Today On Rocky Top: Vols Keep Falling Short

Jan 15, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Jarnell Stokes (5) shoots the ball over Auburn Tigers center Asauhn Dixon-Tatum (0) during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tennessee won 78- 67. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

From the Times Free Press

"The late Tennessee basketball coach Ray Mears once said of a particularly frustrating player, “He’s just good enough to get you beat.”Six decades later, one must begin to wonder if the current Volunteers team doesn’t mirror that remark.Saturday afternoon inside Rupp Arena, Kentucky coach John Calipari said, “That’s a good team. Tennessee is not going to lose many in our league. They’re really physical.”He quickly added, “I’m just happy we don’t have to see them again until tournament time possibly, and I hope we don’t see them there.”Yet it was UK, not UT that won, the Wildcats prevailing 74-66 after rallying from a nine-point deficit less than eight minutes into the opening half."

From The Tennessean

"Tennessee was determined not to let No. 13 Kentucky have its way inside.Instead, the Volunteers gave up the outside and paid for it in a hard-fought 74-66 loss to the Wildcats on Saturday.Tennessee (11-6, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) allowed Kentucky to make seven of 16 from 3-point range. The Vols also allowed Wildcats freshman point guard Andrew Harrison to take charge in the second half as he scored 16 of his 26 points in the final 20 minutes."

From Bleacher Report

"With his 2014 recruiting class virtually full, Tennessee coach Butch Jones has the luxury of narrowing his staff’s attention on a few major targets and expanding their focus toward the future.That’s a crucial step that can’t be undersold at this stage of the rebuilding process.Already, the Vols have 34 verbal commitments three weeks before national signing day in what is shaping up to be a huge, deep and talented class. Getting most of it completed early has helped Jones catch up on other, more established programs that were years ahead of them in cultivating relationships with future prospects."