Nichols: No. 7 Tennessee makes Final Four statement before final day of 2020
Exhale, Vols fans — it’s finally arrived.
No, I’m not referring to the last day of 2020, although Hallelujah that this dumpster fire of a year is almost over, right?
Instead, we’ve arrived at the nationwide realization that Tennessee is a Final Four team. If you think any differently, you’re either blind or a Kentucky fan.
Or both.
What we saw last night was not the culture flex that I wrote about a week ago.
Granted, that culture was still very visible against No. 12 Missouri, as players continued to dive headfirst into the sideline after loose balls, and all four other guys on the floor raced to pick up Yves Pons after a charge call.
But what we saw against Missouri was not the good-natured persona of this Tennessee team. ‘Good-natured’ is not a phrase people use to describe a 73-53 win that was never as close as the final score showed.
No, last night’s game was the ultimate effect of sheer talent and depth, as the Vols pummeled a Missouri squad that could very well be the second-best group in the SEC.
First came the 23-4 lead. Then three bone-jarring blocks from Yves Pons, one of which marked his 100th swat as a Tennessee Volunteer.
Then, after all that, a second half that had the Vols leading by almost 40 at one point, before they let off the gas and spread the wealth down the bench.
If last week was a warm and fuzzy reminder of how lovable and refreshing this team is, Wednesday’s win over Missouri was a cold-blooded statement for the damage these Vols can ultimately do.
There will be off nights, sure, and teams like Auburn and Arkansas can stay with the Vols when the timing is right.
But after No. 7 Tennessee left a Yves Pons-sized hole in the floor in CoMo, and John Fulkerson drained an in-your-face jumper after grimacing in pain over the same right wrist mere minutes before?
You can’t tell me Tennessee isn’t one of the best four teams in the nation right now, or that they won’t still be one of them in March.
Heck, when those AP rankings roll out next week, someone deserves to be fired if the Vols aren’t in the top four.
They showed it last night with their largest road win ever over a ranked team.
The last record-breaker? 2005, when first-year coach Bruce Pearl and the Vols downed No. 6 Texas and, you guessed it, Rick Barnes by 17.
Now, though, Barnes wears a different shade of orange.
And last night, in its perfect PMS 151 uniforms, complete with the old-school lettering we’ve seen in that classic home look, Barnes’ team notched its fifth-straight 20-point win.
For you history buffs out there, that hasn’t been done since the 1974-75 season, better known as the Bernie and Ernie Show with Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld.
Tennessee has had other great teams since then, too.
Like 2008, when the Vols upset Memphis to become No. 1 in the nation.
Like 2010, when Tennessee was achingly close to its first Final Four appearance after getting the Sweet Sixteen monkey off its back to reach an Elite Eight matchup against Michigan State.
Even like 2018, when Purdue and a late foul call on Lamonté Turner provided a screeching halt to what many thought would be the team, with Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield at its nucleus.
But this one is different.
It proved that Wednesday night at Mizzou Arena, shoving Missouri’s state motto right in the Tigers’ faces.
Show Me? Sure.
Here are 15 points and several no-look passes from Santiago Vescovi.
Let’s not forget the 11-point, six-rebound effort from Fulkerson, either, or the 13-point outing from freshman Jaden Springer.
Finally, here are 13 more points, six boards, two steals and four blocks from Pons, who, as mentioned, reached his 100th swat as a Vol and rejected another shot so ferociously that the Internet absolutely lost it.
“We’re all just really excited for Yves,” Barnes said. “For a guy that works as hard as he works and does the things that he does, as a team and a staff you just get excited when a guy brings it like he did tonight.”
When asked about his own performance, Pons began his statement with five terrifying words: “This is what I do.”
Side note: anyone else think of Ivan Drago’s “I must break you” from Rocky IV when they read that, or see this image?
No, just me? Oh well.
Back to the point, though — yes, the Vols showed their potential against Missouri. But not for us, or you, or even Cuonzo Martin.
“I don’t think it’s about showing people anything, it’s just showing to ourselves what we can really do,” said Vescovi. “We showed it tonight.”
And, if we’re lucky, the Vols will show it again in March of 2021.
By that point, the Kentucky Wildcats could be the only team left in quarantine. After all, they’re just 1-6 right now.
So have a safe and happy New Year, Vols fans.
Cherish this team while you’ve got it, and pray that Rick Barnes and his group don’t go anywhere near the bad juju of the Tennessee football complex.
