Vols Basketball: Why Vol Fans Should Buy In This Season

The Vols are defying expectations this season early on, and the team deserves some support despite the troubles surrounding them. PHOTO: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

The Tennessee men’s basketball team has been surrounded by a cloud of uncertainty from the outset of the 2014-15 season thanks to an ongoing NCAA investigation into current Tennessee head coach Donnie Tyndall for alleged violations committed while he was head coach at Southern Miss. Because of this, Vol fans have been cautious to form an attachment not only to Tyndall, but also to the team as a whole.

Fans have called in to local radio shows voicing their hesitation to buy in to the team, and it has shown in the first three home games of the season. The Vols are only averaging a little over 13,800 fans a game at Thompson-Boling Arena, maxing out at 14,111 against Kansas State on December 6th. And if you’ve been at those games, you have to admit the attendance didn’t even look close to those numbers.

To put that in perspective, Thompson-Boling Arena can hold 21,678 fans. That means the Vols aren’t even averaging two-thirds capacity through three home games, and that’s assuming those numbers are accurate to begin with. The first three home games have faintly brought back memories of the dreaded black curtain that hid much of the upper deck during the early 2000’s.

And those games have come against solid competition as well. Texas Southern may be down this year, but they made the NCAA Tournament last season, and Kansas State made it last season as well and could potentially make the Tournament this year. And Butler came into Knoxville ranked No. 15 in the country with quality wins over North Carolina and Georgetown.

Not only has the competition been good in the first three home games, but the Vols have won all three games, knocking off No. 15 Butler 67-55 Sunday afternoon, rallying from a 12-point deficit to earn the first signature victory for the Donnie Tyndall era (however long it may be).

The win pushed the Vols to 4-3, and that’s about as good as even the most optimistic fans could have expected this early. And the Vols aren’t losing to bad teams; all three of Tennessee’s losses have come against quality opponents. The Vols have lost by 16 to No. 15 VCU, by 15 to No. 11 Kansas, and by 8 to a Marquette squad who could make a run to the postseason as well.

So why should fans buy in to a program that has a head coach under the NCAA’s microscope and the team itself is barely above .500?

Because of the players.

If Vol fans feel uncomfortable becoming attached to head coach Donnie Tyndall, they should not let that prevent them from supporting the team. The 2014-15 Vols feature a cast of unknown players, and even senior guard Josh Richardson is relatively unknown after serving as the third and sometimes fourth scoring option the last two seasons. But Richardson has embraced the leadership role thrust upon him, leading the team in scoring with 16 points a game and chipping in 4.5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.3 steals, and a block a game.

But Richardson isn’t the only one who has stepped up his game. Fellow guard Armani Moore is having a great start to the season, averaging career-highs in minutes per game (27.5), points (11), assists (2), blocks (1.5), steals (1.2), and leads the team with 6.7 rebounds a game.

Newcomers Kevin Punter, Detrick Mostella, and Willie Carmichael have also contributed in a big way to the team’s early success, showing why there were some of the higher ranked players in the quickly-constructed recruiting class heading into this season.

But the biggest reason why fans should support the players and the team has to do with the product on the court. The Vols are actually entertaining to watch this season, both on offense and defense. The Vols move a lot more on offense under Tyndall and have only scored below 60 points once so far this season, something that happened 21 times under head coach Cuonzo Martin.

The Vols are also playing more up-tempo on defense, pressing more often and forcing traps that harken back to a certain beloved coach from the mid-to-late 2000’s. Tennessee is averaging 8 steals a game and are forcing 15.4 turnovers a game, including a season-high 22 against Kansas State.

Tennessee may not compete for the SEC crown this season, but this team has a chance to surprise its doubters and win many more games than they are predicted to. Even in their losses, the Vols have at least been entertaining to watch, providing reason for optimism for a young, thrown-together bunch.

If you, as a fan, don’t want to buy in to Donnie Tyndall for fear of becoming attached to a head coach who will be ousted after only one season, that’s understandable. But the players deserve support because even in these trying circumstances, this inexperienced group is showing some gutsy resolve in their early season performance. The SEC is still down as a conference, providing the Vols with a ripe opportunity to climb the conference rankings as the season progresses.

And with more fan support providing a more hostile home environment, who knows what might happen?