Tennessee Vols Top 30 Memorable Moments of the Adidas Era

Mar 23, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Antonio Barton (2) and head coach Cuonzo Martin celebrates after beating the Mercer Bears in a men

26. Men’s Basketball Reaches the Sweet Sixteen in 2014

Like almost every high events in Tennessee basketball, you can’t name it without a little bit of a bitter taste in your mouth. This one provided the worst of mixed emotions, but after the Tennessee Volunteers had beaten Iowa in the play-in game, UMASS in the first round, and then Mercer to get to the Sweet Sixteen, the fan base was on a high and more united than ever.

Just weeks before, Vols fans were calling for head coach Cuonzo Martin’s head at the time and begging Dave Hart to bring back Bruce Pearl. There was even a petition. But then, finally, Martin’s system took shape and the Vols started winning. A lot. Martin had done enough to keep his job.

And then Pearl got hired at Auburn, so Vol Nation got on board with Martin. Then he took Tennessee to the Sweet Sixteen, and a petition followed with an apology letter.

Fans were on a high about the type of program Martin was running, and that is what makes this one of the high moments of the Adidas era. There was no reason to believe the program was going anywhere. But the turmoil was too much.

Martin bolted right after the tournament ended for Cal, and Tennessee was left finding a new coach. It took the perfect storm to leave Tennessee basketball in the worst possible position it could be in. But just before that happened, there was a very happy fan base when the Vols made the Sweet Sixteen.

Next: #25: 2000 Men's Basketball Sweet Sixteen Appearance