FREE THOUGHT FRIDAY

FROM THE WORST WEEK OF VOL HOOPS SINCE…? 21 games in teams almost always have developed characteristics that define who they are. After the most disastrous week in recent memory it seemed this team's identity -other than Kevin Punter and especially on the road- was low confidence and infinitesimal basketball IQ. At Alabama and TCU the Vols staged one of the all-time daily-double choke jobs in Tennessee basketball history when you include quality of opponents.

This team had become so adept at blowing leads that it was hard for me to enjoy a game at any point because you knew that no matter how big a lead the Vols had or when in the contest they had it there seemed to be a good chance they were going to squander it.

When a team is consistent with something whether it's good or bad it can usually be attributed to the whole organization; players and coaches alike. This team had consistently given away leads and failed to execute down the stretch.

TO ONE OF THE MOST PLEASANT OF SURPRISES It appeared that Kentucky -though coming off a loss to Kansas- had hit their stride and would present a matchup problem similar to what the Vols faced in their only lopsided home loss of the season versus Vandy. The Vols on the other hand were trending toward their only postseason appearance coming at the SEC's annual March gala and being a very early game at that. I gave the Vols a puncher's chance only because the game was being played in Thompson Boling Arena where Tennessee -with the exception of the aforementioned debacle versus Vandy- had proven to be night-and-day better than on the road. The Vols were 9-2 at home versus 1-6 in true road games and 0-3 on neutral courts. Though they were only one game better at home in the SEC (2-2 vs 1-3) they had been much more competitive in the friendly confines averaging 10 more points/game in conference play (81-home; 71-road).

That said I never dreamed a team as emotionally fragile as this one would pull off the greatest comeback victory any Vol fan could remember (16 down versus Texas with Rick Barnes and Kevin Durant in 06-07). Tennessee went back to what had led them to a home victory over South Carolina shooting 30+ free throws instead of hoisting 30+ treys. Kevin Punter was his usual All-SEC-like self (27 pts) but got much more support than he'd received of late with Armani Moore registering a double-double (18 pts; 13 reb) double-figure games from Detrick Mostella (13) and Admiral Schofield (11) and a team-wide 30 of 34 from the free throw stripe. Even more importantly they out-rebounded the much larger Cats 37-36. All anyone is truly asking of this team is that they play with effort, fight and with a measure of intelligence. After two road games when those attributes were in very short supply it was nice to see them reappear just in time against the perfect opponent.

PEARL'S MAGIC MAY BE GONE; BARNES' MAY AS WELL: In a way-premature, gut-feeling, Tennessee had the best Bruce Pearl that anyone will ever see. I hope several years from now I'm not saying the same thing about Barnes and Clemson/Texas.

BRUCE vs BARNES YEAR 1 at UT: In no way am I diminishing Bruce Pearl's start or overall accomplishments while here at Tennessee. I'm a self-described Pearl sheep and believe I was the first in the market to mention his name and lobby hard on the air for his hiring. I have heard a few whispered attempts to compare Barnes' first year with Pearl's as if any conclusions about how successful Barnes can be here can be drawn by doing so. If those thoughts have crept into the back of your mind I give you a portion of the roster Pearl inherited:

C.J Watson; Chris Lofton; JaJuan Smith; Dane Bradshaw; Jordan Howell; Stanley Asumnu; Andre Patterson and Major Wingate

That includes a solid player for every position on the floor; the last true PG on campus (Watson); possibly the greatest shooter in school history (Lofton); one of the best combo defending/scoring guards ever (Smith); an all-time glue guy (Bradshaw); a rim protector (Wingate) and a solid 3-4 man (Patterson)

Compared to the roster Barnes inherited Pearl hit the lottery. The current team has one player that would have received ANY minutes in Kevin Punter. Armani Moore might have earned some limited playing time with his versatility but that's it. With the exception of first year players Kyle Alexander and Ray Kasongo the entire roster seems to be made up of off-guards or small forwards.

MO RIVERA-LIKE CLOSE: Though the 2016 Tennessee Football signing class will not rank as high as the two that preceded it there is no doubt it was an unquestioned success thanks to a fantastic finish. As a whole the class is an indicator that the Vols are once again a hot program. They signed one of the best dual threat QBs -and apparent perfect fit for the Vols' attack- in Jarrett Guarantano; inked another tremendous legacy player in Dale Carter's son Nigel Warrior; lured the best JUCO D-lineman in Jonathan Kongbo and held off a late surge from Florida State and Ole Miss to make it happen; flipped stud South Floridian Tyler Byrd from a commitment to Miami and in doing so assembled one of the best secondary hauls in program history (along with Baylen Buchanan Desmond Henderson, Marquill Osborne and Warrior). If Butch Jones has proven nothing else in his 3+ year tenure in Big Orange Country he certainly has to be regarded as one of the great salesman to ever lead the program. The cupboard is once again stocked with SEC-quality ingredients. Now we'll see just what kind of Chef Jones can be.

THANKS PEYTON: I was remarkably blessed as a sports fan to have Peyton Manning as the QB of both my favorite College and Pro teams for 13 seasons. From choosing Tennessee over Ole Miss; staying for four years, leading the Vols to their first SEC Championship in seven seasons; guiding the Colts to their first extended period of success since the Bert Jones era and conducting himself with dignity and class through a record-setting college and professional career he's been very easy to pull for and enhanced the enjoyment for me at both stops. Though I will miss watching him play I hope and believe that Sunday will be his last game. Contrary to what many have said the outcome of Super Bowl 50 will only slightly revise the narrative or perception of Peyton's legacy. Win OR lose leading four teams to the Super Bowl under four different coaches is a remarkable achievement that history will someday look upon very fondly. Either way it's already a storybook ending to a fabulous career.

THINK THE SEC IS A MONSTER IN FOOTBALL? Then check out the early college baseball prognosis nationally. Baseball America recently published their preseason Top-25 which includes half of the SEC. The Florida-flippin-Gators are their selection as the best team in America along with Texas A&M (3); Vandy (7); LSU (11); Mississippi State (20); Ole Miss (24) and Kentucky (25). The good news for Tennessee fans? One of the most highly regarded players in the league is Nick Senzel who BA predicts will be the Conference Player of the Year and ranks him behind only LHP A.J. Puk and OF Buddy Ford -both of Florida- as SEC Top Prospects for the 2016 MLB draft.

PUT YOUR CUP ON Without being a total alarmist I warn you do a proactive cup check. With every off-season event turning positive for the Football Vols, another great signing class in the books and a basketball victory over Kentucky coming in a relatively short period of time I'm covering up. We're overdo for a mule kick to the bean bag. Or maybe..just maybe..my titanium implants won't be needed for a while.

FRIDAY FINALE: Come back Monday and I'll have a couple of humorous anecdotes on The Paisan. I think I can clean em up enough for publication. This one goes out to my cherished friend who loved him some Teddy P LINK

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