State of the T: Victory Monday Edition
It was a great weekend to be a Tennessee Volunteer/Lady Vol.
OCG Crew, what up? Hope everyone enjoyed the bank holiday. I meant to give you guys an “Autopsy” article for the South Carolina game, but schedule constraints prevented me from finishing it. Instead, we get to celebrate a Victory Monday of ridiculous proportions. If you were understandably busy, you might not know that every Tennessee team that competed this week, won. Volleyball, both basketball teams, and football got the job done in a clean sweep from Thursday to Sunday. I’m here to catch you up to speed on that and what lies ahead for each of these squads.
Volleyball
The Lady Vols started the holiday weekend on the right foot, as they concluded their regular season with a road win over Alabama. It’s been an up-and-down season for Eve Rackham Watt and this bunch, but they were rewarded for their 3-1 record down the stretch. Yesterday, they were selected for the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year and will have a Tennessee Classic rematch with Purdue in Louisville, KY this Friday. Look for Morgahn Fingall and Natalie Heyward to lead this team if they plan on making a run.
Admittedly, I haven’t been able to watch a lot of this team, but blame ESPN, not me. You could argue that their record lends to not having a lot of nationally-televised games, but Tennessee fans have shown that they move the needle when it comes to ratings. Anyways, there may be more to the record than what meets the eye, but that only goes so far when you’re just a few ticks above .500 and a bubble team for the Big Dance. That said, an upset win over the Boilermakers could be the proof of concept that Rackham Watt and this program need in order to build towards the future.
Women’s Basketball
Kellie Harper hasn’t quite had the season she envisioned to date, but maybe things are looking up. In my preview for this team, I wrote that it may take a few games for this group to get on one accord, but even then I didn’t expect a 2-4 start. One could live with losses to really good Ohio State and Indiana teams, especially with senior PG Jordan Horston not playing. But the trouble in paradise this group encountered at the Battle 4 Atlantis was both unexpected and inexcusable. They started well with a blowout win against Rutgers, but were outclassed by UCLA and gave away a game to Gonzaga. Disgusting.
Instead of mailing it in after the first couple weeks, the Lady Vols returned from the Bahamas with bad intentions for Colorado and Eastern Kentucky. Tennessee got started with a 69-51 win over CU on Friday and cruised to a 105-71 victory Sunday afternoon. Quality of opponent aside, this group looks to be meshing together and rounding into shape. Free-throw shooting and defensive discipline must continue to improve before conference play begins, and the next few games will be tests going forward.
Rickea Jackson is coming into her own as a leader on this team. As Jordan Horston gets healthier, Jackson has cleaned up her shot selection and gotten more aggressive, leading to cleaner looks and easier chances at the charity stripe. Jasmine Powell is a star in her role, a Zakai Zeigler-like presence coming off of the bench. If Jordan Walker doesn’t clean up her play, I’d expect a change in the starting lineup. And as for Horston, she’s starting to look more and more like the model of consistency she’s been these last couple years. She doesn’t have to carry as much of the load with Jackson playing at a high level, but we’ve seen what this team is without her. As I’ve said previously, more is needed from Tamari Key, Marta Suárez, and Sara Puckett, among others. Brooklynn Miles, Kaiya Wynn, Justine Pissott, and Jillian Hollingshead are included in those looking to find their footing, but all of them need to start contributing if they want to make some noise over the next couple months.
Looking ahead at matchups with Virginia Tech, Chattanooga, and Wright State, 4-4 should turn into 7-4 or 6-5 at worst. A winning streak would propel them back into the AP Poll rankings and buy Harper some equity with those concerned about the state of the program. Anything else, and we’re starting another dialogue. Until then, let’s enjoy the beatdowns they handed out.
Men’s Basketball
The Battle 4 Atlantis was much kinder to the men’s team, as the Vols ran the table with wins over Butler, USC, and Kansas. Rick Barnes and Co. were raked over the coals after the loss to Colorado, and deservedly so. You wouldn’t be wrong if you argued that they just ran into the hot-and-cold Buffs on one of their good days, but that’s also letting them off the hook. It was a God-awful performance, but as of today it looks to be more like an outlier than an indicator of any trouble.
A blowout win at home against Florida Gulf Coast didn’t ease any of the concerns that gained traction a few days prior, but the road trip last week did. After beating the Bulldogs 71-45 and grinding out a 73-66 win over a pesky Trojans squad, the Big Orange took care of business against the #3 Jayhawks and secured a Battle 4 Atlantis title. The final score was 64-50, but it never really felt like Tennessee was in grave danger. Every time Gradey Dick and Jalen Wilson tried to will KU back into the game, the Vols responded. Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler lit Kansas up from deep, as the team shot 12-27 from 3. Add that to Barnes’ stifling, suffocating defense, and this Tennessee team has a puncher’s chance against anyone. Now mind you, this is all without Josiah-Jordan James playing a tick in the Bahamas. If he makes his way back into the lineup before the Arizona game, it’ll be a case of the rich getting richer.
Not that anyone should be questioning Barnes’ player development, but Jahmai Mashack has excelled so far. I forgot to mention him in my preview, so now’s my time to hype him up. The relentless hustle and tenacity with which he plays is remarkable. I’m hoping he’s earned some minutes even with James comes back into the fold. Tyreke Key showed flashes of his scoring ability, but he has to be more aggressive if he wants to defeat the James Daniel III allegations. I get that he’s coming off injuries from his time at Indiana State, but another grad transfer who doesn’t live up to the hype does not bode well for any party involved. Julian Phillips is growing in front of us with every game, and he’s coming due for a breakout performance offensively. Jonas Aidoo is also coming out of his shell as the game slows down for him. I wrote about how those guys have the potential for bigger roles in my previous dialogue. Until then, Uros Plavsic and Olivier Nkamhoua will have starting roles on this team, which raises the floor but also lowers the ceiling.
Easier said than done, but the BasketVols should make quick work of McNeese State, Alcorn State, and Eastern Kentucky. I’d really hope that we get to see more of B.J. Edwards and Tobe Awaka than the mop-up duty action they’ve had so far. After the homestand, these guys will head to Brooklyn, NY for a matchup with Maryland before heading to Tucson, AZ for the aforementioned tilt with the Wildcats. If Tennessee handles their business, 5-0 over this stretch could easily be the expectation. 4-1 with a nailbiting loss to UA would be fine, but I’d rather that not be the case. Look for them to build some steam and hopefully be in the driver’s seat before SEC play commences.
Football
I’m not a fan of Kirk Herbstreit for many reasons, but his selection of Vanderbilt to upset Tennessee on Saturday was the bulletin board material this team needed. Reeling from the disaster that was the 63-38 South Carolina loss, as well as the season-ending injury to starting QB Hendon Hooker, I can’t say that no one had reason to be scared. I joked about Clark Lea being a good guy that just wanted to help his alma mater, but the guy can coach. He has VANDERBILT of all teams beating Kentucky and Florida, with signs of competence littered throughout. With their bowl eligibility on the line, the Commodores had nothing to lose, and they were expected to leave it all on the field on Senior Day in Nashville.
Lucky for Vol Nation, Josh Heupel had his team ready to play. From the first quarter on, this game was never in question. Joe Milton III began his second stint as the leader of the offense on a good note as he led Tennessee to a 56-0 rout. His stat line wasn’t all that impressive (11-21, 147 yards, 1 TD), but I’d attribute some of those misses to the weather conditions. More than anything, he showed more command of the offense with his decision making and discipline, as pre-snap penalties were not an issue. The offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage to the tune of 375 rushing yards on 31 attempts, averaging almost 12 yards a carry and scoring 6 touchdowns on the ground. So much for losing the locker room after one game.
While this team may not be the College Football Playoff contenders many pinned them to be, this was a hell of a season. 10 regular season wins with a guaranteed trip to a New Year’s Six bowl is nothing to thumb your nose at, even if everything didn’t go as planned. There’s plenty of dust to settle in the coming weeks, but there’s a lot to love about the future in Knoxville. Given the narratives surrounding the final CFBP rankings, I imagine that I’ll share my thoughts when they come out. That said, I’m looking forward to Selection Sunday and seeing where these Vols will travel for their bowl game.
It’s always great to be a Tennessee Vol, but days like today are a big part of why that is. Rarely does a school get to celebrate multiple wins from a myriad of teams over a weekend, so you need to make note of it when it happens. I know that some sports matter more than others to a lot of fans, but all of this school’s accomplishments deserve some praise. In his short tenure as athletic director, Danny White has made the necessary adjustments to compete for championships in all areas as he looks to keep The University of Tennessee, Knoxville on the cutting edge of college athletics. In terms of coaches, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more talented assortment at one school. NIL collectives and facility upgrades are among the many things that will bring high-caliber athletes to Rocky Top. Excitement on The Hill is reaching levels we haven’t seen in a long time, and there’s reason to believe that this is only the beginning.