Throughout the men’s basketball season, Tennessee teams have challenged traditional hatcheries of basketball talent like Texas and Indiana. Memphis and the University of Tennessee have both shared time as No. 1, and both Belmont and Vanderbilt finished the regular season with very respectable records (25-9 and 26-8, respectively). The Tennessee teams have continued to perform well at the NCAA tournament, excepting the debacle last Friday night in Tampa.
Belmont and Austin Peay each received the lowest seed (No. 15) of the five Tennessee schools with an invite to the tournament.
Belmont would have pulled a gigantic upset of Duke had it not been for a temporary defensive breakdown in the final seconds of their first-round game. The Austin Peay Governors stole an at-large bid from perennial powers like Ohio State and Florida to reach the tournament for the first time since 2003.
Memphis (No. 1 seed, South region) and Tennessee (No. 2 seed, East region) both eked out second-round matchups to make it to the Sweet 16. UT faces a difficult test in Rick Pitino and Louisville this Thursday with hopes that sophomore J.P. Prince will act as a catalyst at the weak point-guard position and propel them into a match-up with the winner of the UNC/Washington State game.
Memphis will try to overcome miserable free-throw shooting and take care of another tournament-tested program in Tom Izzo and Michigan State. And then there is Vandy (No. 4 seed, Midwest region), who will join neighbor and rival Belmont in watching the completion of the tournament from faraway Nashville.
But the future looks bright for the Commodores, as it does for the other Tennessee schools. Yes, Memorial Magic may not be the same next year, but Vanderbilt returns a squad with several promising freshmen with game experience and the efficient Jermaine Beal at point. Tennessee and Memphis, unless robbed by the NBA Draft, will return young stalwarts in Tyler Smith and Derrick Rose, respectively.
Some may have been surprised to see three Tennessee teams in the top 20 for much of the season. However, judging by the new, young talent and the continued excellent coaching of these teams, a Tennessee-heavy top 25 may become a regular occurrence.
