An Outside View Don’t say a word

Hush! Don’t say a word. The subject is taboo in the locker room. If a reporter asks the question, the coach bristles with irritation. He wants no talk of that around his players. He wants no distractions from the next opponent. But not talking about it doesn’t change a thing. The Tennessee Vols’ basketball team has made an impressive move and is at least on the NCAA postseason tournament radar screen. Just don’t tell Buzz Peterson. As unlikely as it may have seemed a few short months ago, this team has positioned itself to make a late-season push that could give Coach Buzz Peterson his first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. They have a long way to go but at 13-6 they’re beginning to get noticed. ESPN listed the Vols as one of the teams getting hot at the right time and a club to watch down the stretch. The men in orange have to take care of business but they control their own destiny. I would like to say I saw it coming but when the season started there were just too many questions. The Vols were trying to figure out how to replace Marcus Haislip and Vincent Yarbrough, two NBA draft picks from last year’s squad. They were wondering how Ron Slay would respond after missing most of last year with a knee injury. Could they find a true point guard after playing last season without one? Could any of the freshmen be counted on to step in and play at this level? Did this team have the character and leadership needed to bounce back from last season’s disappointments? There were questions galore. We’re just now getting answers. Ron Slay is back playing better than ever and has more than offset the points lost when Yarbrough graduated. Brandon Crump and Elgrace Wellborn have combined to help fill the void left in the middle by Haislip’s early departure to the NBA. And C.J. Watson has answered all of the questions about the point guard position and whether or not any of the freshmen could contribute in a meaningful way. As for character, Peterson is even amazed at his team’s heart. But now there is one more question. Does this team have what it takes to take it to the next level? It’s one thing to get noticed but quite another to get invited to the dance. These Vols have their dancing shoes on and don’t plan on sitting at home in March. Looking ahead, the Vols have a favorable schedule. They have four games remaining against Western Division teams and three of them (Alabama, LSU, and Mississippi State) are at home. Not exactly cupcakes but a couple of them are certainly potential wins. They must travel to Fayetteville to take on an improving Arkansas team as well. They also have four games left against Eastern Division foes but only one (Florida) will be in Knoxville and that one will be a real challenge. They face South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky on the road. They’ve already picked up big road wins at Auburn and Ole Miss so you have to figure they at least have a shot against the Gamecocks and Commodores as well as Western Division foe Arkansas. They may have to have wins against at least two of the three unless they can pull the unlikely upset against Florida or Kentucky. The bottom line is that a 5-3 finish would put the Vols at 18-9 and would make it hard on the NCAA to say no. A win or two in the SEC Tournament would then make them a virtual lock. If they split their last eight games, they will finish 17-10 and will need a good showing in the SEC Tournament to make it to the Big Show. Anything less than that and the Vols can look forward to the NIT, a less than satisfying consolation prize. For now, no one is talking about it. The players are looking at it one game at a time, knowing that a few more wins and the postseason will take care of itself. For them, that means one thing and one thing only – the NCAA Tournament. Just don’t say anything to Buzz.