Tennessee basketball always returns strong after first-round loss in this case

Last weekend wasn’t the first time Tennessee basketball suffered a first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament, but it was the first time in 10 years and the first time under Rick Barnes. It was only the seventh time they lost in the first round in school history.

Since the tournament expanded to the Round of 64, back in 1985, the Vols have lost in that round five times. However, losing in the first round can actually be a good omen for Rocky Top the next year. It all depends on one thing: if that head coach returns.

Four of Tennessee basketball’s first-round losses came in a head coach’s final year with the program: Ray Mears in 1977, Don DeVoe in 1989, Jerry Green in 2001 and Bruce Pearl in 2010. They had a losing record the following year three of those four times and made the NIT the other time, back in 2011-2012 with Cuonzo Martin.

However, in the three times that they returned their coach after losing in the first round, they made history. They lost in the first round under Mears in 1976 and then won the SEC Regular Season Championship in 1976-1977. That was during the Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld years.

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Exactly 20 years later, in 1997-1998, they lost in the first round of the Big Dance Jerry Green’s first year. A year later, they finished ranked in the AP Poll for the first time since 1981 and won their first SEC East title during the time the conference had two divisions in basketball.

Bruce Pearl didn’t lose in the first round as Tennessee basketball’s head coach until his fourth year on the job. One year later, he led the Vols to their first Elite Eight in school history, one that remains their only Elite Eight, and they came within one point of reaching the Final Four.

See the pattern? If UT loses in the first round of the tournament, it always bounces back in a huge way the next year as long as the head coach returns. Right now, it appears as if Barnes will return for his seventh season on the job. That suggests that big things could be ahead.

Now, to be fair, the Vols have lost their first game in the tournament another time, although it wasn’t the first round. Back in 1967, they lost to the Dayton Flyers in the second round, but it was their first game, as they had a bye. To meet this criteria, it either has to be a first round game or a Round of 64 game.

Sure, Tennessee basketball’s season was disappointing this past year. Losing to the No. 12 seed Oregon State Beavers as a No. 5 seed and finishing the year 18-9 leaves a lot to be desired. However, history is on their side to have a major bounce-back year provided Barnes comes back.