Happy Wednesday: 
We get on with life as we know it.
Tennessee Lives At The Top So Get Used To It: They've been a 5 seed or better 6 tournaments in a row and a top 3 seed 5 of the last 6 tournaments. I'm with Beano!!!! Keep getting top 4-5 seeds and you will eventually get to the promised land. Look at Purdue, UVA, Bama, etc. There are probably 2-3 teams in the country that would trade rosters with you going into the offseason (Duke, Houston maybe Auburn with Broome, UConn and maybe a few more) The Vols just finished a Really good season. Frustrating end but it is what is.
Get the app! Droid | iPhone
Portal Potentials? Dilione and Jefferson are likely portal bound. There's no path to playing time for either guy. Dilione is a guy that just doesn't get defensive concepts and if you can't pick that stuff up ... Jefferson is a really good kid that LOVES Tennessee. He literally hasn't played hardly at all in two years (though he's super talented) and never complained. Tennessee isn't pushing anybody out but they expect these two guys to probably jump.
Room At The Inn: Tennessee has 3 spots with one filled by Bishop Boswell (freshman PG from Charlotte). Therefore there are two spots left to play with before any defections from the current roster.
Watch Out For: Keep an eye on Chaz Lanier from North Florida to be added at guard and then you have to get a starting caliber off guard/ wing. Lanier would be a perfect complement to ZZ in Tennessee's backcourt.
Saint Thomas Northern Colorado 4 man. Averaged 19 and 10 at the school that minted Knecht. Thomas is also being courted by Nebraska, Illinois and Creighton. He started his career at Loyola (Chicago). The 6-8 240 lb forward has a game that will translate to the SEC. He comps to Triple J. He's a very good rebounder and excellent around the basket. He'd be a perfect fit for what they need.
The Core Is Set & Ready: ZZ, Lanier, Carr, Mashack, Awaka, Estrella, Phillips, Gainey is a great core to build around. Bart Torvik has that group as the 4th best roster in the country pre portal so should have a good chance to be back in the second weekend next year.
A Flying Carr? Carr is going to be a star. He has the wingspan of a 6-11 player instead of someone standing 6-5. Observers of Tennessee's late season practices that I've visited with believe he was the second best player offensively on Tennessee's roster. Carr gets the nod of Dilione for those honors as both guys are highly skilled on offense. Carr figures to play 20-30 minutes next season. They aren't looking in the portal next year for a rangy wing. The belief is that he could eventually grow into a Knecht like scorer. How tough is he? He's a freak athlete and shows excellent range in practice. Mashack will be used to toughen him up in practice.
The Three Building Blocks Are: ZZ, Mashack and Awaka ... These are the guys Rick Barnes will look to for culture and toughness. ZZ is in line for a NIL kiss coming off the season he just enjoyed.
Portal Needs: Triple J replacement plus one scorer. If Lanier comes, how will Gainey take this? Tennessee figures to return 6 of their 9 players that played the most minutes. Will they stick around when they see the portal additions? If Jefferson sticks around for some reason there could be 11 guys fighting for playing time.
Look For The Vols To Add Another Big Guy: That will be a building block. They really need a developmental guy to grow in practice. Someone they could redshirt who could perhaps develop. There's no way to manage 13 players that want to play. The plan all along has been to add a developmental body.
This Comes Into Orange View: Rick Barnes has given his staff a couple days to cool off while they work the portal. Decisions on who comes and who goes will start to come into clarity by perhaps the middle of next week. Tennessee feels very good about where they're at roster wise. Last year's class of Carr, Estrella, and Phillips are all going to be nice players. Some sooner than later. Of course Dilione is in that class but he looks on the way out. One early team to watch with Freddie is Virginia (what an odd fit that would be, but they need somebody that can score). They need a couple of tweaks and with a few additions this team could be right there at the top of college hoops.
In Summary: Next year's team with or without Dilione is going to be capable. It's not a slam dunk that he or Jefferson leave but these are the top two candidates to eventually bolt. Of course Gainey has a father that could be on the move with all the openings we're about to see (ie Musselman to USC which would mean Beard to Arkansas and then the dominos start to fall). Musselman is expected to be on USC's campus today. Justin Gainey could end up at McNeese or a school in the SoCon that wants to win. Would his son transfer down with him? Tennessee thinks Jordan Gainey is a nice bench piece but he's not going to garner top guard minutes at any point in his career unless he starts shooting the ball a whole lot more consistently. They do believe he'll get better defensively with some weight work.
We'll track this in real time right here ...
Elsewhere ... Edey Draws Fouls ... But doesn't commit any? Great point by Beano. He plays by a different set of rules. The three second call doesn't exist. He pushes. He shoves. He hooks and holds and tugs.
A Great Comp For DJ Burns: The John Daly Of College Basketball!!! How can you not love DJ Burns? What a great story. The guy has a body by Dunkin Donuts. Amazing. Hopefully he can stay on the floor with Edey but don't bet on it. One of those guys will have 3 fouls within 18 minutes and it's not going to be Edey since he doesn't commit fouls.
NC State Defies Logic: That NC State team is truly awful. Vols played like a C- game in San Antonio and beat them by 10. Knecht had 2 points in that game. Truly random sport. They lost their last 4 regular season games as well. They had already decided to fire Keats. If NC State beats Purdue they will be 18.5 point underdogs against UConn.
Box Office Vols: 11.4 million average viewers for Tennessee/Purdue. 15.3 million in second half.
This was the wost watched Tennessee basketball game of all time. Is that any good? Sunday was the third most watched Tennessee sporting event since 2001. It trails UGA/Tennessee 1 vs. 2 football game in 2022 and 2007 SEC Championship Game. Is that wild or what?
Caitlin Clark A Star? Over 12 million people tuned in to watch Clark versus LSU in the Elite 8 on Monday night. Clark deserves every eyeball. She simply is doing things that don't seem possible on a basketball court.
Tomorrow At T Club Dot Team: We'll unpack Auburn Baseball (up next for Baseball Vols).
ICYMI from Tuesday: Tennessee Recruiting Report Presented By Zen Sports Online at Zen Sports Dot Com ...
'X' Says
'Last week during BasketballVols’ run to the Elite 8, Tennessee picked up some good news on the football recruiting front. Ethan Utley, a defensive lineman from Ensworth High School in Nashville, announced his commitment to Tennessee. Utley is a big pickup for Tennessee literally and figuratively. Utley is 6’3” 275 lbs. He has a big frame and actually looks a little skinny for a defensive lineman. He could easily add 20 to 30 lbs. of bodyweight. Tennessee has a number of defensive linemen who fit that size weight profile. Utley, like many a Tennessee commitment, is a multi-sport athlete. He competes in basketball as well as being a member of the Ensworth track & field team.
Utley is Tennessee’s 7th public commitment of the recruiting cycle. Tennessee’s early recruiting class is rated as the 10th best in the country. Utley is rated as a 4-star prospect. He is the third in-state prospect to publicly commit to Tennessee. Utley chose Tennessee over Texas, Michigan, LSU, Georgia. and Florida.
The Utley commitment has fallen off the radar because of Tennessee’s basketball run. However, I would refer to him as an early in the recruiting cycle statement pick up for Tennessee. He was a highly sought after defensive line prospect, at a position of need for Tennessee, coveted by major college programs from all over the country, who appeared to be headed elsewhere to play his college football but a prospect you could not afford to lose to another school.
I spent some time watching some sophomore and junior highlights. He is a much different looking player from his sophomore to his junior season. He was more disruptive, better in getting off blocks and used his hands far better. I would expect similar growth and improvement from his junior year to his senior year.
Utley's best football is in front of him. He is raw and gets by with being bigger and more athletic than the competition right now. He will learn to play to the whistle on every play when he gets to Tennessee, or he’ll hear Coach Garner screaming at him in his dreams. Last season he was in on 35 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and 4 forced fumbles.
What Next for Tennessee (Recruiting) I’m watching the following in state prospects. Any one of the three who announce their commitment this spring you would have to like Tennessee's chances.
Cam Sparks, the Baylor School, Chattanooga. #1 athlete/prospect in state. Coveted by most every SEC school. Physically, he is built like an outside linebacker who runs like a wide receiver.
Radarious Jackson, Sheffield High School Memphis. Tall rangy athletic wide receiver with speed to stretch the field. Could push George McIntyre and Cam Sparks for #1 in state prospect by the end of the season.
Duane Morris, running back Oakland High School, Murfreesboro. Morris has gone from relative anonymity to amassing over 30 offers in a matter of months. Another prospect coveted by every SEC team. Tennessee seems to have the inside track for now.
Others I’m watching (Recruiting)
Jaelyne Matthews offensive tackle Toms River NJ. “Could be” one of the first offensive lineman prospects on Tennessee’s to come off Tennessee’s recruiting board. Matthews is regarded as one of the top offensive tackles in the nation. He is a fringe top 100 prospect. His top schools are Penn State, Miami, Georgia, and Tennessee.
Lagonza Hayward, Tombs County High School, Lyons, Georgia. Hayward is a top 100 safety prospect. Tennessee is a legitimate threat to beat Georgia, Alabama, and Florida State. Tennessee has been recruiting Hayward for a year and he has been to campus multiple times.
Tennessee Spring Practice: It’s hard to believe spring practice is almost over. 7 practices in. There is good and not so good. Here are some highlights and concerns.
Tennessee Offense
Quarterback: Nico hasn’t disappointed. Wow ...
Running Back: Losing Cam Seldon who was the solid number 2 running back behind Dylan Sampson to a shoulder issue is concerning. Only one running back behind Seldon has suited up for a college game let alone carry the football. Tennessee will look into the portal for an experienced running back who can provide depth and knows how to block.
Offensive Line: Tennessee pretty much knows what it has in its top 6 offensive linemen. There is a second tier of six linemen consisting of redshirt and true freshman that are getting the majority of the practice reps. Practicing against a defensive line that ranks as one of the best in the conference has been daunting but so far, they haven’t backed down. There is another group of offensive linemen running third team who have been passed over.
Wide Receiver: Thornton and Brazzell have been impressive. The freshmen Matthews will challenge for playing time. Could we see more 4 receiver sets this season than in the past?
Tight End: Maybe most surprising group through 7 practices. Davis is healthy and received praise. The transfers are willing blockers and are going to help.
Tennessee Defense:
Defensive Line: Tennessee has a problem most defensive coordinators would love to have. Tennessee literally goes 11 deep along the defensive line. Too, transfer Jaxson Moi, from Stanford, has been one of the biggest surprises of the spring. He is going to be a fixture on the defensive line this fall.
Linebackers: The concern is 3 linebackers who will be counted on this fall are either limited or not practicing. Sophomores Jerimiah Tellander and DeMarcus Smith have taken advantage of their opportunity. Both will have expanded roles this fall.
Cornerbacks and Safety: This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Tennessee is faster and more athletic in the secondary than any other time in Coach Heupel's tenure at Tennessee. Young players like Rickey Gibson, Boo Carter, Jourdan Thomas are going to become household names . They just need experience and the patience of the coaching staff. No more trauma bonding to upper classmen.
Thanks for reading
'X'
Orange Throat
'T Club Team:
Random musings as we reflect on a heartbreaking loss in the Elite Eight in Detroit:
BAD DRAW ... We can now say UConn and Purdue are the two best teams in this tournament and will likely meet for the championship a week from tonight. It is also true that Auburn and Alabama have both stolen Final Four appearances that should belong to our superior fan base. This Tennessee team could have advanced way more easily in the South and West regions. Missing that 1-seed in the West had to be on our minds as we saw our Volunteers get dominated by 7-4 center Zach Edey and his officiating accomplices.
NO KADOOS FOR AIDONT ... No offense but 6-11 Jonas Aidoo (thanks to Refalytics Jud for the nickname) played smaller than 6-8 Tobe Awaka and 6-11 freshman J.P. Estrella was more effective against the massive Edey. Estrella is a promising prospect for next season, and he certainly grew some chest hair yesterday. Aidoo, who has been plagued by knee problems, looked real stiff in the NCAA tourney. He fumbled the ball when it was passed to him. He was awful. Not sure how much NIL money I'd invest in him on next year's roster. Not saying I told you so but maybe I am ... was worried about this team's inside depth heading into this tournament. We ran out of fouls to give inside.
KADOOS TO KNECHT ... Dalton Knecht played his knass off yesterday. He had no help on offense, other than Triple J and Justin Gainey. Ziggy played his heart out, as always, but was off the mark offensively. His pull-up shots in the lane were no doubt influenced by the Purdue skyscraper. We'll miss Dalton Knecht next season. Best wishes to you, young man.
WHERE DOES RICK BARNES GO FROM HERE? It was great to see him equal Bruce Pearl's record of taking this program to the Elite Eight. He produced a Final Four-worthy team but got a tough draw in playing Purdue. The portal has been open for several days so the Vol staff has to get in the mix and in the hunt and for sure work has already been done. There will be lots of moving pieces on this roster in and out in the next several days.
VOLTELLOS BOUNCE BACK FROM ... A terrible Friday night where they got run-ruled by the Georgia Bulldogs and win the series. The Tennessee pitching staff got ripped on Friday and Saturday but managed to win the Saturday slugfest. After giving up 27 runs to the Dogs the first two games, who had Zander Sechrist and Nate Snead shutting Georgia out yesterday in a series win on their singo card?
LOOKS LIKE A THIN NFL DRAFT ... For departed members of 2023 Volunteers right now. Matt Miller of ESPN was out with a full seven-round mock last week and RB Jaylen Wright was the first Vol in the third round at pick #80 to the Bengals. Corner Kamal Hadden was next in the fifth round at pick #169 to Green Bay and Joe Milton just made the list in seventh with pick #256. That's the last pick before the last pick.
SPEAKING OF RUNNING BACK ... Josh Heupel and staff may be in the market for a RB when the spring transfer portal opens on April 15, given Cam Seldon just went on the shelf with shoulder surgery. The program is high on true freshman Peyton Lewis but he got his shoulder cleaned up in January and is out this spring.
Orange Throat'
(@Drive4TLD) Here's Matt Dixon breaking it down ...
Matt Dixon
'Votellos Run Rule Tennessee Tech:
Tennessee snapped a 2-game losing streak to Tennessee Tech with an 11-1 run-rule victory Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Volunteers used a different pitcher in each of the seven innings to hold the Golden Eagles to just three hits.
Tennessee scored 11 runs on 13 hits to improve to 22-4 on the season.
With runners on the corners and no outs in the bottom of the 1st, Christian Moore grounded into a 6-4-3 double play but brought home the runner at 3rd to give the Vols an early 1-0 lead.
Tennessee loaded the bases with only one out in the bottom of the 3rd but a 6-4-3 double play ended the threat.
The Vols loaded the bases with only out again in the 4th inning. This time pushing across two runs. First on a Charlie Taylor fielder’s choice ground ball to shortstop and then on a double steal that saw Reese Chapman’s cross home plate before Taylor was tagged out in a rundown.
Tennessee blew the game open in the 5th inning. A 2-run home run by Blake Burke made it 5-0. It was Burke’s 9th home run of the season and 39th for his UT career, passing Todd Helton. He’s now just one long ball shy of tying the school record for career home runs.
Back-to-back doubles from Kavares Tears and Hunter Ensley plated another run to make it 6-0.
Later in the frame, Reese Chapman crushed a no-doubter to right field for a 3-run home run to extend the lead to 9-0.
A 2-out single by Theo Bryant IV in the top of the 3rd was the Golden Eagles’ only hit until Bryant IV doubled off the top of the wall in right centerfield with one out in the 6th inning.
Bryant IV would eventually come around to score on a muffed catch at 1st base later in the inning to make it 9-1.
After loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the 7th, Chapman hit a ground-rule double down the right field line that walked off the Golden Eagles 11-1.
Notes: — Billy Amick was out of the lineup for the first time all season vs the Golden Eagles with appendicitis. He’s expected to miss all three games this weekend vs Georgia as well.
— Ariel Antigua earned his first career start at shortstop and made a couple of nice plays in the field. Regular starting shortstop Dean Curley slid over to 3rd base, giving fans a preview of the likely left side of the infield next season.
— Hitting in the leadoff spot for the first time all season, Robin Villeneuve was 3-for-3 and scored twice.
— Reese Chapman made his 8th start of the season and went 4-for-4 with a 3-run home run, double and five RBIs.
— Freshman Dylan Loy made his first career start. He retired the side in order to open the game in his only inning of work.
— Freshman Derek Schaefer earned the win after pitching a three up, three down 2nd inning with two strikeouts.
@Mattdixon3'
Tony
Stand With The Tony Basilio Show
Join the T Club
Make a One-Time Donation
Send Us A T-Mail. Click Here.
Click to subscribe on Apple Podcasts
Busted
Posted: Sun, Mar 24th, 4:22 PM
@TonyBasilio
