Volunteer Notes

For the second straight year under head basketball coach Cuonzo Martin, the Vols have been left out of the NCAA tournament.  The Vol snub is an insult to the SEC as a conference, which only got three teams invited to the tournament.  It also represents the selection committee’s bias toward small conference teams as all four of the last openings went for mid majors and against power conferences.  The selection committee’s decision also goes against their slated criteria.  For years, they have been telling teams to schedule harder, yet Tennessee was left out despite a substantially harder schedule than several put in before them.  The snub also puts the Vols in a difficult situation concerning an NIT bid.  Due to Thompson-Boling Arena being a women’s NCAA tournament venue, the Vols will have to go on the road early in the NIT, adding insult to injury.

The Vol football team experienced brighter times this past week as spring practice kicked into gear and commitments rolled in.  Jalen Hurd, one of the top running backs in the nation, decided to be a Vol as did running back Treyvon Paulk and wide receiver Neiko Creamer.  The Vols are one of the hottest teams on the recruiting trail, and fans should look for the trend of commitments to continue.  Simply put, Butch Jones gets it.