Talking Points: Tennessee basketball tips off tonight

by Joel Hollingsworth on Oct 30, 2009 7:23 AM EDT in Rocky Top Talking Points

Lane Kiffin apparently didn't limit his "we'll win next year" to the Alabama post-game quotes to the media, he said it to Nick Saban during the post-game handshake. Reportedly.
Bruceball opens the season tonight at 7:30 with an exhibition game at Thompson-Boling Arena against North Alabama. Yes, we'll have an open thread, as I think the game will be broadcast online. As we've noted here earlier this week, the Vols begin the season ranked 11th and 10th and are getting some good national publicity. Sporting News has a feature on them today noting Pearl's own belief that this is the most experienced team he's had at Tennessee. That experience translates into the players having figured out what they can and can't do. Point guard Bobby Maze for one, after a season of on-the-job training, now understands what Pearl expects from the point guard position ($) and will play a vital role in the return to Pearl's pressure defense. The team's also added a couple of new guys, including Kenny Hall, who Pearl's expecting to be a defensive havoc-wreaker around the basket ($). This should be an interesting and fun season for the basketball team and its fans.

GVX's Mike Griffith elicits some experienced and national perspective on Jonathan Crompton from Todd Blackledge, who knows a thing or two about expectations and disappointment.

Wes Rucker and Seth Emerson take a page out of the blogger's guidebook and exchange Q&As on Saturday's Tennessee-South Carolina game.

Chris Walker, Luke Stocker, Greg King, and Vladimir Richard are apparently all game-time decisions this week. Does that scare anyone else?

Another "official" visitor's list for this weekend, this one from GVX, includes Ken Adams, Demar Dorsey, Chris Dunkley, Christian Jones, Ted Meline, Dequan Menzie, Corey Miller, Terrence Mitchell, and Brandon Willis.

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Vlad hasn't played in forever

But Stocker and Walker? That is very, very scary. What about McCoy and D. Williams? They’re playing, right?

by Incipient_Senescence on Oct 30, 2009 9:18 AM EDT reply actions

Oh, the audacity of that Kiffin fellow....

…who does he think he is speaking to his elders like that?

Also…BASKETVOLS TONIGHT! YAYYYYYY!

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti

by sddbaker on Oct 30, 2009 10:29 AM EDT reply actions