volimhtown
03-13-2006, 10:57 PM
I usually save my rants for the that time of the year that actually matters in the sports world, but for the first time in many years, my Vols have given me reason to care about round-ball.
For starters, let me just say that I could not be more impressed and proud of the job that Pearl has done. To take THIS group of guys and accomplish what they have accomplished is simply amazing. ANY vote for anyone other than Pearl for SEC Coach of the Year is simply idiotic!!
That said, you can not lose sight of the fact that the Vols' East title just happened to coincide with a year in which the SEC was less than impressive. Not to take anything away from my boys...just admonishing the facts. The SEC lacks ANY teams that pose any threat to making a serious run through the tourney. The SEC may have a rep or two to make it to the Sweet 16, but will not represent any further than that. Before the butchering begins, let me just explain that the SEC has some truly talented prospects, but that talent is very young. The SEC should be solid for the next couple of years.
Finally, to the #2 Seeding.....Well.....even I have to concede that that's got to be a joke!! You can not seriously be able to buy Orange colored glasses that deeply shaded, can you??? ANY attempt for justification is simply bias. Seeded higher than Carolina?? Gonzaga??? Heck, LSU??? Nope...the committee obviously got this one wrong, but it is what it is. The irony is that the only people more excited about the #2 seeding than my fellow Vols fans are the fans of Winthrop, Wichita St, and Seton Hall. I mean, how pissed are you if you're Murray St??? You get a higher seed than Winthrop and your reward is playing Carolina?? OR, you're Bradley, get 2 seeds higher than Winthrop, and have to play a Red-Hot Kansas team in the 1st round!! Fact of the matter is that Winthrop basically feels they've won the lottery with their draw and will be a VERY difficult team to beat on Thursday. Now, I'm not predicting a First Round exit by the Vols, but any immediate travel reservations from Knoxville to our Nation's Capital are probably unnecesary.
So, that leads us back to Perspective. Will this seemingly magical season on The Hill be remembered as such?? Will we look back at this season as one that symbolized the re-birth of interest in men's basketball, or will the late season struggles coupled with an early and possibly embarrassing early exit from the Big Dance overshadow the apparent milestones reached this season?? For it wasn't but a very short period of time ago when we would have just been happy for the invitation!! Just a matter of perspective!!
For starters, let me just say that I could not be more impressed and proud of the job that Pearl has done. To take THIS group of guys and accomplish what they have accomplished is simply amazing. ANY vote for anyone other than Pearl for SEC Coach of the Year is simply idiotic!!
That said, you can not lose sight of the fact that the Vols' East title just happened to coincide with a year in which the SEC was less than impressive. Not to take anything away from my boys...just admonishing the facts. The SEC lacks ANY teams that pose any threat to making a serious run through the tourney. The SEC may have a rep or two to make it to the Sweet 16, but will not represent any further than that. Before the butchering begins, let me just explain that the SEC has some truly talented prospects, but that talent is very young. The SEC should be solid for the next couple of years.
Finally, to the #2 Seeding.....Well.....even I have to concede that that's got to be a joke!! You can not seriously be able to buy Orange colored glasses that deeply shaded, can you??? ANY attempt for justification is simply bias. Seeded higher than Carolina?? Gonzaga??? Heck, LSU??? Nope...the committee obviously got this one wrong, but it is what it is. The irony is that the only people more excited about the #2 seeding than my fellow Vols fans are the fans of Winthrop, Wichita St, and Seton Hall. I mean, how pissed are you if you're Murray St??? You get a higher seed than Winthrop and your reward is playing Carolina?? OR, you're Bradley, get 2 seeds higher than Winthrop, and have to play a Red-Hot Kansas team in the 1st round!! Fact of the matter is that Winthrop basically feels they've won the lottery with their draw and will be a VERY difficult team to beat on Thursday. Now, I'm not predicting a First Round exit by the Vols, but any immediate travel reservations from Knoxville to our Nation's Capital are probably unnecesary.
So, that leads us back to Perspective. Will this seemingly magical season on The Hill be remembered as such?? Will we look back at this season as one that symbolized the re-birth of interest in men's basketball, or will the late season struggles coupled with an early and possibly embarrassing early exit from the Big Dance overshadow the apparent milestones reached this season?? For it wasn't but a very short period of time ago when we would have just been happy for the invitation!! Just a matter of perspective!!