Importance of the Vanderbilt Game

**hatvol96** · 01-10-2007, 01:40 AM

A good rule of thumb for having a successful conference season in basketball is: Win your home games, split your road games. That makes tomorrow night's game, in my eyes, one of the key games of the season. There are three road games, Florida, Kentucky, and Arkansas that I am counting as probable losses. Therefore, to get 4 conference road wins, UT must win 4 of the remaining 5. Auburn should be an easy victory. Of the other 4, I think Vanderbilt is the game next in line of probability of a Vol win. If you let the game tomorrow night get away, it becomes difficult to see UT playing .500 ball on the road. That won't doom the season entirely, but it will eliminate UT from contention for a conference title in short order.

**orange+white=heaven** · 01-10-2007, 07:57 AM

nice assessment.

utfantilidie · 01-10-2007, 08:45 AM

Huge game.I think we have a shot at Kentucky and Florida as well,just not as a good a shot than we do at Vandy.I agree that we MUST split on the road and WIN nearly 100% at home.

bigdaddy · 01-10-2007, 09:02 AM

Is there really an advantage in finishing first in the east for the regular season. It didn't do us any good in the tourney (sec) last season. It might have got us a 2 in the NCAA in retrospect. I agree that we need to do well for the sake of having a good record and beating some quality teams, son't get me worng. It will help out RPI and all that but does it really help us in the long run to have a day off in the SEC tourney? Just a thought here from looking at last years tourney. I still see us at 9-7/10-6 right now in the sec.

cotton · 01-10-2007, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigdaddy

Is there really an advantage in finishing first in the east for the regular season. It didn't do us any good in the tourney (sec) last season.

Yes, it does. It would put us in opposite brackets of both of the power teams in the conference (LSU and Florida, probably.) And by the semifinals of the tourney, the teams that have had that extra day of rest have a significant advantage. Has anyone ever won the thing after playing on the first day?

Arclight · 01-10-2007, 09:41 AM

Wish it was on television. :(

bigdaddy · 01-10-2007, 09:52 AM

I dont know if anyone has one the thing after starting ofn the first day. That is a good question. I just wonder if it is any help to us in the NCAA tourney. I coould give us a one or two spot but we got that anyway without winning the SEC tourney and having a poor showing. Winning the east regular season is great but does it really get us anything? I think that our RPI is most important then the SEC tourney. But yes, wins on the road will help the RPI and that will help us in the SEC tourney and that will help us in the NCAA-so I guess my point is moot.

DrRosenRosen · 01-10-2007, 09:56 AM

Winning the conference is cool and all, but I'm more interested in the NCAA tournament. Everyone knows conference champs are teams that got hot during championship week. No great glory in that like in football. I don't think winning the SEC does much of anything for our seeding at that point. Conference tournaments usually aren't deciding the top 4 or 5 seeds...more the bubble teams.

Still, I hope we win tonight. I'd like to win them all.

ukvols · 01-10-2007, 10:27 AM

A team has played on the first day and won the tournament at least a couple of times recently. Arkansas did it a few years ago to nab an NCAA bid. I'm not sure who the other team was. Of course, South Carolina came within a basket of pulling off the feat last year. More often than not, of course, the teams that play on Thursday are gone before Sunday.

**hatvol96** · 01-10-2007, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cotton

Yes, it does. It would put us in opposite brackets of both of the power teams in the conference (LSU and Florida, probably.) And by the semifinals of the tourney, the teams that have had that extra day of rest have a significant advantage. Has anyone ever won the thing after playing on the first day?

Arkansas did it once in Atlanta.

UT IE 95 · 01-10-2007, 12:14 PM

Based on talent and coaching, is UK that much better than Vandy? I'm a little surprised hat put UK on the probable road loss list. I agree that tonight is important, but really think UK only has homecourt advantages and no real team advantage over the Vols (morris is all hype in my opinion - not a real game changer).

DrRosenRosen · 01-10-2007, 12:15 PM

UK is sorry right now.

DowntownVol · 01-10-2007, 12:16 PM

I'd take 10-6 in the conference right now, a 22-9 overall record (assuming a loss to tOSU) going into the SEC tournament, and a 4-6 seed in the Dance right now, and be very happy with it. There's a minefield of loseable games in the conference schedule. (both Florida games, Arkansas, Alabama, LSU, the away Kentucky game, the away Georgia game, Vandy tonight isn't exactly a lock, we had to come back from 16 down to beat them in Nashville last year.)

I do agree with Hat, though, tonight is a huge game. A 5-0 conference start is not out of the question. (after Vandy, we've got Auburn on the road, South Carolina at home, Ole Miss on the road - all very winnable games.) Taking a 17-3 team to Rupp Arena on January 28th is pretty big-time, gang.

**hatvol96** · 01-10-2007, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UT IE 95

Based on talent and coaching, is UK that much better than Vandy? I'm a little surprised hat put UK on the probable road loss list. I agree that tonight is important, but really think UK only has homecourt advantages and no real team advantage over the Vols (morris is all hype in my opinion - not a real game changer).

Tubby Smith=Top 20 coach with a National Title.
Kevin Stallings=Professional idiot with losses to Furman and Appalachian State this year.
You make the call.

Fine Vol · 01-10-2007, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hatvol96

Arkansas did it once in Atlanta.

What happened to Arky they used to be one of the elite?