| | By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Four-plus minutes is all that stood in Tennessee's way.
Four minutes and a rematch with Tulsa would have been forthcoming.
The Volunteers circled it when they got their bracket, thought about it before the North Carolina game, maybe even during.
Now, it's all they're thinking about in trying to get back to the NCAA Tournament, back in position to make a run at the Final Four and the national title.
|  | | Ron Slay came in as a freshman last year and gave the Vols plenty of energy. |
"We could taste that victory against North Carolina," said Tennessee senior guard Tony Harris, who was 1 for 10 in the Vols' 74-69 loss to the Tar Heels in the Sweet 16 in Austin, Texas, last March.
"We were motivated to play Tulsa, but we weren't overlooking North Carolina, we were just looking who we played next."
Next would have been Tulsa, a team the Vols lost to by 20 in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic. A game in which Harris only played the first four minutes because of a wrist injury.
"That Carolina loss hurt a lot of us, and that gave me an extra drive to come back and go for it all," Harris said Thursday during ESPN.com's preseason tour. "Why not say it? I'd be crazy if we didn't think it.
"The pieces weren't there before and it wasn't realistic, but now everything is there. It puts a lot of weight on me and Vincent's shoulders but not so much that we can't bear it. It's all about going out and doing it. We're not little boys no more."
Tennessee actually has as much if not more experience than most teams in the country.
Similar to Michigan State a year ago, the Vols have an upperclassmen dominated team. Harris, forwards Isiah Victor and Charles Hathaway are seniors. Guard Del Baker is in their class, but will likely redshirt after breaking his foot this week. Forward Vincent Yarbrough and reserve guard Jenis Grindstaff are juniors and the rest of the key players are all sophomores -- Ron Slay, Harris Walker, Marcus Haislip, Jon Higgins and Terrence Woods.
But the knock on Tennessee last year was its inability to close out games they should have won like South Carolina in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament, or at a depleted Alabama, and to some extent the Carolina game.
"We've learned from these mistakes and we've had a whole year to think about," Hathaway said. "Everyone has been busting their butt off, and now know they expect to win. The door is open. All we have to do is walk in. We have the talent to win a national championship. We have the leadership. We expect to win every game."
The Vols have to tighten their defense, especially late in the game. It shouldn't be a factor with the ability to go with different looks. They can go small and quick with Harris and Higgins and, or Walker in the backcourt. Throughout practice Thursday, Harris had little trouble getting into the lane and finishing. Grindstaff gives the Vols' another threat on the perimeter, while Woods adds a combination of both.
Scoring shouldn't be a problem with Yarbrough slashing to the basket and Haislip and Slay possessing the ability to pop a 3-pointer. Hathaway and Victor need to stay active on the offensive backboard, and Slay will give the team the necessary energy, something he said was needed when he arrived in Knoxville.
That enthusiasm translated into hard work this summer, but not just for Slay, who looks like he's toned some of his excessive weight, but for Yarbrough, who flirted with leaving for the NBA.
"I couldn't sleep because we were so close to getting to the dream of a championship and we let it slip away," Yarbrough said. "The talent is here, but we've got be consistent against the less talented teams. We can't crack. We're all still hungry because we've been at the bottom before."
Tennessee upgraded the schedule with home games against Wisconsin and SMU, neutral games against Virginia, and George Washington in the first round of the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii, along with a road game at Syracuse. During this string of games, the Vols will see zones, tough, physical man-to-man defense, perimeter oriented teams and pressure.
"It's the toughest pre-conference Tennessee has ever had," Tennessee coach Jerry Green said. "Top to bottom we can score. We've got good size inside and I don't see a team that's head or shoulders above everybody else. There is a lot of common power.
"We were up with 4:38 to play against North Carolina and Tennessee hadn't been at that level," Green added. "Four minutes and we were at where we dreamed of being. Now we've seen Florida play for the national title game. We're disappointed with the North Carolina game but it's all laid out for us this year."
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
| |
ALSO SEE
Tennessee taking strides toward long-term success
Katz postcard from Tennessee
Bilas Breakdown: Tennessee
ESPN.com Preseason Top 25
|
