Will History Affect Them?
This year’s Tennessee team has made a lot of positive history. Whether it’s their 19-game winning streak earlier this season or their reign atop the polls for four-straight weeks, this UT squad has done things no other Tennessee men’s basketball team has ever done.
But will this year’s team succumb to the program’s negative history when it comes to the NCAA Tournament?
For as storied of a program in men’s hoops as Tennessee is, they’ve never really had a lot of success in March. The Vols haven’t won the SEC Tournament since 1979, and they’ve never advanced to the Final Four even once in the NCAA Tournament. In fact, Tennessee only has one Elite Eight appearance in the school’s history, and that came back in 2010. Head coach Rick Barnes himself hasn’t made it past the Sweet Sixteen since 2008.
Not only that, but Tennessee doesn’t have a strong history as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, either. The Vols are just 3-2 all-time as a two-seed, making it to only the second round in 2006 and getting blown out in the Sweet Sixteen in 2008.
At times this season, the moment has seemed a little big for this team. It seemed too much for them in Lexington, too much for them in the regular season finale against Auburn, and too much for them in the SEC Tournament Finals. Now, it may be unfair to paint those losses in that light, and that’s certainly debatable. But it’s definitely a narrative that’s around this team from some factions of the fan base.
Will the moment prove to be too large for this team in the NCAA Tournament? Or will they be able to keep the past behind them as they advance into the tournament?
