So I forgot to post my Associated Press vote this week. Maybe last week, too. (Ahem). I got all caught up in the Oscars this past Sunday. Not sure what happened the previous Sunday. Is it still February?
I’ll put my full vote from Sunday at the bottom of this post, but will mention here that I ranked Tennessee No. 20. This was before the Vols’ 63-61 loss at LSU on Thursday, which ended with the officials needing to go over to the monitor to look at the time left on a so-called jump ball that never even came close to happening.
It was the kind of amateurish finish that seemed almost fitting for a game that kept reminding us, throughout, who wasn’t on the floor anymore for these teams. Like, everybody.
There is always turnover each season, of course, but this is to a freakish extreme. Both Tennessee and LSU lost all five of their starters from 2007-2008, making Thursday’s game somewhat like “Laverne & Shirley” after Shirley left the show.
You kept saying, “This is just not the same thing.” At least for now.
(BTW, I heard the other day that the TV show “Smallville” was going to return for a ninth season. I’ve never seen a single second of a single episode. I know it’s about Superman, and that’s all. It made me realize that many of my TV references are soon going to be hopelessly out of date, if they aren’t already.)
So while we watched Tennessee’s youngsters go against LSU’s youngsters _ led by two coaches who were strategizing against each other before any of these kids were born _ the thoughts were more on what these teams used to be, and what they will be in subsequent seasons.
Of course, we’ve followed every nick, cut, scrape, bruise and scab in regard to Tennessee’s growing pains this season, while LSU’s been largely out of the national spotlight. Yet, look who got the last bye in the SEC tournament: the Bayou Bengals.
Junior Allison Hightower has led youthful LSU, averaging 14.4 points going into Thursday’s game. But she was cramped up most of the second half, which hurt the Tigers but didn’t sink them. They now seem to be coming together pretty well, while the Vols still look like they can’t quite believe this is happening to them.
But … like I said, I’m still not buying it. That Tennessee is not a top-25 team, that is.
I know, it’s Feb. 27, and Tennessee has lost nine games. References to the 10-loss 1996-97 team do not seem like apt comparisons. The coaches’ poll put Tennessee at No. 23 on Tuesday, while we in the media had the Orange Crush at No. 18 the day before. So the question is whether Tennessee might fall out next week.
Poll-o-logy is not a science at all, so it would be goofy to refer to it as an inexact science. How about just inexact, period?
Tennessee still has one more regular-season game – against Vanderbilt on Sunday. If Tennessee beats Vandy, the Vols are not falling out my rankings. Yeah, I know people think some of us in the media are dingbats who are blinded by Tennessee’s past instead of evaluating the Vols in the present. But I really think I’m fairly judging this season’s team.
Tennessee still plays the toughest non-conference schedule, and the SEC is still difficult even in its less-impressive years. (Such as this one.)
So a 20-9 SEC team that has played most of the country’s obvious Final Four contenders (save you-know-who), is what Tennessee will be if it defeats Vandy. If that’s indeed the case, the Vols are in my poll Sunday night and nobody’s talking me out of it. (Probably). However …
If Tennessee loses to Vandy … I’m not sure. So let’s see what you guys think.
My top 25 ballot from Feb. 22:
1.Connecticut, 2. Oklahoma, 3. Stanford, 4. Baylor, 5. Maryland, 6. North Carolina 7. Auburn, 8. Duke, 9. Cal, 10. Florida State, 11. Louisville, 12. Texas A&M, 13. Pittsburgh, 14. Texas, 15. Ohio State, 16. Xavier, 17. Kansas State, 18. Florida, 19. Vanderbilt, 20. Tennessee, 21. Virginia, 22. South Dakota State, 23. Notre Dame, 24. Arizona State, 25. DePaul
TN should be dropped from the top 25. If they were called something like the University of No Historical Significance in Women’s Basketball, they would be dropped after getting beaten by a very mediocre LSU team. This loss is another in a string of losses by TN. Rocky Top isn’t among the Top teams at this point in the season. Wonder what PS will take away now? And why the players think they have to put up with that garbage?
Just goes to show how good of a job she’s done in the past with maintaining top 25 teams for 25+ years. It also speaks to the job Sylvia Hatchell has done at North Carolina. Aside from Tenn, UNC has graduated some of the most talent of the last 2 years (Ivory Latta, Camille Little, Erlana Larkins & Latoya Pringle) and won 30 games last year and could potentially win 30 games this year (who knows). That’s impressive…even with good recruits coming in. Lord knows, we all know Cetera DeGraffenreid did a hell of a job last season to replace Ivory. All this done while Tenn is struggling to 5 losses in conference, a conference that is well short of the ACC this season.
I don’t know about you but who can wait for the ACC Tournament with 4 legitimate top 10 teams!
Even with nine losses, Tennessee’s rpi is 10. I think that says something, too. They are still a tough team to play. Ask Vandy if they think they are going to walk in, play a decent game, and get out of there with a win. No one has their ‘off night’ when they play Tennessee. They always have their best night (and, used to, still lost). This year is a little different in that if you can bring your best night….you may just beat them, and nine teams have so far this season.
Question: Who would you folks rather play at home: Rutgers (who isn’t ranked), Tenn (who is ‘down’ this year and threatening to drop out of the Top 25) or Kansas State (who is ranked higher than those two)??
I’d rather play Rutgers at home because they have no offense except for Epiphanny. Sometimes TN has offense. TN’s last two losses (Kentucky, LSU) suggest to me that they should not be ranked. Iowa State fell out after losing to Kansas, and Kansas is not a very good team. But Iowa State has played some very tough opponents and done well, which earned them a decent ranking in the top 25.
ISU got beat by OK in Norman, lost in a very close game to Texas in Ames, and started to drop. The Kansas loss kicked them out. One bad loss in a very tough conference (some would say the toughest in the country this year) was enough to drop ISU.
Here’s a prediction for you to consider: TN draws a lower seed in the tournament and exits after losing in round 2 to a more highly ranked and mature team. TN players play in street clothes because Pat has not only kicked them out of the locker room, she takes away their uniforms after they drop out of the top 25.
Interesting “dilemma”. Tennessee is what it is: I personally think they should have started the season at a much lower ranking than they did. Even with Patti Mae at the helm, a team of Freshmen is not likely to be top 10 material in their first season. And if they’d started at, say, #12, maybe they’d have been more inclined to ‘grow into’ an elevated ranking as opposed to struggling with the pressure of sustaining an otherwise-inflated ranking. JMO.
Mechelle….. Absurd, that is the only word that comes to mind when you say you would still think Tennessee would be in the top 25. Absolutely Absurd! Tennessee has lost 9 times. How many other teams could lose 9 times and still be in the top 25? Not Rutgers. Rugters is in the Big East which is a power conference. Rutgers has to play the likes of: #1 UCONN (x2), #8 Louisville,#15/20 Pittsburg, #22/23 Notre Dame. While Rutgers has lost to some non ranked teams so has Tennessee. Tennessee lost to Kentucky and LSU. They just barely got past Mississippi…. and in all honesty… they never should have beaten Rutgers. Combine that with the extremely lucky win over Stanford.
In the last 10 games Tennessee has lost a grand total of 6 times. LSU being the closest at 2 points, but the others were by 8, 9, or 10 points. Tennessee after lossing 6 of their last 10 should be out of the top 25.
If they do not fall, it is because people vote for the name on the jersey and not for the team on the court and that is just sad.
tenn. vols have lost 6 of last 10 games. Any other team would not be in top 25.
pat summitt owns the keys to the (basketball) kingdom. she’s building, breaking down, building again, disciplining, shifting, — she’s figuring it out. no matter how frustrated she looks and sounds, — she’s brilliant. those who determine the polls should vote the lady vols where they deserve to be, — no more, no less. i don’t think summitt would want anything she didn’t coach for. whether the team ends up in the top 25 or out, — she’s still got the keys, and i’m still a pat summitt/ladyvol fan.
Michelle, you have to be biased. You have been too close to some of these programs now and in the past. When you vote you should look at records and the record in the last 10 games and the relative rating of their conference affiliation as to which ones are up or down this year and vote. You have built up too many close friends over the years which is good but not for voting.
>>Wonder what PS will take away now? And why the players think they have to put up with that garbage?
What “garbage” are you talking about?
The Lady Vols basketball players are there on scholarship – to play basketball. (Yes, Pat demands academic performance as well.)
IF they’re getting a free ride, and don’t produce despite all the coaching that Summitt and her coaches give them – from scouting reports on up, why should they complain if a few perks get taken away.
That’s what those things are – perks. THey haven’t earned them, why should they get them?
My question is what is the big FRICKIN deal if they fall out…it seems like the media (you included) think that the WCBB world will come to an end…maybe falling out of the Top 25 is what Pat needs to motivate this group…
That being said I don’t think there are 25 other teams in the country that could beat Tennessee (especially S. Dakota St., Bowling Green, VCU, etc….but I don’t have them in my Top 25 either, unlike the media/coaches who reward wins over nobodies higher than losses to greatness) but the fact is they haven’t beaten anyone of substance since mid-Dec/early Jan and they are 4 for their last 10…Rutgers fell out, LSU fell out, Tenn should fall out as well…if you don’t play like you deserve to be in the Top 25 then you shouldn’t be there…and if they were anyone else then they wouldn’t still be there….PERIOD!!!
Get a grip TJ. Tennessee won the NC one year with 10 losses – I’m not a Lady Vol fan, but you can never count out Tenn.
I think they drop if they lose to Vandy.