2009 Recruiting Board

This is the first installment of the 2009 Recruiting Board. I'm not great with HTML, so if you see any glaring miscues, let me know. Also, with it still being early in the process, it's hard to nail down where these kids stand. I'll update this weekly. Also, after the tables, you'll see the section called "On the Radar." This section lists some kids who should be getting UT offers soon. Hope you like the board.

Quarterback

Prospects
Name	State	Stars	Offers	Vibe	Info
Josh Nunes	CA	****	Vols, BYU, Stanford, UF, OU, others		UCLA got a commitment from another QB; we're in the top 8
Jordan Reed	CT	****	Vols, UF, UConn, Iowa, BC, Duke, Oregon		Likes our former OC
Tate Forcier	CA	****	Vols, ASU, UF, Mich, PSU, Oreg, others		Brothers at PAC 10 schools, might come to UT camp this summer; we're in the top 20

Running Back

Commits
Name	State	Stars	Offers	Vibe	Info
Toney Williams	GA	NR	Vols, UK, Indy, GT, NCSt		Loves the coaches and tradition
Dominique Allen	TN	NR	Vols		Projected at FB; All Vol already, and HS teammates with prospect Marsalis Teague
Prospects
Name	State	Stars	Offers	Vibe	Info
David Oku	OK	****	Vols, FSU, Mich Neb, Ill		Great friends with Gerald Jones's family
Desmond Scott	NC	****	Vols, SEC, ACC		Seems Clemson is the leader, and Tennessee is an afterthought currently
Jarvis Giles	FL	****	Vols, UF, FSU, Clem, Ark, USCe, others		Had Vols as leader
Gabriel Hunter	TN	NR	Vols, UK, Mem, VU, Miss		Not a lot out there - likes Bammer, but no offer
Tim Edmond	OH	NR	Vols		Fullback - no offers outside of UT

Receiver

Commits
Name	State	Stars	Offers	Vibe	Info
Je'Ron Stokes	PA	****	Vols		Verballed on 4/6, and loves everything about Tennessee
Prospects
Name	State	Stars	Offers	Vibe	Info
Marlon Brown	TN	*****	Vols, all big time schools		Talks with UT coaches regularly, but is also getting worked by Aaron Murray at Georgia; interested in basketball also
Rueben Randle	LA	*****	Vols, LSU, UF, UGA, FSU, Bama, ND, OU, Miss, Miami		Ole Miss and LSU leading(?); Vols will be in to meet with him soon
Chad Bumphis	MS	****	Vols, SEC, TT		Wide open, but likes UF, Bama, Miss St, and LSU; his HS QB Chris Garrett is committed to LSU
Alshon Jeffrey	SC	****	Vols, Bama, UF, FSU, Mich, USCe, others		Says Bammer, South Carolina, and USC are his leaders, but the Trojans haven't offered
Lamar Scruggs	FL	****	Vols, UF, Miss, FSU, Miami, Aub, WVU, Clem, others		Lifetime Gator fan, but not so fast my friend; wide open
Zach Rogers	TN	NR	Vols, OKST, Duke, Ark, Aub, Bama, UK, others		Brother of current UT WR Austin Rogers - says he feels home at Tennessee but is "wide open"
Orson Charles	FL	****	Vols, SEC, BC, FSU, Miami, Mich, many others		Tight End; He's the prospect who broke the UF National Title Trophy; with the name "Orson," he's going to Florida
Thad McHaney	TN	NR	Vols, UK, USCe, VU		TE/DE; HS teammate and friend of OL prospect Alex Bullard; context clues point to UT being the one to beat, but it's early
Shaquelle Evans	CA	*****	Vols, USC, LSU, ASU, OU, ND, Mich, others		Work to do, but will be visiting Tennessee

Offensive Line

Prospects
Name	State	Stars	Offers	Vibe	Info
Morgan Moses	VA	*****	Vols, VT, UVA, WVU, UGA, Bama, others		Massive kid; really likes WR coach Latrell Scott; VT fans think UT is their biggest competition
Nick Alajajian	FL	***	Vols, UF, FSU, UGA, Miami, ND, others		Florida is on top, and it's not close
Marcus Hall	OH	****	Vols, Mich, tOSU, Ill, others		Illinois, Ohio State, and Michigan are the leaders, with the Vols at "low" interest
Xavier Nixon	NC	****	Vols, ND, UF, LSU, Mich, UGA, tons of great schools		Will be making a top 10 list by the middle of June; I actually like where UT stands
Stavion Lowe	TX	****	Vols, ND, OU, OkSt, TAMU, others		Texas would be on top, but they haven't offered; thusly, Tennessee is on top
John Martinez	UT	****	Vols, USC, LSU, UCLA, UF, UGA		USC leads, with LSU and UCLA 2nd and 3rd, respectively
Peter White	DC	****	Vols, UF, PSU, Mary, Ill, others		Says he's definitely coming to Tenn for a visit this summer; good feeling here
Alex Bullard	TN	****	Vols, Bama, Aub, ND, TAMU, Duke, others		Loves Coach Fulmer and thinks Coach Clawson is a "cool guy"; I would almost consider Bullard a lock
Johnnie Farms	GA	****	Vols, Bama, UGA, Aub, UF, OU, others		Seems like Alabama and Florida are the leaders, but he likes Coach Fulmer
Quinton Washington	SC	****	Vols, Bama, Clem, Miami, USCe		I think it will be hard to pull him out of state, but he seems wide open
Courtney Easterwood	TN	NR	Vols		Vols have only listed offer
Andre Harris	GA	NR	Vols, GT, Mary, NCSt		No news on any leanings; have to like the competition so far
Kamran Joyer	FL	NR	Vols, USCe		Not a lot of info, but Tennessee was the first to offer
Khalil Wilkes	NJ	NR	Vols, Rutg, Neb, WVU, Mary, slew of others		Looking at academics; teammate of Nyshier Oliver who loves Tenn; Vols are the best program with an offer

Defensive Line

Prospects
Name	State	Stars	Offers	Vibe	Info
Devon Kennard	AZ	*****	Vols, ASU, USC, UF, UCLA, LSU, others		He lists USC and ASU as top 2, but Rivals lists UT as top "Medium" school
Sam Montgomery	SC	****	Vols, UF, LSU, Clem, USC, USCe, Miami, others		Mentions USC, USCe, Clemson, Florida St, Miami, LSU, and NC State as his tops right now
Ryne Giddens	FL	****	Vols, UF, FSU, Aub, Miami, USF		Florida St probably leads
Dyron Dye	FL	****	Vols, UF, FSU, USC, LSU, Miami, Aub, others		Wide wide open; teammates with Ray Ray Armstrong and Andre Dubose
Jamil Merrell	DE	NR	Vols, FSU, WVU, VT, Rutg, others		Twin brothers with LB Jamal; will be visiting UT
Craig Drummond	IL	****	Vols, UF, LSU, tOSU, USC, others		Knows current Vol OT Ramone Johnson; wide open, quiet
DeOnte Arnett	MD	****	Vols, UGA, tOSU, PSU, WVU, others		Nobody is in his top 3 yet
William Ming	AL	****	Vols, Bama, Aub, LSU, UGA, ND, OU, Mich, others		I think it will be hard to pull him from the Bammers
Jason Ankrah	MD	NR	Vols, VT, WVU, Rutg, Mary, others		Wide open, but he wants to visit UT and we'll be a good fit
Duane Chisolm	SC	NR	Vols, Clem, USCe, Bama, WVU, others		We don't seem to be in the running
Lanford Collins	VA	NR	Vols, PSU, VT, UVA, WVU, others		Not a lot, but we offered in early May
Daniel Hood	TN	NR	Vols, Aub, FSU, UCLA, CU, others		Will be OL; grew up UT fan, but we're listed at "low" by Rivals
Anthony Orr	AL	NR	Vols, Bama, Aub, Clem, others		Open, but UT is behind the instate schools
Chris Davenport	LA	*****	Vols, LSU, UF, Bama, USC, others		Might not be destined for LSU; UT in top 6
Jamarkus McFarland	TX	*****	Vols, LSU, Tex, OU, ND, UF, others		LSU, Texas, and Oklahoma far ahead; LSU could be the one to beat
Corey Adams	AZ	****	Vols, USC, UCLA, ASU, tOSU, UF, others		Wide open, but USC will be hard to beat
Chris Bonds	SC	****	Vols, USC, USCe, ND, FSU, Bama, others		Likes USC and Alabama, but will visit Vols; sister wants to visit for UT softball
Demonte McAllister	FL	****	Vols, FSU, UGA, LSU, USC, UF, others		Likes USC and FSU, but didn't find UF "nice"
Darrington Sentimore	LA	****	Vols, Bama, Aub, OU, others		No LSU offer, but will come if he gets his grades in order
Raynard Randolph	MD	NR	Vols, UGA, WVU, Mary, Rutg, others		Likes WVU, but might camp in Knoxville this summer

\

Linebacker

Prospects
Name	State	Stars	Offers	Vibe	Info
Manti Te'o	HI	*****	Vols, USC, ND, ASU, Oreg, UCLA, others		Cousins with JT Mapu; says he's wide open, but USC has to be the favorite
Nico Johnson	AL	****	Vols, Bama, Aub, USC, UF, LSU, others		This is a battle between Bama and War Eagle
Tana Patrick	AL	****	Vols, Bama, UGA, USC, FSU, others		Wants to take his visits; hard to take from the state
Jerod Askew	VA	****	Vols, VT, WVU, OU, Mary, others		Tennessee has a great shot
Chris Williams	TX	****	Vols, LSU, OU, TAMU, Neb, TT, others		Tennessee not in top 5
Daniel Mack	FL	NR	Vols, Aub, USCe, Wisc, WVU, many others		Seems wide open, but mentions Spurrier
Jelani Jenkins	MD	*****	Vols, USC, VT, UF, PSU, tOSU, other big ones		Has family in Charleston, SC and doesn't mention Tennessee for visits
Frankie Telfort	FL	****	Vols, USC, LSU, tOSU, UF, FSU, ND, many others		Wide wide open; but mentioned 4/8 that USC, UF, ND, and GT on top
Barkevious Mingo	LA	****	Vols, LSU, Bama, OU, others		LSU is clear leader
Jamal Merrell	DE	NR	Vols, FSU, WVU, VT, Rutg, others		Twin brothers with DE Jamil; will be visiting UT
Johnathan Stewart	LA	NR	Vols, GT, TAMU, Miss St, others		No leaders right now

Defensive Back

Prospects
Name	State	Stars	Offers	Vibe	Info
Dre Kirkpatrick	AL	*****	Vols, Bama, Aub, USC, UF, LSU, UGA, many others		A lot of work to do, but will camp at Tennessee
Justin Green	KY	****	Vols, Bama, Aub, Miami, UK, Lou, others		Seems open, but wants to go to a place where he can grow as a person
Branden Smith	GA	****	Vols, UGA, LSU, UF, ND, Mich, others		High on Tennessee and likes Eric Berry
Eric Gordon	TN	****	Vols, Bama, OU, Miss St, USCe, others		Brother Jamont plays BB at Miss St
Terry Shankle	NC	****	Vols, UF, UNC, NCST, Clem, Bama		Has us in his top 6; his uncle was coached by Dan Brooks
Jordan Love	VA	NR	Vols, UGA, PSU, UVA, Lou, others		Will try to visit Tennessee
Josh Robinson	FL	NR	Vols, USF, Aub, Miss, others		Teammates with DB Brandon McGee; likes UF, but no offer
Roderick Sweeting	GA	NR	Vols, Clem, VT, Aub, Bama, others		Wide open, but doesn't mention visiting Tennessee
Darren Myles	GA	NR	Vols, UGA, LSU, UF, ND, Bama, Aub, others		Seems wide open; will trim his list soon
Vladimir Emilien	FL	NR	Vols, Mich, tOSU, Aub, Ill, others		Ohio State leads, with Michigan #2
Gabe Lynn	OK	****	Vols, OU, USC, UF, LSU, others		Friends with UT prospect David Oku, watched Meachem play in HS
Angelo Hadley	FL	NR	Vols, UGA, Aub, Mich, USF, others		Wide open and planning visits
Gerald Hodges	NJ	NR	Vols, PSU, Rutg, BC, Pitt, others		Penn St and Rutgers might be top two
Rod Woodson	MS	NR	Vols, Bama, Mich, Miss St, Miss, others		He says Alabama is on top, then Ole Miss

Athlete

Commits
Name	State	Stars	Offers	Vibe	Info
Damien Thigpen	VA	****	Vols		Committed on 4/20; loves everything about Tennessee
Prospects
Name	State	Stars	Offers	Vibe	Info
Andre Debose	FL	****	Vols, UF, FSU, tOSU, USC, others		Teammates with Ray Ray Armstrong and Dyron Dye; most likely a packaged deal; not talking about Tennessee
Logan Thomas	VA	****	Vols, Aub, Clem, VT, WVU, UVA, others		UT recruiting him as TE; visited the O&W game
Ronnie Wingo, Jr.	MO	****	Vols, Mizz, OU, Neb, Bama, others		Planning visits, but grew up an OU fan
Ray Ray Armstrong	FL	****	Vols, UF, FSU, ND, LSU, UGA, others		Teammates with Andre Debose and Dyron Dye; probably a package; not talking about Tennessee
EJ Banks	PA	****	Vols, ND, tOSU, Pitt, Ill, others		Ohio State is clear leader for now
Corey Brown	PA	****	Vols, tOSU, Mich, ND, PSU, Pitt, others		Wide open, but Tennessee seems an afterthought
Montrell Conner	LA	****	Vols, OU, Bama, Miss St, Miss, others		Would go to LSU, but they have not offered
Brandon McGee	FL	****	Vols, USC, UF, tOSU, LSU, UGA, others		Wide wide open, but knows Vlad Richard and Demetrice Morley, and Drayton is working his magic
Josh Boyd	MS	****	Vols, Bama, LSU, Miami, Mich, Miss, others		Projected DL; likes the idea of staying in state but will visit Tennessee
Stephon Gilmore	SC	****	Vols, UF, Clem, USCe, tOSU, PSU, others		Tennessee interests him, Slade says he could play early; knows Jon Hefney and loves our coaches
Nyshier Oliver	NJ	NR	Vols, PSU, Pitt, Rutg, others		Teammate Khalil Wilkes says Oliver has Tennessee in lead
David Sims	SC	NR	Vols, UF, Mich, Bama, USCe, UNC, others		Wide open, but Rivals has Tennessee on top(?)
Joe Stewart	GA	NR	Vols, GT, Mizz, M(OH), MTSU		TT leads but they haven't offered
Marsalis Teague	TN	NR	Vols, Miami, Mich, Clem, Miss, others		In the running, but he likes Michigan a lot; teammate Dominique Allen already committed to Tennessee

On the Radar
LB Cody Ledford, Tallahassee, FL
RB/LB David Jones, South Pittsburg, TN
RB Andre Harris, Torrance, CA
WR Jamarielle Brown, Paducah, KY
C Sam Simpson, Lexington, KY
DT Mister Cobble, Louisville, KY
LB Nigel Mitchell-Thornton, Stone Mountain, GA
DB DJ Swearinger, Greenwood, SC
DT William Campbell, Detroit, MI (committed to Michigan)
QB Clayton Moore, Louisville, MS
RB Morgan Alexander, Cartersville, GA
RB Warren Norman, Chamblee, GA
DB Stephon Morris, Greenbelt, MD (committed to Penn State)
TE Joseph Sloan, Nashville, TN
OG Will Jackson, Knoxville, TN
WR Xavier Rhodes, Miami, FL
DT Curtis King, Memphis, TN
LB Derrick Webb, Memphis, TN
DB Gene Robinson, Memphis, TN
OT Logan Massengale, Brentwood, TN
DT Curtis Porter, Charlotte, NC
TE Malcolm Bush, Hackensack, NJ
LB Ridge Wilson, Louisville, KY
TE Darrell Smith, Gadsden, AL
DE Brian Johnson, Charlotte, NC
ATH Ka'lial Glaud, Atco, NJ
LB DT Shackelford, Decatur, AL
TE Leneil Brown, Teaneck, NJ
DT Barry Dabney, Brentwood, TN
ATH Theron Norman, Richmond, VA

Whew, lots of work. Let me add this: if you ever see someone on a forum named "NYCVol010," listen to everything he has to say. He's the man, and he'll soon have his own recruiting site, which we'll pimp vigorously.

Holy Bench Press, Batman!

Justin Groves, of Rock Solid Sports on WUTK Radio (UT's student radio station), just reported that Jacques McClendon broke the Tennessee bench press record by pressing 635 pounds! Good Lord, man, that's like 1.5 Manginos.

Vladimir Richard also benched an amazing 600 pounds today. This furthers my belief that Vlad is the baddest man in the world, and maybe even the entire campus. If Tebow is a Baby Rhino, then Vlad is like a .... Real Rhino. Too bad Vlad isn't on the defensive line to create a Rhino v Rhino matchup in September.

Lastly, Groves said Gerald Jones, of Orange and White game dominance and future legend of the program, benched 335 pounds and had a 41 inch vertical leap today. It's as if he's athletic or something. Gerald, he of 72 inches and 190ish pounds, can bench press a Phil Fulmer. That's sick, both literally and slang-edly.

Groves, against his own wishes, is going to be a roundabout contributor to The Power T in the future. I'll have his insights from the Orange and White game up as soon as I get the energy to e-mail him the questions. Blame me, and Canada.

O&W Game Brings 2 Commitments

The Orange and White game (which we'll have some coverage later) not only brought the annual "ZOMG WE'RE GOING TO B TEH BESTEST TEAM IN AMERICAZ" feeling from me and just about everybody else, it also brought two very nice verbal commitments for the 2009 signing class.

First, Dominique Allen, HB/FB from Henry Co. High School in Paris, TN, committed after the Orange and White game. He's teammates with Marsalis Teague, an athlete with an offer from UT. Allen will probably bide his time behind Kevin Cooper and Austin Johnson at FB when he arrives in 2009, but it could also give UT the flexibility to move Johnson back to LB. Allen is rated at Rivals yet, but at 5'11", 235, Allen could provide what we all thought Cory Anderson was going to: a threat to block and to run. I love this quote he said to Austin Price at Volquest: "I just feel the love, like I'm already part of the family here."

Second, a surprise commitment from Virginia athlete Damien Thigpen. How this young man is rated 250th in the Rivals 250 is beyond me. Sure, he's a bit short at 5'8", but his 4.34 40 yard dash should boost his rating. His 4.08 shuttle time is certainly awe-inspiring, and he already benches 295 pounds while only weighing 170. Many people have pointed out to me, and I agree, that he seems to be Clawson's UT version of Brian Westbrook, in theory. Some speculate he could be a cornerback, but with his breakneck speed, I'd love to see him in a Gerald Jones-esque role in our offense come 2010 when he's a sophomore. I expect he'll have a plethora of Rocky Top Jars.

Lastly, while we didn't get commitments from anybody else, our recruiting momentum right now is insane. Logan Thomas, Cody Ledford, Marlon Brown, and a slew of many others have Tennessee on, or near, the top of their lists. Our new staff is really doing well on the trail, and from different quotes, it sounds like the new staff shares a vision on what players they want - something the old staff didn't necessarily have.

Great weekend for the Vols, no doubt.

GREAT WIN! Sweet 16 here we come

I wish I had Photoshop, and not GIMP.

First Weekend Enemies

There will be much disagreement inside our fanbase over the next 4 days about whether our boys should have been a 1 seed or a 2 seed. In the end, it doesn't matter. What does matter are match ups. Not all 7 seeds are created equal, as Miami would have been an easier game than Butler will potentially be. What I'll be doing in this entry is comparing (with HTML tables - sexxxxxxy) the variables that our enemies have that will benefit or hinder our run in the tournament.

The stats I'll be looking at are completely decided by looking at Ken Pomeroy's Game Plan tool that I find far, far better than his ratings. It shows, statistically, the most important factors for a team's offensive and defensive efficiency. I'm sure Bruce Ball Blog will cover these things as well, probably more eloquently. Anyway, Pomeroy's GP tool says that the biggest (and only certain) factor in Tennessee's offensive efficiency is our own turnover percentage (TO%). Thus, for our opponents, I'll list their defensive TO%, to see if they cause turnovers. For our defensive efficiency, it improves when our opponents turn it over more, and to a lesser, but still strong degree, their ability to get to the free throw line (free throw rate). I'll also compare the pace, effective heights, experience, and percentage of minutes the bench gets for our enemies. If it gets confusing, leave a comment and I'll expand.

AMERICAN

Def TO%	TO%	FTR	Pace	Eff. Hgt	Exp.	Bench Min
19.2% (270)	21.3% (196)	31.4% (20)	60.9 (324)	-0.5 (202)	2.1 yrs (46)	25.1% (294)

BUTLER

Def TO%	TO%	FTR	Pace	Eff. Hgt	Exp.	Bench Min
22.6% (85)	16.6% (8)	27.1% (103)	60.0 (330)	-1.6 (265)	2.2 yrs (30)	26.7% (262)

SOUTH ALABAMA

Def TO%	TO%	FTR	Pace	Eff. Hgt	Exp.	Bench Min
20.0% (214)	20.3% (130)	32.5% (12)	66.9 (175)	+0.5 (136)	2.1 yrs (48)	24.7% (299)

I know you're in a bit of an overload right now with all the numbers. For the effective height numbers, it's in inches. For example, South Alabama, above, is +0.5 inches taller than the average team. For pace, the number is how many possessions they average in a 40 minute game.

Overall, none of the three teams are actually overwhelmingly bad match ups for us. American can get to the free throw line a lot, as evidenced by their 20th ranking in that department. However, I believe our athleticism will keep us in less situations where a player is beaten and has to foul. American ranks 270th in causing turnovers, so our offense should be just fine, and they are below average at 196th in turning the ball over, which helps us defensively. While American is definitely experienced with each player averaging 2.1 years in the program, those players aren't big enough to exploit our poor post defense, they aren't deep enough to run with us if we push tempo, and they play a plodding pace, which only matters against us if the opponent is any good. American, obviously, doesn't pose a huge threat. They do shoot well from 3 point range (3rd overall), but our perimeter defense is some of the best in the land.

Butler will be a battle - they are above average (85th of 341 teams) in causing turnovers, and the 8th BEST TEAM (!!!) in ball security. They also rank 103rd in free throw rate, which is above average, as well. They play a slower pace than American, with better talent, and is the main reason we lost to them in 2006. However, we're both different teams. Butler isn't big, especially in the post, so I believe our bigs will have a nice day if we play. They also have major experience and lack a deep bench. If we get past Butler, we fans should have some increased confidence, as on paper, it's a difficult game.

South Alabama is not as talented as Butler, but had a good resume in terms of what the committee likes. Pomeroy doesn't like them nearly as much, ranking them as the 75th best team in the country. South Alabama doesn't cause many turnovers and protects the rock just a little better than average. They will get to the line and knock free throws down, which doesn't help Tennessee's flow of offense. USA is above average in height, but still not as tall as Tennessee, and they are not deep at all. USA, even though it's not mentioned in the chart, is a good perimeter team, ranking 52nd in 3 point defense.

Overall, while at first response, I felt like the match ups were awful, they actually aren't. They are the best we could have gotten, but with focus we should overcome them rather easily. Butler will obviously be the toughest test if it happens, but they have to play USA in Birmingham, as well.

Lastly, this is only half the equation. Tomorrow, I will post what factors effect American's, S. Alabama's, and Butler's efficiencies, and post where Tennessee ranks in those areas.

#2 Seed in Charlotte

I'm already working in an entry breaking down things about the 3 teams in our most immediate future: American, Butler, and South Alabama. It should come later today.

But for now, there are some things to talk about.

1. I've already noticed tons of Vol fans assuming that because we're the #2 in the overall #1's region means we were considered the worst #2 seed. I'm almost 100% positive that's not the truth. The S-curve is gone, as far as I know, and I believe they tried to give respect to Tennessee by putting us close to home for the quarters and regionals. Sure, playing North Carolina in Charlotte is tough, but we have a better chance of beating the Heels than UCLA or Kansas.

2. I'm disturbed by the potential match ups. Butler was a 5 seed for Lunardi and a 6 seed at Bracketography, yet we somehow get them as a 7 seed, and they are, on paper, one of the worst possible match ups for us. Also, if talented South Alabama upsets Butler, we get to play USA in ratsa fratsa Birmingham. Not very fair, if you ask me. And lastly, of all the 3 seeds, the worst match up for us is Louisville, and of course we get them in our bracket. Their defense would cause us problems if we make it that far. I know no matter what, we are playing tough teams, but the match ups don't favor us.

3. I'm sick and tired of bubble teams whining. Win more games and you won't have to complain. Virginia Tech - beat Richmond, Old Dominion, or Penn State and you're in. Syracuse - don't lose to Rhode Island and Massachusetts at home and you're in. Arizona State - don't get embarrassed by a bad Illinois team in Hawaii, don't lose to Washington and Cal at home, and you're in.

4. Back to Tennessee - when you undoubtedly start to dissect a possible Butler game, please don't put too much weight on 2006-2007's game. It was the fifth career college game for Ramar Smith, Duke Crews, and Wayne Chism, and the first game of their college career outside the state of Tennessee. Also, this one guy, not sure if you've heard of him, Tyler Smith, wasn't on the squad. Lastly, according to Ken Pomeroy's metrics, Butler was better last season than they are this season.

So, those are my first thoughts after the selection announcements. Check back for the comparisons to American, Butler, and South Alabama.

Chomp, Collaborate, and Listen

We're NUMBER ONE

The Hype is in Full Effect!

Now that our BasketVols have disposed of the bad Tigers, it's officially time for Memphis. Granted, the hype began when Tyler Smith was allowed to join the UT team immediately after his transfer decision. That day was when Tennessee jumped from Sweet 16 contender, to possible Final Four contender, alongside the Memphis Tigers.

Basically, since October, this has been the biggest game on our schedule, and the biggest game for ESPN since the last Tobacco Road game.

But is this game as big as a $10,000 ticket would make you think? Not to be Debbie Downer, but no. Is this the biggest regular season game this season for college basketball? Probably. Is this the biggest regular season game in UT history? I believe so. But it's not bigger than our 1st round game in the NCAA Tournament. It would be easy to say it is, but really, if we beat Memphis on Saturday, then 3 weeks from now lose to Stephen F. Austin, you'd more pissed than Big Red after he didn't get the ol' "you're going to Hollywood" line.


Don't get me wrong - my snack and drink line-up for this game is challenging my menu for the Super Bowl 3 weeks ago. I'm more pumped about this game than any basketball game ever, outside of the Sweet 16 game we won't talk about. However, let's all keep in mind that we shouldn't grab a chair and noose if we lose. We can lose this game, and still march in March to the Final Four. We can win this game, and not make it out of the first weekend. Keep it in perspective.

Tomorrow, I'll go in depth with some interesting stats from Ken Pomeroy's site.

And yes, the American Idol clip from above was a way for me to give an excuse to show this amazing Idol clip, which made me laugh so hard, a little pee came out.

This is Getting Disgraceful

Life is Under Control

Good news fans - I have time to once again devote to this blog. As I've alluded to in a previous entry, my life during the early months of the football season had some drastic changes. I drank more due to that, so couldn't put together a great blog.

But now, I'm back with a renewed sense of dedication and creativity. We'll be covering the BasketVols with great passion, and will begin talking recruiting for football.

So, stick with me this year, it should be far far more consistent, and thus, enjoyable.