Is this the best Tennessee basketball team ever?

[SweetDaddy]

Best UT team ever? Not yet but it has a damn good chance to be.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

The 1916 Vols went undefeated. The Vols ended their season on a 5 day tour of Kentucky playing a game each day. That road trip included a 28-17 thrashing of Kentucky and an easy 25-20 win over Louisville. We were widely regarded as the best team in the mid-Appalachian area.

The Elmer & Chester Show was really unappreciated. Had the bottom of the peach baskets been removed, more of Chester's 360 windmill dunks wouldn't have been wiped off by Mugsy Shows. Plus, they wouldn't stop the game clock when setting up the ladder to retrieve the ball after Elmer's silky, smooth finger rolls.

 

[golfballs]

Tennessee is ranked 5th in KenPom, their highest ever ranking fwiw

I think we may have hit 5th at some point during the ‘08 season but he wasn’t snapshotting his rankings then.

 

[tn4elvis]

Who could?

Bernard is Tennessee's GOAT. If not for the injuries, he may have been the GOAT, period.

Totally agree. He was unstoppable.

 

[VolTexas]

Totally agree. He was unstoppable.

Averaged a double-double for his time here.

 

[tn4elvis]

Averaged a double-double for his time here.

Yeah he was MJ before MJ.

 

[wmcovol]

Best team, yes but not most talented. Jerry Green had sick talent on his teams but didn’t do much with it.

 

[RavinDave]

Best ever and I've seen most of them in the modern era. Bernard is the single greatest player I've ever seen, but we are watching the best team, and at 71 you can say I've been watching for a while now...

Yeah, I'm "only" 64 (next week), and I agree 100% with your take.

 

[IPleadInsanity]

Yeah, I'm "only" 64 (next week), and I agree 100% with your take.

I have always thought the 66 team was the best UT team I ever saw play until this year, from the aspect of team basketball. Red Robbins, Ron Widby, Tom Boerwinkle and my favorite Howard Pain Bayne. They would have been a great NCAA team in a 64 team bracket. Their NCAA game was the final season game with probably the greatest UK team EVER who came to Knoxville undefeated and left 26-1. This years team is more talented and much deeper.

 

[Dr H Lecter]

I have always thought the 66 team was the best UT team I ever saw play until this year, from the aspect of team basketball. Red Robbins, Ron Widby, Tom Boerwinkle and my favorite Howard Pain Bayne. They would have been a great NCAA team in a 64 team bracket. Their NCAA game was the final season game with probably the greatest UK team EVER who came to Knoxville undefeated and left 26-1. This years team is more talented and much deeper.

I actually like the ‘67 team better that than the ‘66. I like this years addition better too. And Bain was my fav until this year.

 

[Sudden Impact]

Ernie and Bernie Show days were always entertaining....This team has depth and talent which will be remembered for years to come...

 

[Sudden Impact]

It wasnt just Ernie and Bernie on that 77 squad. Don't forget that!

Darden, was like a wizard with the ball....There was no 3 point shot at the time...
Ashcroft, Clark, Jackson.

 

[RavinDave]

I have always thought the 66 team was the best UT team I ever saw play until this year, from the aspect of team basketball. Red Robbins, Ron Widby, Tom Boerwinkle and my favorite Howard Pain Bayne. They would have been a great NCAA team in a 64 team bracket. Their NCAA game was the final season game with probably the greatest UK team EVER who came to Knoxville undefeated and left 26-1. This years team is more talented and much deeper.

When I got my first transistor radio, as a kid in South Knoxville, and started tuning in to the Vols Radio Network and the legendary play-by-play from John Ward, the earliest team I remember was the one that had Ron Widby, Tom Boerwinkle, Tom Hendrix, Bill Justus and Billy Hahn as the starting five. I loved the Ernie & Bernie show too, which coincided with my time on campus. And though I haven't always followed Vols basketball as closely as I do now, I always thought that that earlier team (was it '67/68?) was the best Vols hoop squad in my time as a fan, until this year.

 

[IPleadInsanity]

When I got my first transistor radio, as a kid in South Knoxville, and started tuning in to the Vols Radio Network and the legendary play-by-play from John Ward, the earliest team I remember was the one that had Ron Widby, Tom Boerwinkle, Tom Hendrix, Bill Justus and Billy Hahn as the starting five. I loved the Ernie & Bernie show too, which coincided with my time on campus. And though I haven't always followed Vols basketball as closely as I do now, I always thought that that earlier team (was it '67/68?) was the best Vols hoop squad in my time as a fan, until this year.

I think you are correct on the year. I believe thats the year they won the SEC and went to the NCAA and lost the 1st game to Dayton. Played in the consolation game and beat Indiana if I remember correctly. All the teams of this era were strong.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Darden, was like a wizard with the ball....There was no 3 point shot at the time...
Ashcroft, Clark, Jackson.

Doug "Ashworth" was the center for the first couple of years of the E&B Show (Reggie Johnson in the 3rd). Bobby "Croft's" final season was around 1970 (another Canadian center BTW). He might have been in the class between Billy Justus and Jimmy England/Don Johnson.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

When I got my first transistor radio, as a kid in South Knoxville, and started tuning in to the Vols Radio Network and the legendary play-by-play from John Ward, the earliest team I remember was the one that had Ron Widby, Tom Boerwinkle, Tom Hendrix, Bill Justus and Billy Hahn as the starting five. I loved the Ernie & Bernie show too, which coincided with my time on campus. And though I haven't always followed Vols basketball as closely as I do now, I always thought that that earlier team (was it '67/68?) was the best Vols hoop squad in my time as a fan, until this year.

Did Billy Hahn start or was Danny Shultz still around?

 

[RavinDave]

Did Billy Hahn start or was Danny Shultz still around?

I believe Hahn was a starter, at least for a time, unless I am mis-remembering...

 

[Dr H Lecter]

Hann was a soph the 66-67 year I think. He could handle the ball.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

I believe Hahn was a starter, at least for a time, unless I am mis-remembering...

Probably so. Danny Schultz was several years earlier. 1962-63 and 1963-64. He was one of CRM's favorite players. He later had the Chevrolet dealership in Lenoir City and had some big scam/scandal that he got into legal trouble over.

 

[Samatwing]

This team beats any of the Pearl teams IMO.

 

[arkyvol]

I went to U.T. in the age of Aquarius. Its the best I can remember.

 

[BDP!]

Honestly I can’t think of another Tennessee team that could’ve beat a good sec team by 20 while getting 4 points from their best player.

It’s the best team in my 50 years.

 

[alaVOL]

Would be fun, King would win. Still the best player to ever play for Tennessee, and it isn't that close.

Scoring machine. So True.

 

[calban]

It’s the best team in my 50 years.

Mine also.

 

[spyfish007]

The last 7 games of the regular season are going to provide a huge clue to the answer to this question. NCAA will be the final judge. They certainly look the part.