Tennessee basketball should rest its starters vs. Arkansas
Spare me the principled reasons for Tennessee basketball to try to beat the Arkansas Razorbacks Saturday. I don’t need to hear about playing to win every game, sending the seniors off right on Senior Day, the chance the Vols technically have to win the SEC Regular Season Championship.
Even the pride of not getting swept by a team, given the fact that the Hogs beat them earlier in the year, or finishing the regular season undefeated at home isn’t enough. The fact of the matter is Rick Barnes’ team, ranked No. 13 in both polls, has nothing to gain from this game. As a result, they should rest their starters.
Tangibles are all that matters. Tennessee basketball lost any realistic shot at the regular season title when the Auburn Tigers beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs Wednesday. No matter what you think, Auburn isn’t losing at home to the South Carolina Gamecocks Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Vols, at 21-7 and 13-4 in league play, have already clinched a double-bye in the tournament. They are also going to be a top four or five seed in the NCAA Tournament. Losing to Arkansas, who is 23-6 and ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll and No. 15 in the Coaches Poll, will do nothing to hurt their standing.
Simply put, the Vols have nothing to play for Saturday. Playing for a No. 2 seed as opposed to a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament or playing for a higher seed in the SEC Tournament if you’ve already clinched all the byes you can is irrelevant. Seeding is the most overrated thing ever if it doesn’t come with a bye or home court advantage.
If you want to start John Fulkerson to give him the proper sendoff, that’s fine, but pull him early. UT’s focus should now be on the postseason and the postseason alone, as that’s where they still have things to play for. Remember last year? Fulky got hurt in the SEC Tournament, and UT didn’t win another game.
An injury this year would prove devastating, as Olivier Nkamhoua is already out for the season. Why risk it on a game that will do absolutely nothing? Basketball is about goals: Regular season championships, tournament championships and deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. This game has no impact on any of that.
Honestly, the Vols are red-hot right now, so they could use a loss before postseason play. The law of averages would then probably work back in Tennessee basketball’s favor, and yes, in this sport, that law makes sense. It also makes even more sense for a team Barnes coaches.
The only legitimate case to make for the Vols playing their starters Saturday is the fact that a ton of elite high school football juniors are going to be on hand this weekend. If Barnes cares to help Tennessee football and Josh Heupel on the trail, he’ll want to try to win this game.
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However, his job is to do what’s best specifically for Tennessee basketball. With nothing to gain and potential injuries that could prove costly for the postseason, Barnes should give everybody a rest. That way they’ll have fresh legs entering the postseason, and that’s worth more than another quality win. They already have enough of those.