Tennessee Blog: ‘We’re Going To Celebrate This Team Like None Before It’

Tennessee has accomplished a whole lot more than we expected them to a few months ago, given the drama that led to the team’s then-best player being dismissed from the team. And immediately after the Volunteers’ heartbreaking loss to Michigan State on Sunday, our Vols blog, Rocky Top Talk, is quick to recognize this.

When the pain from today’s loss fades, we’re going to celebrate this team like none before it.

[...] This team took the next step for this program: the Elite Eight is no longer the goal, but the Final Four. The Vols are bringing in a recruiting class that’s currently ranked 4th in the nation by Rivals. The talent gap between Tennessee and everyone else is closing.

But it’ll truly be an accomplishment if the next Tennessee teams can match this one in heart, fight, and will to win. Without our best player, we beat Kansas, Kentucky, and Ohio State, and went deeper than any Tennessee team has ever gone. This team moved the story forward, and has been its greatest chapter. And I hate having to write about them in the past-tense.

Now we know just how much we have lost. We know what it’s like to come to the edge of the Final Four. We know we’ll miss Wayne, J.P., and Bobby terribly, both as players and as people.
And we know that because of this team, Tennessee Basketball will never be the same. We will miss these guys so much...but because of them, we have never been more encouraged about where the program goes next.

A fine, fine piece of short-order writing from a fan whose team’s improbable run is suddenly over. Read the full post here. And for a look back at the game from a Spartan perspective, be sure to check in with our Michigan State blog, The Only Colors.