Today On Rocky Top: Martin’s Vols With Plenty Of Confidence & More News

February 10, 2013; Columbia, SC, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Cuonzo Martin directs his team against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second half at Colonial-Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

From The Times Free Press

"Reaching the NCAA tournament has become the minimum standard for Tennessee’s basketball program.The Volunteers’ two-year absence from college basketball’s premier event only adds to the pressure to make it this year, but neither third-year coach Cuonzo Martin nor his players seem to be sweating it.If they play how they should, the Vols believe, they’ll be in the Big Dance for the first time since former coach Bruce Pearl’s final season in 2011."

From WBIR

"The Georgia vs. Tennessee game held special meaning for a Chattanooga man.Doctors gave Ken Horton approximately two months to live after diagnosing him with stage IV inoperable pancreatic cancer.His final wish? To attend a UT football game.After the diagnosis, his sons stepped in.“We were just talking one night and I asked him what was on his bucket list, what he wanted to do before he died, and he wanted to see a Vols game. Always wanted to,” explained, Matt Horton, Ken’s son.Matt and his brother, Jacob Horton, turned to the internet. They hoped to raise $300 through FundRazr."

From The Tennessean

"Tennessee’s hopes of finishing the season in the NCAA Tournament could depend on whether it gets off to a faster start.Each of the past two years, Tennessee has come on strong down the stretch but failed to earn an NCAA bid because of its early season struggles. The Volunteers believe they have enough talent in place to avoid that fate this season.“That’s really what we’re trying to concentrate on this year,” senior guard Jordan McRae said. “We’re trying to start off way better and faster than we have in the past. That just goes to us as the seniors, to make sure we don’t get off to a slow start like we have in the past."

From Bleacher Report

"A sold-out Neyland Stadium rocked for more than four hours. Then, when an overtime classic ended so cruelly, so heart-wrenching for Tennessee, the portion of the 102,000-plus fans wearing orange left crushed.It may seem difficult for the Vols to feel anything besides pain after they took No. 6 Georgia to the brink before losing 34-31 in overtime, but they made more progress in this game than in the past four seasons combined.The outmanned Vols fought back from a 14-point second-half deficit. They converted three clutch fourth-down opportunities on their way to building a late lead. They foundplaymakers. They saw maligned junior quarterback Justin Worley take a huge developmental step. They played a rugged, SEC slugfest on national television."