packed and loud with orange-clad fans ready to cheer our team on to win number 17. The Vols sit at 7th in the SEC at 16-10 and 8-6 in conference play. Winning on Tuesday would boost the RPI and the Vols’ SEC standing. It would also have the fans and players beyond crazy-excited. I’m looking forward to what should be a good game filled with emotion.

Go Vols!

Griffin can be reached at teens4tn@gmail.com, or leave a comment. Follow @teens4tn on twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe in the sidebar! ->

by Griffin H.

The title of this article says Kentucky was “throttled.” Some other synonyms include romped, destroyed, slaughtered, etc. but I’m not sure there is an adjective to describe how well the Vols played, and how badly the Cats did. Some may credit Tennessee’s victory to the lack of freshman star Nerlens Noel for Kentucky. I give all the credit to Tennessee’s hard work and outstanding play.

Here are some stats to put it into perspective for you:

• This is the largest margin of victory over Kentucky for Tennessee ever.
• The Vols led number 25 Kentucky by 24 at halftime, a feat that hadn’t been achieved by the Vols in an SEC game since 1999 against LSU.
• The same Vols who lost to Georgetown 37-36 scored 50 points in the first half and finished the game with 88, a season high.
• John Calapari had not lost by more than 20 during his career at Kentucky. Tennessee whooped his Cats by 30.
• Tennessee shot 58.0% from the floor, 100.0% behind the arc, and 80.6% on free throws (compared to Kentucky’s 35.8% FG, 40.0% 3 PT, and 77.8% FT)
• Tennessee out-rebounded Kentucky 33-20

Kentucky’s frustration really showed throughout the game. Three Wildcats fouled out, and three technical fouls were called against Kentucky as well.

Trae Golden [right] led the Vols in scoring with 24 points and added 8 assists to boot. Jordan McRae put up 15 and Kenny Hall added 12. Jarnell Stokes led the Vols in rebounding, pulling down nine boards. Stokes and Skylar McBee scored nine apiece. Freshmen Armani Moore and D’Montre Edwards both added eight.

I really liked what I saw today. I mean I REALLY liked it. It’s always good to beat Kentucky, especially in this fashion before a sellout crowd at Thompson-Boling Arena here in Knoxville. This is the game the Vols really need to boost their morale. Now we have some confidence heading into the latter part of the SEC season, and our key players seem to be peaking at the right time. In my opinion Tennessee needs to win 20 games in order to make it into the big dance, which is doable. The Vols have six games left, including three road games and a home date with the Florida Gators. So winning all six is improbable. The Vols will need to win a few games in the SEC tournament to secure a spot on the bubble.

All that is in the future. So let’s celebrate today because today is certainly worth celebrating. Go Vols!

Griffin can be reached at teens4tn@gmail.com, or leave a comment. Follow @teens4tn on twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe in the sidebar! ->

by Griffin H.

It’s a tradition for the Tennessee band to play “The Tennessee Waltz” after a win at a basketball game. They played it in Music City after Tennessee got off to a hot start and grinded out the rest of the game to get the second road win in a row. Tennessee improved to 13-10 overall and also got to 5-6 in SEC play. The Vols had 40 at the half, and ended up winning by twelve, 58-46. It never really seemed to be much of a game.

Jarnell Stokes added his tenth double-double last night with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Stokes also had five blocks. He leads the conference in double-doubles and in offensive rebounds. I’m pretty excited for Jarnell and the team that he’s turning his season around. Another player on the rise again is Trae Golden who was put back into the starting lineup Wednesday night. He scored 12. Jordan McRae posted a double-double as well with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Cuonzo was rocking the orange blazer, and the big orange were rocking the court. It was good to get another SEC win and improve our standings. The Vols will face Kentucky at 1:00 on Saturday, and the Wildcats will be without star Nerlins Noel who tore his ACL earlier int he week.

Go Vols!

Griffin can be reached at teens4tn@gmail.com, or leave a comment. Follow @teens4tn on twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe in the sidebar! ->

by Griffin H.

The first time these two teams met it didn’t go well for the Vols. They lost by three in Tuscaloosa, 68-65. This game didn’t seem much better but the biggest difference between the two games is that the Vols won on Saturday. An ugly, late victory in fact. But, you know what folks? A win is still a win, no matter how.  The win pushes the Vols to 10-8 on the season, 2-3 in conference play so far.

Jordan McRae led the team in scoring, no surprise there, with 17. Jarnell Stokes was not far behind him with 15 points, and a monster 18 rebounds, including eight offensive boards. They were the only two players to score in double-digits, although Kenny Hall added 7 and Josh Richardson with 6.

The Vols will face Vanderbilt on Tuesday night here in Knoxville.

Griffin can be reached at teens4tn@gmail.com, or leave a comment. Follow @teens4tn on twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe in the sidebar! ->