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Tennessee basketball: Ranking Vols finish to every season in 2010s decade

By Caleb Calhoun

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 09: Jordan Bowden #23 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs 76-73. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 09: Jordan Bowden #23 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs 76-73. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images /

4. 2013-2014

24-13 (11-7)

NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen; No. 23 Coaches

Three years after the Bruce Pearl saga, Cuonzo Martin’s program finally came together. And it only made for more distractions that consistently set back Tennessee basketball’s season, this time self-inflicted by the fans.

After two straight NIT seasons, this was the year everybody expected Martin to finally come through. He once again had everybody important back, Jeronne Maymon returned to health, and five-star Robert Hubbs III committed. A couple of early losses to the Xavier Muskateers and UTEP Miners raised some questions, but then things got hurt.

Maymon was trying to get back into basketball shape, and Hubbs then suffered a season-ending injury. So that set back Martin again, and he suffered other losses to the Wichita State Shockers and N.C. State Wolfpack. SEC play began, and these guys started 16-11 and 7-7 in league play.

So once again, they were looking to make the NIT. Against this backdrop, Pearl’s three-year show cause was about to end. That resulted in a petition signed by thousands of fans called for Dave Hart to fire Martin and bring back Pearl. Instead, the Auburn Tigers immediately hired Pearl.

How did Martin respond? His team won four straight games to end the regular season and won a  game in the SEC Tournament, securing an NCAA Tournament play-in bid with a 21-12 record. Then they beat the Iowa Hawkeyes in overtime to open the tournament before beating the UMASS Minutmen and Mercer Bears to reach the Sweet Sixteen.

A terrible charging call cost the Vols an Elite Eight bid in a two-point loss to the Michigan Wolverines. But it was a strong finish to a rocky season. Still, the turmoil resulted in Martin deciding to leave for the Cal Golden Bears, and Rocky Top got stuck with Donnie Tyndall.

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