Mark WiedmerKNOXVILLE – It was about the time that Tennessee fifth-year senior Lew Evans threw down a thunder dunk in Saturday’s 70-58 victory over Kansas State that a question begged consideration:
Could these Volunteers still play their way into the NCAA tournament?
No, this isn’t a joke or a computer glitch. We write this in the moments following UT’s third straight home victory against an opponent that entered Thompson-Boling Arena with a winning record and exited with a loss.
And the Vols’ last two victims, No. 4 Kentucky and K-State, both have been ranked much of the season, though Kansas State’s purple Wildcats were just outside of the Top 25 this past week.
Nevertheless, let Tennessee merely win the games it will be favored to win going forward and it’s quite conceivable that the Big Orange – currently 12-9 overall and 4-4 within the Southeastern Conference – could enter the SEC tournament in Nashville with a 20-11 overall record and a 12-6 league mark.