My picks for the Final Four (revisited)

Now that we know what teams will be in the Final Four, it is time to compare them to the teams I originally picked back on March 13. Back then, I picked Kentucky, Ohio State, Missouri and Kansas. Despite all the bracket-busting upsets, I think I did well.

Three of my picks made the Final Four (Kentucky, Ohio State and Kansas). Missouri's upset back in the second round destroyed that bracket for me, but I did pretty well every place else. So, if somebody followed my picks and bet their life savings on it, they are sitting pretty right now. If a person did not listen to me...well, maybe they will listen next time. By the way, I do not advocate gambling. I only advocate listening to me when I make picks.

I like Kentucky to win the title, but their semi-final game against Louisville should be exciting.

Backing Pat Summitt

As the basketball season winds down, there has been much speculation about whether this will be Pat Summitt’s last season as head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team.

A couple of weeks ago, some members of the media made it sound like a foregone conclusion that she would be stepping down. Summitt recently said that she has not given it much thought, and her immediate goal was to get her team ready to compete for another national championship.

Of course, the reason for this speculation is her health. Prior to the start of the season, she revealed she has been diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type. Since then, her approach to coaching the team has shifted with her assistant coaches taking additional responsibilities.

Still, coaching a high-level program like Tennessee’s is extremely stressful even if responsibilities get shared more. Because of this, there has been great concern about its impact on her condition. Summitt’s interaction with the media has been greatly reduced so it is difficult to get a close look at her on a day-to-day basis.

The season itself has been something of a rollercoaster. After starting strong, her team wavered and was, at times, frustratingly inconsistent. The team uncharacteristically lost eight games during the regular season before getting it together and winning the Southeastern Conference tournament.

This inconsistency led many to speculate whether this new approach was good for the program. What it really demonstrated was just how high Summitt has set the level of excellence.

As I write this, the team is 26-8, which is a record that many programs would love to have. Despite the inconsistency of the regular season, the team played good enough to earn a number two seed in the NCAA tournament. Considering the circumstances, this should be described as remarkable. However, when a coach wins eight national championships, the expectations of everybody become almost unreasonable and any dip is interpreted as decay.

While there is a lot of interest in this situation, Summitt should be the one who gets to call her shot regarding if or when she will step down. The decision should not come from the media or the fans or the university administration. She has contributed too much to the University of Tennessee for this decision to be treated any other way.

Despite the ups and downs of the school (both athletically and academically), Summitt has been a rock. She has been a constant source of integrity. She has been loyal almost to a fault and has influenced a generation of young people (both female and male) in important ways.

When it comes to athletics, people like her do not come along every day. In an age where we see new scandals constantly, she has run a program above reproach. Schools like Ohio State, Miami, and USC would kill for a coach who could bring such integrity to their schools.

She has single-handedly built her program out of the dirt. Many people can coach, but not many can be creators in the way she has been. She has been a visionary not only in developing her program at Tennessee but for women’s sports in general.

‘Legend’ is an overused word, but it fits here. She is that. As a graduate from Tennessee and a fan of her program, my primary concern is for her health. For all she has accomplished, I would hate to watch her take any unnecessary risks.

She has earned the right to go out on her terms. However, I hope those around her are counseling her in a straightforward and unflinching way.

There is no other way when dealing with this situation.

My picks for the Final Four

It took a lot of sweating and gnashing of teeth, but I have finally arrived at my Final Four picks for the men's tournament. I'm going with Kentucky, Ohio State, Kansas, and Missouri.

That's three #2 seeds and one #1 seed. I'm not exactly going out on a limb in picking Kentucky, but I did hesitate a bit after they lost to Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament. Still, I can't see a better team in the entire field, and I expect them to win the whole ball of wax.

I've liked Missouri all season, and I'm not going to back off them now. They are in the same regional as Michigan State, but the Tigers should be able to outscore them if they meet.

Ohio State is in the same bracket as Syracuse, but I simply do not trust the Orangemen for some reason. I'm also taking Kansas over North Carolina for the same reason. I don't trust the Tar Heels.

So, there you have them. Read them and weep.

No denying progress of Tennessee men’s basketball team

Despite losing today to Alabama, the Tennessee men's basketball team has shown progress as the season has unfolded. When the season started, the team had lost 75 percent of its scoring from last season and had a new coach. It was tough to know what to expect, and several preseason polls had the Volunteers picked next to last in the conference.

Initially, the team struggled with coach Cuonzo Martin's emphasis on defense and rebounding. The team played like a group of chuckers at times, and the initial results were not promising. The team began 3-6, including an improbable and embarrassing loss to Austin Peay. However, the team slowly began to turn it around when conference play began.

The team upset Florida then lost its next four conference games. Frankly, I was concerned the Vols might lose 20 games. However, another upset of Florida was part of a spurt that saw the Volunteers win four games in a row prior to the Alabama loss.

There has been some talk about Tennessee having a chance to make the NCAA tournament, but I do not see it. Right now, the Vols are 14-13 overall and 6-6 in the conference. The team's RPI remains above 100. Realistically, the only way the team makes the NCAAs is if it earns the conference's automatic berth by winning the SEC tournament. Tennessee has not won the SEC tourney since 1979, and in recent years, the team has not come close to winning it. So, don't hold your breath.

The NIT is the likely landing spot for the team, and that is good. It will gain more experience in post-season tournament play, and that will help next season. The team only loses two players so the nucleus for greater success will be there. Jeronne Maymon has developed into a formidable inside presence, and he can usually be marked down for 14 points and seven rebounds a game. Guard Trae Golden's ball handling has greatly improved, causing his turnovers to sharply decrease.

The future looks bright. Unfortunately, it may take another year to totally shine.

Tennessee's men face tough road to win SEC East

Well, it's mid-February, and for college basketball fans, it means teams are entering the season's home stretch and are jockeying for berths in the NCAA tournament. As we've seen all season, the Tennessee Volunteer's men's basketball team has been inconsistent. However, the team is tied for first in the SEC Eastern Division as the stretch drive begins.

With a 7-3 conference record, Tennessee is tied with South Carolina and Kentucky for the top spot, and Florida lurks only one game behind them. For the Volunteers, the schedule is not kind the rest of the way. Four of their remaining six regular season games are on the road, beginning Wednesday at Ole Miss. More importantly, the Vols still have to play road games at Florida, South Carolina, and Kentucky.

When comparing the schedules of the teams involved, Florida may be the one with the easiest path to the divisional title. In addition to playing Tennessee at home, they also get South Carolina and Kentucky at home. So, if a person places a lot of stock on home games, the Gators may be the team to beat.

However, Tennessee has played well on the road in SEC play. The Vols are 3-1 on the road with the only loss being a heartbreaking one-point decision at Auburn. Still, there is a big difference between winning at Arkansas and at Kentucky.

In the remaining six games, I look for the Vols to go 3-3. They should win the two remaining home games against Alabama and Mississippi State. Plus, they should be good enough to win at least one of the remaining road games.

If that happens, the Vols will finish with a 10-6 conference record. It probably won't be good enough to win the division, but it should lock up an NCAA tournament berth. The Vols played a challenging non-conference schedule, and if everything shakes out like I have predicted, their overall record will be 19-11. If the Vols were to add one or two wins in the SEC tournament, it would make their case for the NCAA tourney that much stronger.

It's almost tournament time. Take time to enjoy the following weeks.