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Can Tennessee Vols Continue to Reverse SEC Tournament Fortunes?

By Caleb Calhoun

Mar 1, 2017; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes (middle) looks on during a time out during the first half at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. LSU Tigers defeat the Tennessee Volunteers 92-82. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 1, 2017; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes (middle) looks on during a time out during the first half at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. LSU Tigers defeat the Tennessee Volunteers 92-82. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee Basketball has been reversing its fortunes in the Men’s SEC Tournament in recent years. Can the Volunteers continue that trend this year?

Beginning in the 1990s, the Tennessee Vols developed a reputation for an SEC Tournament curse. Even their best teams would flame out quickly in the tournament.

From 1992 through 2007, they never made it to Saturday in the tournament. That happened despite the fact that they had first-round byes four of those times, meaning their first game was already on a Friday.

Even when they broke that streak, the year was 2008, and that was the best Tennessee basketball team in history. They lost that Saturday anyway to the unranked Arkansas Razorbacks three weeks after being No. 1, by the way.

But to their credit, they have since changed their fortunes in the SEC Tournament slowly but surely.

The Vols made it to the championship game the next year and to Saturday in 2011.

They began suffering quick flame-outs again with Cuonzo Martin, but they made it to Saturday in 2014.

Then came last year.

Rick Barnes’s first Tennessee basketball team finished the regular season with a 13-18 record but managed to go on a ridiculous run in the tournament.

They won the first game over the Auburn Tigers and then shocked the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville the next day.

Sure, that only took them to Friday, but on Friday, the LSU Tigers needed everything they had to put the Vols away.

This is a better Tennessee basketball team with a decent enough draw to surprise some people.

And while Rick Barnes has not been great in conference tournaments himself, he did post a 22-17 Big 12 Tournament record with the Texas Longhorns.

Also, he did win a conference tournament championship while with the Providence Friars.

So he’s seen success in them. And with Tennessee knocking on the door and talented enough to win a couple of games, anything could happen.

The Vols’ draw in the SEC Tournament requires them only to win two games, and they’ll be on the NCAA Tournament bubble right after that given their strength of schedule.

It’s not crazy to think that’s impossible, even if the Kentucky Wildcats are the second game.

Tennessee basketball has been slowly reversing its SEC Tournament curse over the past decade. Maybe this year, they can break through in this biggest way to do it.

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