KNOXVILLE – Tennessee didn’t win 20 games, lost 14 times and finished fifth in its own division this season.
Tennessee’s Melvin Goins (2) is helped to his feet by teammate Tennessee’s Jeronne Maymon (34) after being fouled on a three point shot during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011 in Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessee won 104-84. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)Yet in the midst of all of that, the Volunteers still managed to make a frustrating season a bit of an historic one.
“It’s making history,” senior forward Steven Pearl said after UT received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, the Vols’ sixth consecutive trip to the Big Dance. “We’ve made history every year I’ve been here, so that’s awesome. Six years in a row, no team at Tennessee’s done that.”
UT (19-14, 8-8 Southeastern Conference) received a No. 9 seed in the West Region and will face No. 8 seed Michigan (20-13, 9-9 Big Ten) on Friday at Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena. The winner would advance to play either No. 16-seeded Hampton or top-seeded Duke on Sunday.
“These Selection Sundays are special,” UT coach Bruce Pearl said. “They’re still special for me. I told the guys, ‘This is my 17th trip in 19 or 20 years. It still gives me chills and brings me to an emotional feeling when they call your name. Don’t take this opportunity for granted.’ I think [it’s special] getting there six times in a row with six different casts of characters, six different kinds of teams, six different styles of play.”