Tennessee head coach Cuonzo MartinBIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A select panel of SEC and national media members picked Tennessee to finish third in the Southeastern Conference in men’s basketball, just behind Kentucky and Florida. The Volunteers got one first-place vote among the 27 voters.
If that was in any way upsetting to third-year UT coach Cuonzo Martin, he didn’t show it during his stint at the SEC’s media event Thursday morning.
“We just have to be the best team we can be,” Martin said. “I don’t worry about the polls and stuff like that. If we’re successful in our approach, winning games will take care of itself.”
The coach believes staying healthy would help as well. Poised to have a big year last season — “I told you last year I thought they’d be the best team in our league, and they might have been if [Jeronne] Maymon hadn’t gotten hurt,” said Florida coach Billy Donovan, whose Gators won the regular-season title — the Vols finished 11-7 in conference play and 20-13 overall despite Maymon never playing a minute.
“We’ve got competitive practices; we’ve got healthy bodies. That helps,” Martin said. “Right now our guys are practicing like they understand what it takes to be successful.”