Heading into the 2011-12 college basketball season, few people gave the Tennessee Volunteers a chance to make some noise in the SEC and across the national landscape. But with three weeks left in the regular season, Tennessee stands at eighth place in the SEC with a 13-12 record and a 5-5 record in conference.
The Vols head into the home stretch of the regular season coming off a season sweep of highly touted Florida. The Vols defeated the 7th-ranked Gators this past Saturday in Gainesville in a game that was not as close as the final score indicated.
While an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament is not likely, this team has positioned itself for a decent seed in the SEC Tournament in early March. A favorable schedule the rest of the regular season could also allow the Volunteers to move up the SEC rankings.
Tennessee is currently on a three-game winning streak as it hosts Arkansas on Wednesday night. The Razorbacks have not won a single road game this season.
The Vols still have games against LSU and South Carolina remaining, both of whom are below Tennessee in the conference standings. The toughest test remaining is a home game against Vanderbilt to end the regular season on March 3. But considering Tennessee’s success at home lately, a win over their state rival is a possibility.
Head coach Cuonzo Martin has exceeded expectations for his first season on Rocky Top. If the Volunteers continue to build upon this recent winning streak, they will be a tough out for any team in New Orleans for the SEC Tournament.
While a berth in the NIT would be a tremendous success for Martin in his first season at the helm, this team is striving for an NCAA Tournament bid. Even if that means cutting down the nets in New Orleans for the SEC Tournament which begins March 8.
Below are highlights from Tennessee’ victory over Florida this past Saturday.
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