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For the next 27 days, I will attempt to write a post about Vols of the past and Vols of this year. I will write a post for 27 straight days that will entail player evaluations, a state of the program, and the history of the basketball program. Let's get nostalgic in our first day with my favorite Vol moments. This does not mean they were the greatest. These are my personal favorite. Since I started watching UT basketball in Buzz Peterson's last year, we will start there. Although there are no highlights from the Buzz Peterson era (thank God). I tried to find highlight clips for each moment and or game.
10. Wayne Chism becomes a man vs. Ole Miss
Chism was probably the most criticized Vol, in any sport, by me. I couldn't stand that he had all the talent to be a dominant big man. Yet he stood on the perimeter and refused to bang. It infuriated me to no end. Then finally, the light switch came on against Ole Miss at home. He had 26/12, hit ten free throws and was a bruiser down low offensively and defensively. He got it. That was the game he became the leader of that team and a UT great.
9. Vols storm the court vs. Florida
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaMS-cWyKIc[/youtube]
Everyone claims Texas was the game that showed the world Bruce Pearl was creating something. That is somewhat true. But that was a wounded Texas team. Florida was undefeated and the default #1 team in the country with a loss from Duke earlier in the day. After 20 years of heartbreak, UT finally came through with wonderful performances by C.J. Watson and Chris Lofton. That game showed the world UT was for real. The storming of the court showed that UT wasn't just a football school. It craved basketball success. It got rid of a haunted stereotype.
8. Tennessee is #1 in the state...and for the first time, in the country.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQPCpsRQMGQ[/youtube]
This is higher for some people, and while I enjoyed it, losing to Vandy the next game sucked. But forget the negative. This made Tennessee the talk of the basketball world. J.P. Prince and Tyler Smith had huge nights. They played like beasts. But it got the nation's attention. It showed that UT could be great at basketball. It was the final turn that proved Tennessee was a national brand for basketball. And Tiger High sucks, so it was cool to beat them at their place.
7. The J.P. Prince game against Xavier
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfPYq_W3KaE[/youtube]
"Wow...this kid is good. I can't get over that dunk." I can still remember my late uncle saying this about J.P. Prince as we watched the UT-Xavier game together. He loved watching Prince play after that. The dunk at 31:30 is still the best dunk I've seen by a UT player. I still have no idea how he pulled that off. I literally don't. I'm pretty sure I popped my back out trying to do that in my backyard, even though I couldn't dunk.
6. Jordan McRae goes off against Georgia in a loss
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RiTHbKsrhA[/youtube]
Time to get sentimental. This ruined the Vols chances at the NCAA, but watching Jordy put on the best offensive performance from a Vol I've seen was a joy to watch. Watching him grow up to be an All-American player has been a pleasure, and this game certified that. He showed why he was the emotional leader of the team. Everyone didn't show up, but he didn't care. He went out and fought till the end. It was watching a finished product of evolution from selfish freshman to superstar junior. That game sucked, but I'll never forget watching Jordan McRae become a freaking fireball.
5. Vols outlast Texas A&M in four OT's
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAm4Faz7u_0[/youtube]
This game is going to get lost in the archives because Tennessee faltered at the end of the year, but it's the most intense regular season UT basketball game I can remember other than the 2006 Florida win at TBA. It was back and forth the entire way. It looked like UT was going to lose. But Jordan McRae saved the game with a tying three, and Skylar McBee had two huge shots in the last OT. It's still thrilling to watch the highlights.
4. J.P. Prince blocks Evan Turner and tells him to get the **** on home to send Tennessee to its first Elite Eight
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlUMAe_Jwog[/youtube]
It was fitting that the Buckeyes were the team the Vols beat to get their first Elite Eight after the debacle in 2007. Nobody played a bad game. But the thing I loved the most about this game (other than the fact Brian Williams had the game winner...Brian Williams!) was the balls of Prince to toe to toe against the runner up for NPOY award and make that play. He didn't care if they called a foul. He wanted to make sure Turner didn't get a chance to get that shot off. He wanted to win, not play to lose. And he did. What a ballsy play.
3. Tennessee humiliates Kentucky. Oh what a glorious humiliation it was.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78AvUUODwk0[/youtube]
You could take all the Lofton wins against Kentucky and the win against John Wall at TBA. I'll take watching John Calipari and his team quit against the Vols because UT beat them down. They didn't want to be there. I've never seen a John Calipari team absolutely get mauled like that. It was so glorious. I had never smiled from ear to ear like that after a UT game. It was so joyful, I went out in my UT gear, bought a $10 cigar, and smoked every single ash out of that mother****er later that night. I hope I can do it again in about four months.
2. Tennessee shocks Kansas with six scholarship players
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHL2_ofiE3M[/youtube]
They should do a 30 for 30 on this game. I don't even know where to begin with it. I really don't. The Hopson dunk over Aldrich. Skylar McBee sealing the game on a miracle shot. Kenny Hall owning Cole Aldrich. J.P. Prince being J.P. Prince. Renaldo Woolridge going Larry Bird in the first half. Wayne Chism controlling the middle. Everybody played perfect. Against the #1 team in the country. Right after four scholarships players were arrested and suspended. The best player was kicked off the team. A little back story. I was sick as a dog for this game. I had a bad fever and my stomach was really bothering me. The ER room was an option, it got that bad. My parents left to go to church promising to call on me a little bit later and take me to the ER if I needed to go. What happened? My parents called and I was screaming for joy because McBee hit that 3. They thought I took too much medicine and lost my damn mind because my father wouldn't believe UT beat Kansas. I was still insane but my claims were true.
1. The Chris Lofton shot over Durant
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOH4spIjBe8[/youtube]
It's the only time I've ever heard my father say "Oh my God". I said "How did he hit that?????!!!!!" twenty times. My brother (who doesn't really care about UT basketball) still calls it one of his favorite shots he's ever seen. It's an incredible shot. The maybe 6'1 Lofton over the definitely 6'10 Durant from 28 feet out with plenty of time on the shot clock is an unfathomable shot to take. But yet it cemented Lofton's status as a great. Pearl gets the credit for the revival of UT basketball. And he should. But it doesn't happen without Lofton. Out of all the shots I've ever seen, it's the best one in my time watching Tennessee basketball. It's the one that left me the most delirious. Anytime it's brought up, I get the biggest **** eating grin on my face. It's simply called "Lofton over Durant" and it should be. I went and practiced that shot in my driveway 500 times that day trying to be like Chris Lofton. It's my favorite UT basketball moment. What's yours?
10. Wayne Chism becomes a man vs. Ole Miss
Chism was probably the most criticized Vol, in any sport, by me. I couldn't stand that he had all the talent to be a dominant big man. Yet he stood on the perimeter and refused to bang. It infuriated me to no end. Then finally, the light switch came on against Ole Miss at home. He had 26/12, hit ten free throws and was a bruiser down low offensively and defensively. He got it. That was the game he became the leader of that team and a UT great.
9. Vols storm the court vs. Florida
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaMS-cWyKIc[/youtube]
Everyone claims Texas was the game that showed the world Bruce Pearl was creating something. That is somewhat true. But that was a wounded Texas team. Florida was undefeated and the default #1 team in the country with a loss from Duke earlier in the day. After 20 years of heartbreak, UT finally came through with wonderful performances by C.J. Watson and Chris Lofton. That game showed the world UT was for real. The storming of the court showed that UT wasn't just a football school. It craved basketball success. It got rid of a haunted stereotype.
8. Tennessee is #1 in the state...and for the first time, in the country.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQPCpsRQMGQ[/youtube]
This is higher for some people, and while I enjoyed it, losing to Vandy the next game sucked. But forget the negative. This made Tennessee the talk of the basketball world. J.P. Prince and Tyler Smith had huge nights. They played like beasts. But it got the nation's attention. It showed that UT could be great at basketball. It was the final turn that proved Tennessee was a national brand for basketball. And Tiger High sucks, so it was cool to beat them at their place.
7. The J.P. Prince game against Xavier
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfPYq_W3KaE[/youtube]
"Wow...this kid is good. I can't get over that dunk." I can still remember my late uncle saying this about J.P. Prince as we watched the UT-Xavier game together. He loved watching Prince play after that. The dunk at 31:30 is still the best dunk I've seen by a UT player. I still have no idea how he pulled that off. I literally don't. I'm pretty sure I popped my back out trying to do that in my backyard, even though I couldn't dunk.
6. Jordan McRae goes off against Georgia in a loss
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RiTHbKsrhA[/youtube]
Time to get sentimental. This ruined the Vols chances at the NCAA, but watching Jordy put on the best offensive performance from a Vol I've seen was a joy to watch. Watching him grow up to be an All-American player has been a pleasure, and this game certified that. He showed why he was the emotional leader of the team. Everyone didn't show up, but he didn't care. He went out and fought till the end. It was watching a finished product of evolution from selfish freshman to superstar junior. That game sucked, but I'll never forget watching Jordan McRae become a freaking fireball.
5. Vols outlast Texas A&M in four OT's
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAm4Faz7u_0[/youtube]
This game is going to get lost in the archives because Tennessee faltered at the end of the year, but it's the most intense regular season UT basketball game I can remember other than the 2006 Florida win at TBA. It was back and forth the entire way. It looked like UT was going to lose. But Jordan McRae saved the game with a tying three, and Skylar McBee had two huge shots in the last OT. It's still thrilling to watch the highlights.
4. J.P. Prince blocks Evan Turner and tells him to get the **** on home to send Tennessee to its first Elite Eight
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlUMAe_Jwog[/youtube]
It was fitting that the Buckeyes were the team the Vols beat to get their first Elite Eight after the debacle in 2007. Nobody played a bad game. But the thing I loved the most about this game (other than the fact Brian Williams had the game winner...Brian Williams!) was the balls of Prince to toe to toe against the runner up for NPOY award and make that play. He didn't care if they called a foul. He wanted to make sure Turner didn't get a chance to get that shot off. He wanted to win, not play to lose. And he did. What a ballsy play.
3. Tennessee humiliates Kentucky. Oh what a glorious humiliation it was.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78AvUUODwk0[/youtube]
You could take all the Lofton wins against Kentucky and the win against John Wall at TBA. I'll take watching John Calipari and his team quit against the Vols because UT beat them down. They didn't want to be there. I've never seen a John Calipari team absolutely get mauled like that. It was so glorious. I had never smiled from ear to ear like that after a UT game. It was so joyful, I went out in my UT gear, bought a $10 cigar, and smoked every single ash out of that mother****er later that night. I hope I can do it again in about four months.
2. Tennessee shocks Kansas with six scholarship players
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHL2_ofiE3M[/youtube]
They should do a 30 for 30 on this game. I don't even know where to begin with it. I really don't. The Hopson dunk over Aldrich. Skylar McBee sealing the game on a miracle shot. Kenny Hall owning Cole Aldrich. J.P. Prince being J.P. Prince. Renaldo Woolridge going Larry Bird in the first half. Wayne Chism controlling the middle. Everybody played perfect. Against the #1 team in the country. Right after four scholarships players were arrested and suspended. The best player was kicked off the team. A little back story. I was sick as a dog for this game. I had a bad fever and my stomach was really bothering me. The ER room was an option, it got that bad. My parents left to go to church promising to call on me a little bit later and take me to the ER if I needed to go. What happened? My parents called and I was screaming for joy because McBee hit that 3. They thought I took too much medicine and lost my damn mind because my father wouldn't believe UT beat Kansas. I was still insane but my claims were true.
1. The Chris Lofton shot over Durant
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOH4spIjBe8[/youtube]
It's the only time I've ever heard my father say "Oh my God". I said "How did he hit that?????!!!!!" twenty times. My brother (who doesn't really care about UT basketball) still calls it one of his favorite shots he's ever seen. It's an incredible shot. The maybe 6'1 Lofton over the definitely 6'10 Durant from 28 feet out with plenty of time on the shot clock is an unfathomable shot to take. But yet it cemented Lofton's status as a great. Pearl gets the credit for the revival of UT basketball. And he should. But it doesn't happen without Lofton. Out of all the shots I've ever seen, it's the best one in my time watching Tennessee basketball. It's the one that left me the most delirious. Anytime it's brought up, I get the biggest **** eating grin on my face. It's simply called "Lofton over Durant" and it should be. I went and practiced that shot in my driveway 500 times that day trying to be like Chris Lofton. It's my favorite UT basketball moment. What's yours?
