Today On Rocky Top: Bruce Pearl Supportive Of Tennessee Basketball

Feb 8, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; A general view of Thompson-Boling Arena before the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and South Carolina Gamecocks. The Pat Summitt Plaza is located in the lower left. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

From WBIR

"The day after the Tennessee men’s basketball team suffered a disappointing loss to Texas A&M under third-year coach Cuonzo Martin, former coach Bruce Pearl arrived in Nashville sporting an orange-and-white shirt.Pearl was one of the featured speakers for the final day of SportsFest, a fan-friendly event at Music City Center hosted by 104.5-FM.“I’m still a former coach of the University of Tennessee,” Pearl said when questioned about his choice of colors. “That’s who I am, and I’m proud of that.”Now a college basketball analyst for ESPN, Pearl said he has no animosity toward the program that fired him three seasons ago in advance of impending NCAA penalties that rendered him unable to coach until the 2014-15 season.Pearl encouraged Vols fans to support Martin and the Tennessee team down the stretch, indicating that he still believes it is a team capable of making the field of 68 for the NCAA Tournament next month."

From The Tennessean

"Near misses are becoming all too common for Tennessee.After falling just short of the NCAA Tournament each of the past two years, Tennessee (16-11, 7-7 SEC) could fail to earn a bid again because of its inability to win close games.Tennessee enters tonight’s game at Mississippi State (13-14, 3-11) holding a 2-10 record in games with single-digit margins and an 0-5 mark in matchups decided by five points or fewer.The Vols, who have lost three of their past four overall, remain confident they can turn things around.“It’s not over,” Tennessee guard Jordan McRae said. “We’ve still got four games left. We’ve still got the (SEC) tournament. The season’s not over yet. The (NCAA) tournament could still happen.”"

From WBIR

"His nickname is Tiny, but Antonio Richardson is a big man with big aspirations.The Tennessee offensive tackle is so confident in his NFL Draftstock he sounds like a cross between Richard Sherman and Mel Kiper Jr.“I’m a first-rounder,” Richardson said at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last week. “I think I will be in the top 25. I plan on it being the case.”Draft analysts, however, don’t share his opinion.Most agree the 6-foot-6, 336-pounder, who played high school football at Ensworth before transferring to Pearl-Cohn, is a talented player with big potential. He proved that much for the Vols, starting 24 games in a row at left tackle and earning numerous All-SEC awards."