Nobody wants to take the “wait ‘till next year” approach. And truthfully — if Tennessee had Kyle Alexander available on that Saturday night against Loyola-Chicago, the whole Cinderella storyline of the 2018 NCAA Tournament likely shifts. But it wasn’t meant to be for Tennessee this season.
Since that loss, we’ve been looking forward to next season. Tennessee is likely to return everyone from that roster outside of reserve point guard James Daniel. The Vols finished the season inside the top 15 of the AP Poll, capturing a three-seed in the NCAA Tournament.