KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A sixth straight NCAA tournament bid would mean as much to Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl as the run the Volunteers made last season to the regional finals.
Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl yells to his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri State in Knoxville. Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive has suspended Pearl for the Volunteers’ first eight conference games as punishment for violating NCAA rules and misleading investigators. (AP File Photo/Wade Payne, File)The problem is, the Vols may not have done enough recently to convince the NCAA selection committee they deserve a spot in the tournament this season.
“I know if we continue to win we help ourselves, and if we don’t you put yourself in a position where you leave it to chance, and you just don’t want to leave it to chance,” Pearl said.
Tennessee’s trip to the NCAA regional finals last season was the first in program history, and a sixth consecutive trip to the big dance would also be a first. Coach Don DeVoe led Tennessee to the tournament five years in a row from 1979-83.
“For me, going to the tournament six years in a row would probably mean as much to me as our first Elite Eight appearance a year ago,” Pearl said. “That’s winning three games. Going to the NCAA tournament – if we can – six years in a row to me speaks about our program and the consistency.”