Tennessee forward Jarnell Stokes (5) battles for a rebound in his NCAA basketball game against Florida in Knoxville in this Feb. 11, 2014, file photo.KNOXVILLE – Seven games remain before Tennessee heads to Atlanta for the SEC men’s basketball tournament the second week of March.
The Volunteers would help themselves by winning most if not all of them.
After losing at home to third-ranked Florida in Knoxville on Tuesday night, Tennessee has run out of opportunities for the kind of win that would solidify its NCAA tournament case, and aside from two games against Missouri, plays five games where a loss would be more damaging than a win would be beneficial.
Yet the Vols aren’t thinking that way.
“I feel pressure every game,” forward Jarnell Stokes said after scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the 67-58 loss to the Gators. “Going into every game I feel a lot of pressure. I can’t sleep at nights for games like this, and I also couldn’t sleep at night when we were playing against South Carolina, because I feel like my team needs me every game.