Tennessee guard Josh Richardson (1) celebrates after the second half of an NCAA college basketball third-round tournament game against Mercer on Sunday, March 23, 2014, in Raleigh. Tennessee Won 83-63.KNOXVILLE – What a difference a few weeks and some NCAA tournament wins can make.
When Tennessee’s basketball Volunteers returned to Knoxville following Sunday night’s Sweet 16-clinching win in Raleigh, it was greeted by a crowd, mostly students, of more than 100 at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Go back a few weeks, though, when the Volunteers were scuffling, and any crowd awaiting the team probably would have been an angry mob.
It’s a little bit different now that Tennessee is preparing to play a Sweet 16 game against Michigan in Indianapolis on Friday.
“Campus is buzzing,” guard Josh Richardson said before Tuesday’s practice. “I’d say pretty much everywhere we go we’re getting high-fives and pats on the back, and it’s nice to know you have a big support system behind you here.”