Despite loss, Tennessee's still a No. 1 seed
Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 9:05 PM
Filed Under:
SEC
Two quick thoughts on Tennessee’s loss to Vandy, with more to come in the morning.
The Vols are still a No. 1 seed, no doubt.
This piece from the Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy was published before Tuesday’s game, but it spells out the top-seed situation fairly well. The short version is the Vols (25-3) are atop the RPI, are 8-2 against the RPI top 50 and are the only team to beat Memphis.
The only team with a comparable résumé is Texas, which is 10-3 against the RPI top 50, with wins against Tennessee, UCLA and Kansas. The Vols do need to keep winning, though, and Sunday against Kentucky won’t be a cakewalk.
Second, Tennessee’s scrappy style – played to perfection against Memphis – does have its flaws. The Vols were good on defense, but didn’t suffocate Vandy’s Shan Foster on the perimeter, which resulted in Foster hitting 9-of-13 shots for 32 points (1.76 PPWS!). And the offense was only bailed out by Chris Lofton’s hot shooting. He hit 7-of-18 field-goal attempts (the 1.17 PPWS isn’t amazing as he cooled off in the 2nd half); everyone else was 13-of-43. The Vols really need a point guard.
Now, where does Vandy fit in with the rest of the title contenders? More to come tomorrow.
In the meantime, cast your vote for the new No. 1 team here.
Also, the silly numbers from Vandy’s win:
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The Vols have played hoops for 99 seasons, but this was their first week at No. 1. Probably the last, too.
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It’s the seventh time in the last eight games No. 2 has beaten No. 1. The lone exception was Duke in 2005 against Texas.
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It was the 7th time the Commodores have beaten a No. 1 team, the most from a school that’s never been No. 1 itself. It's also their fourth straight home win against a top-ranked foe.
