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Nichols: Tennessee’s week-long Gator grind proves Vols can still fight back

Tennessee used several different emotions to get through two wins against Florida this week. But can the Vols carry that to Alabama in Saturday’s SEC Tournament semifinal?
Jake Nichols|
Nichols: Tennessee’s week-long Gator grind proves Vols can still fight back
Nichols: Tennessee’s week-long Gator grind proves Vols can still fight back

John Fulkerson’s name has been written countless times in these columns.

After Tennessee’s season-opening win over Colorado, “Fulkerson” popped up a lot. The same will go for this edition, just like it has after every other Vols game this season.

Why? Because Fulkerson's presence — or lack thereof — has almost always provided the driving force behind the reasoning you’ll find here. Whether he’s heaped with blame or hyped with praise, No. 10 factors into every single column just like he factors into every single game for Tennessee.

Make no mistake: Fulkerson has earned the blame. Before this week, he hadn’t been himself in almost a month, and his play before that sank him pretty low, too.

Now the 6-foot-9 Fulkerson is again standing tall. Bruised and bloodied, sure, with his heart on his sleeve — but upright nonetheless.

Before we get to the bruises, though, let’s first look at the emotion. For that, we go back six days to what might be the most memorable moment of Fulkerson’s Tennessee career.

A Senior Day Worth Remembering

On Sunday at Thompson-Boling Arena, the Vols took on Florida for the second time this season. It was Tennessee’s final home matchup of the year, and a win would give the Vols a double-bye for the SEC Tournament and avenge a UT loss in Gainesville in January. The game also meant a final goodbye for Fulkerson and Yves Pons, who noted how much his Tennessee experience has meant over the last four years.

“I’m going to miss playing in TBA,” he said. “It’s a special atmosphere. I’ve just loved every game I’ve spent here the last four years. I’m going to miss it a lot.”

Pons has been spectacular in his Volunteer career. He’s earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors, he cracked a new school record in blocks on Friday afternoon, and he has turned himself into the most elite defender in college basketball. In short, Pons will always be one of the most ferocious players to don a Tennessee uniform.

But there has always been something different about the other senior celebrated at Thompson-Boling Arena last Sunday.

Fulkerson was raised in Kingsport, Tennessee, which is less than two hours from Knoxville. He feasted on burgers and fries from Pal’s Sudden Service, an East Tennessee staple, and that food obsession has endeared him to Vol fans who know the restaurant.

Moreover, Fulkerson grew up watching the Vols play. He’s a Tennessee kid who earned a scholarship offer before battling through multiple injuries to become an All-SEC selection.

This is all without mentioning Fulkerson’s community outreach, which earned him the 2020 Sportsperson of the Year Award from the Knoxville News-Sentinel. He’s been a babysitter for his pastor’s kids, surprised young fans at birthday parties, and he even handed out towels last Sunday so he could talk to children who look up to him the way he looked up to players like Wayne Chism and Chris Lofton.

“No one loves this university more than he does,” said Tennessee coach Rick Barnes last Sunday. “I think he would tell you he’s been a Volunteer his whole life, and for him it was an emotional day. For him to come out and play aggressive and with the force that he did at times is what we need. I’m happy for him.”

So it was no surprise when Fulkerson teared up last weekend, especially with his sister announcing his name during intros. Together, Fulkerson and Pons raised their framed jerseys at mid-court. Then, Fulkerson brought back memories of his All-SEC junior year campaign.

No. 10 chipped in 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a 65-54 Tennessee win. Victor Bailey, Jr. and Keon Johnson added 14 each, and the Vols outlasted the Gators 65-54.

The fifth-year senior was excellent. But Fulkerson's final time leaving the floor is what will stick with fans the most.

With 32.7 seconds left on the clock, Fulkerson checked out of the game. Before even leaving the floor, he started crying. He hugged his teammates, touched his left hand to his heart and raised his right hand in salute to supporters who gave a standing ovation to the red-rimmed, tear-brimming Fulkerson.

That emotion led to a final display at the scorer’s table, as he buried his head in his right hand. The resulting picture summarizes Fulkerson’s journey, but it also conveys the struggles faced by every college athlete in this pandemic.

“It was just all of the memories that I’ve had here,” Fulkerson said on the moment. “All of the relationships I’ve been able to make. All of the people I’ve gotten to meet and I just can’t put it into words, because it’s memories that I’ll have forever and relationships that I’ll remember forever. It’s just a big thanks to a lot of people. My coaches, my teammates—I really can’t put into words what my time here at Tennessee has meant.

“Before I leave, I have a lot of people to thank to let them know how much of an impact they’ve made on me and that hopefully I can continue to keep that impact going from me to other people.”

Fulkerson echoed his comments in a conversation with the Vol Network on Sunday, proving again just how much Tennessee means to him.

An all-conference preseason pick, Fulkerson has certainly made his mark off the court. But he hasn’t been without his share of blame on it, either, as he and the Vols have struggled mightily after facing high expectations. In short, their inconsistent play has left many wondering what’s next.

But Tennessee’s showing on Friday — complete with another pivotal moment from and for Fulkerson — show that these Vols aren’t quite done fighting yet.

Elbows lead to an eye for an eye

With their win last Sunday, the Vols clinched a two-game bye for the SEC Tournament. That set the table for Tennessee’s third Florida matchup this year, just six days after the teams’ second battle.

The Vols jumped out to a 16-8 lead, which transformed to 18-10 after a Fulkerson bucket. He opened UT’s scoring with a dunk and netted four of Tennessee’s first six points, showing early and often the type of in-paint grit that’s made him great.

A soaring two-handed slam from Josiah-Jordan James put UT at a 10-point advantage, and 3-pointers from James and Santiago Vescovi put the Vols up 26-12 before a Uros Plavsic bucket increased the lead to 16.

James had another outstanding performance — 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor, two critical 3-pointers, nine rebounds and five assists.

Vescovi was great as well, as he used his SEC Tournament debut to snap back to form with four 3-pointers, two in each half.

Plavsic put in arguably the most valuable minutes of his career, with two points and an essential rebound in a five-minute stint on the court. He was also the first Vol to check in after the ball tipped.

Meanwhile, Jaden Springer quietly built another 11-point performance, and Victor Bailey added seven. But, just like on Sunday, it was Tennessee’s seniors who stole the show.

As quickly as the Vols had built their double-digit lead, the Gators sliced back into the game. A sizable advantage shrank to nine by halftime, and Tre Mann (30 points) cut Tennessee’s lead back to single digits with 17:46 left.

That’s when the Vols’ upperclassmen (namely Pons) took over, but not without a spark from Florida’s Omar Payne.

With eight points on the day so far, Fulkerson battled with Payne under the basket early in the second half. Payne responded with a vicious elbow to Fulkerson’s chin before delivering a second elbow to his head.

The move was, in a word, dirty. There’s just no other way to describe it, and there’s no place for anything of that sort in college basketball.

Payne was rightfully ejected after being called for a Flagrant-2 foul, while Fulkerson headed to the locker room for evaluation.

Barnes later revealed that his senior made a trip to a local hospital, more for observation on his eye than anything related to a concussion. Fulky himself also gave an update to fans via a Friday night video on Tennessee’s social media:

As one can tell, the senior was sporting a black eye. He appeared in good spirits, though, and he’ll be an essential bench piece when Tennessee takes on Alabama in Saturday’s semifinal.

The Crimson Tide is rolling, especially after an 85-48 win over Mississippi State in a quarterfinal game Friday.

Still, if the Vols focus like they did yesterday, they might be able to pull off a win.

Before the injury, Tennessee’s offense had come to a standstill, much like the other lapses we’ve seen this season.

After Fulkerson got hurt, Pons led the charge toward Payne. Referees separated the teams, and coaches did a fine job in keeping things under control.

“He pissed us off,” said Pons. “We have Johnny’s back. That was a dirty play. It doesn’t belong on a basketball court.”

Added Vescovi: “We all felt pain for John because we really care about his well-being... It helped us a lot to have more motivation because we were playing for him too."

That motivation marked a turning point, and Tennessee rode the emotion to a 78-66 win.

“Our guys have such great respect and love for Fulky, but for each other,” Barnes said. “We had to calm them down, no doubt about it, because they felt like it was unnecessary. I was glad we were able to get back at it.”

Now, can the Vols “get back at it” again against Alabama? Pons will certainly be essential, as he registered nine blocks on Friday to tie an SEC Tournament record.

But every other member of Tennessee’s team will be just as important, especially considering how long it’s been since this team played in a tournament setting before Friday.

Cancelation anniversary brings gratefulness for Vols

Friday marked a special day for SEC basketball, as it was exactly a year from the tournament’s cancelation due to COVID-19. The Vols recognized that in a unique way, as they placed a placard of former Tennessee star Jordan Bowden on a chair.

Bowden was a senior last year, and his career came to a screeching end when the 2020 conference tournament was canceled.

“I remember seeing him in the back of the bus a year ago when we walked out of this building, he was devastated," Barnes said. "He couldn't believe his college career was over with."

"It was disappointing how JB's season ended last year," Josiah-Jordan James said in a video posted on Twitter. "He didn't get to play in his final SEC Tournament. Keep an eye out on the bench. He will be with us all week."

Fast forward 365 days from March 12, 2020, and things looked quite different. Bridgestone Arena held far fewer fans, and, just like the rest of this season, teams were spaced out along the court so players’ chairs could fit social distancing requirements. Those mandates, as well as mask requirements for fans and coaches, will remain in place through conference tournaments and March Madness.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey spoke during the second half of Tennessee-Florida on Saturday, and he reiterated how well athletes across the conference have dealt with these new obstacles.

He even mentioned a conversation with Tennessee football cornerback Alontae Taylor, who told the commissioner, “I’ll be swabbed every day if it means I can play on Saturday.”

Like the virus, the precautions aren’t going anywhere. But, neither is basketball — or so we hope.

Kansas, Virginia and Duke have already left their respective conference tournaments after positive results within each program doomed any shot of an appearance.

It’s worrisome to think of how this could translate to March Madness, let alone the Final Four. What will the Indianapolis bubble look like? Will there be replacement teams in case the first four teams to make the semifinal have Covid?

The NCAA has said that teams must undergo a seven-day period with no positive results to participate. With the way this virus spreads, that’s almost like asking Tennessee to win two consecutive games, at least with the way the Vols played earlier this season.

Now, it appears Tennessee may have turned a corner. Let’s hope the relationship between college basketball and the coronavirus will continue to do the same.

“I don't know the whole deal, but I just hope it works for all of us,” Barnes said. “It has been a long, trying year for everybody. For the players again, we talked about it this morning, it was a year ago. We actually had a little placard made up for Jordan (Bowden) that we put on our bench today because he was the one guy, I remember seeing him in the back of the bus a year ago when we walked out of this building, he was devastated. He couldn't believe his college career was over with.

“What we talked about was being grateful for what we've been able to have up to this point. Whatever we can get done, be thankful for it, be grateful for it. It's been a long year for lots of people. We've gotten to this point. I just hope we can finish it and finish it strong for everybody.”

For Tennessee, that strong finish was in doubt. And, honestly, it still is. This team is too unpredictable, especially with a newly-reformed Fulkerson on the bench.

But a week’s worth of emotion and a nice confidence boost don’t hurt, either, especially against a team as grimy as Florida.

We’ll see if Tennessee can ride that wave against Alabama in Saturday’s semifinal, too. John Fulkerson certainly deserves it, as does Yves Pons.

The one person who doesn’t deserve that kind of success is Omar Payne, who should have to Army crawl through gravel on his way back to Gainesville.

After all, what’s a few more hours of elbow turmoil given the way he used them on Friday?

Note: If you haven’t heard it, the VR2 on SI staff recorded a Friday night podcast to break down Tennessee’s win over Florida, as well as the Alabama matchup today. Click here to listen. 

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Jake Nichols
JAKE NICHOLS