Donnie Tyndall was worried.
With Tennessee just three days removed from an abysmal 56-38 loss to Alabama, he thought fans might not return to the scene of the carnage to see an even better Arkansas team play his young Vols on Tuesday night.
To an extent, he was right. The crowd of 13,366 at Thompson-Boling Arena was smaller than any that witnessed a UT home game last season, And remember, that was when many fans were displeased with the direction of the program.
But those who showed up Tuesday witnessed a victory of remarkable proportions, as the Vols jumped 16 points ahead of the No. 23 Razorbacks before holding on for a 74-69 victory that should put UT into the early NCAA Tournament conversation.
At 10-5 (2-1 SEC), UT has the same overall record that last year’s team did at this point, and Tyndall’s Vols now have two wins over ranked opponents.
The 2013-14 Vols had zero wins over ranked opponents at this point in the season, and they made one of the deepest NCAA Tournament runs in school history while dealing with the distraction of a fan-driven campaign to fire then-coach Cuonzo Martin.
Tennessee must still play 15 conference games with a youthful, injury-riddled roster and the distraction of an NCAA investigation into Tyndall. But after the rebound the Vols made between the Alabama loss and the Arkansas victory, it would be wrong to count them out.
Tyndall talks expectations down and is quick to point out the realities of UT’s limited personnel, but the truth is this Tennessee basketball team has the chance to be pretty good, in spite of its obvious flaws.
No point guard? No problem. Tennessee turned the ball over four times less than Arkansas did, and it’s the Razorbacks who pride themselves on their full-court press and the hectic pace of play that comes with it.
No big men? Well, somebody forgot to tell Armani Moore that he is only 6-foot-5.
No depth? Playing the entire second half did not seem to bother Josh Richardson.
The problems are clear, but the Vols have shown they are capable of playing through or around them.
And when they do, it is worth the risk of seeing a still-possible horrific performance to witness it.
Buzzer beater: The kiss cam operator at Thompson-Boling Arena seems to be nervously wading into what could be described as socially progressive territory.
In UT’s loss to Alabama on Saturday, the camera zoomed in on a white man and white woman seated next to each other. The white man waved his hands anxiously and pointed to the woman’s actual partner seated on her other side. Her date at the game was a black man, who proceeded to kiss the woman as cheers and laughter filled the arena.
On Tuesday night, the camera focused in on two men seated next to each other. They gave a confused look, and the camera switched to new subjects. Perhaps the cameraman got ahead of himself.
But who am I to talk about people getting ahead of themselves? I just wrote – in January no less – that a UT team picked to finish 13th in an average conference should be considered for the NCAA Tournament.
David Cobb is a senior in journalism and electronic media. Contact him at [email protected].
