So the Tennessee Volunteer basketball team is headed to the Big Dance as a No. 5 seed in the South Region. The first game for coach Hulk and the Pantheon will be Friday, March 16 at approximately 2:45 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio against the Long Beach State 49ers.
We have to admit that we didn't know this team existed until its name popped up opposite Tennessee's in the bracket, so let's first take a quick look at how their season stats stack up next to ours:
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Tennessee
|
Long Beach State
|
|
| Record -- overall | 22-10 | 24-7 |
| Record -- home | 16-0 | 12-1 |
| Record -- away | 3-7 | 9-5 |
| Field Goals | 886-2000 (44.3%) | 874-1929 (45.3%) |
| 3-Point FGs | 286-812 (35.2%) | 261-707 (36.9%) |
| Free Throws | 491-751 (65.4%) | 480-684 (70.2%) |
| Rebounds | 1138 (435 off, 703 def) (35.6 per game) | 1143 (401 off, 742 def) (36.9 per game) |
| Turnovers | 467 | 432 |
| Assists | 495 | 443 |
| Blocks | 103 | 88 |
| Steals | 314 | 235 |
| Points | 2549 (79.7 per game) | 2489 (80.3 per game) |
Hmm. Surprisingly similar, and 23-7 is a pretty good record. Heck, the Beach went 14-2 in their conference and secured their invite to March Madness by winning their championship game in convincing fashion (94-83 over Cal-Poly). That, of course, leads to the inevitable question of the quality of their competition. Pop quiz: Name one team, excluding Long Beach State, in the Big West Conference. Go on. Nothing? Me, neither. Here's the list:
- Cal Poly
- Cal State Fullerton
- Cal State Northridge
- Long Beach State
- Pacific
- UC-Irvine
- California Riverside
- UC-Santa Barbara
"Big" West seems a bit generous. But what about their entire season schedule?
| CHAPMAN (Exhibition Game) | W 95-61 BOX | STORY |
| Collegiate Basketball Experience Classic |
Stanford, CA |
| vs. Air Force | L, 68-69 STORY BOX |
| vs. San Jose State (ESPNU) | W, 86-67 STORY BOX |
| CS BAKERSFIELD | W 73-70 STORY BOX |
| at USC (FSN Prime Ticket) | L, 61-70 STORY BOX |
| at UCLA | L, 58-88 STORY BOX |
| at Temple | L, 49-74 STORY BOX |
| at Maryland-Baltimore County | |
| PEPPERDINE | W, 95-90 STORY BOX |
| SACRAMENTO STATE | W, 76-55 STORY BOX |
| at San Jose State | W, 76-67 STORY BOX |
| at Loyola Marymount | W, 66-65 STORY BOX |
| at UC Davis | W, 89-75 STORY BOX |
| MANHATTAN COLLEGE | W, 74-61 STORY BOX |
| *UC SANTA BARBARA | W, 101-65 STORY BOX |
| *CAL POLY | W, 77-70 STORY BOX |
| *at CS Northridge | L, 83-90 STORY BOX |
| *CS FULLERTON (KVMD) | W, 95-85 STORY BOX |
| *UC RIVERSIDE | W, 99-65 STORY BOX |
| *at UC Irvine (KVMD) | L, 84-88 STORY BOX |
| *CS NORTHRIDGE | W, 79-72 STORY BOX |
| *PACIFIC (FSN Prime Ticket) | W, 92-64 STORY BOX |
| *at Cal Poly | W, 80-77 STORY BOX |
| *at UC Santa Barbara (FSN Prime Ticket) | W, 68-67 STORY BOX |
| *at CS Fullerton | W 94-84 STORY BOX |
| HAWAI'I | L, 78-93 STORY BOX |
| *UC DAVIS (HOMECOMING) | W, 102-77 STORY BOX |
| *at Pacific (ESPN2) | W, 82-76 STORY BOX |
| *UC IRVINE (KVMD) | W, 85-80 STORY BOX |
| *at UC Riverside | W, 91-75 STORY BOX |
| vs. UC Irvine Big West Tournament Semi-finals (ESPNU) |
W, 77-63 STORY BOX |
| vs. Cal Poly Big West Tournament Finals (ESPN2) |
W, 94-83 STORY BOX |
Hmm, again. Looks fairly weak. Independent verification? RPIs:
- RPI: 71
- Wins vs. RPI Top 50: 0
- Wins vs. RPI Top 100: Try again
- Wins vs. RPI Top 150?!?: Cal St.-Fullerton (twice), Cal Poly (three times)
- Losses vs. RPI Top 100: Air Force, USC, UCLA, Hawaii
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Generally, the Vols have been hurt the most by teams with big, good players inside, but good guard play has also hurt Tennessee this season. Long Beach State is promoting Nixon and Johnson as "The West Coast's Best Backcourt." Nixon is averaging 18.6 points, 3.1 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game. His three-point percentage (38.7%) is almost as good as his field goal percentage (40.9%). Johnson is averaging 15.3 points, 3.6 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game. One early disconcerting fact: Johnson is 6'4" and may draw the task of defending Chris Lofton.
Time's up for now. More to follow on these guys and the other starters later.