Vols Not Deserving, Eaglettes Win

Neither University of Tennessee team, Men's or Women's, deserves the #2 regional rankings they received in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. While the Men exceeded expectations and definitely responded well under the new leadership of Bruce Pearl, their end of the season was not sufficient to warrant being placed above several teams that had better finales. As for the women, despite some missteps along the way, they rebounded convincingly with an SEC tournament championship (and this time, not close to home). They play the toughest schedule in the country, and are members of the toughest conference in the country. This is not to say that UNC or Duke are overrated, but they have easier in-conference schedules that UT, or LSU, or any of the other top-SEC schools. The Lady Vols definitely deserved a #1 bid.

On a happier note, congrats to my alma mater Tennessee Tech Golden Eaglettes on their victory last night over Belmont in the Women's NIT. They will next play Western Kentucky. I am very glad to see them back in postseason competition, and it good to see that the NCAA, in their takeover of the NIT, have found a way to award regular season conference champions (Tech won the OVC) for their hard work and success. Here's hoping the run is a long one.