Nichols: With SEC Title in Reach, Tennessee Certainly Appears "Made for March"

TAMPA, Fla. -- The term "Made for March" is often overused. Teams plaster it on walls, on graphics and on anything, really, to psych themselves up for a

TAMPA, Fla. -- The term "Made for March" is often overused. 

Teams plaster it on walls, on graphics and on anything, really, to psych themselves up for a grueling run, the likes of which cannot be experienced in any aspect outside of what many call "the big one" -- the NCAA Tournament. 

But if we've seen anything from Tennessee in the last 12 games, it's that this team might just have what it takes to survive the gauntlet ahead. 

Since losing to Texas, the Vols have ripped off 11 wins in a dozen contests, with the only loss being to a very good Arkansas team in a formidable Bud Walton Arena. 

Rick Barnes's Vols have found themselves across the board, especially down low and in the case of their prized, pro-level point guard -- Kennedy Chandler -- who has transformed himself since the Longhorns loss. 

There are, of course, other examples of change as well. 

Take Josiah-Jordan James's hot shooting over the past couple of weeks, or Brandon Huntley-Hatfield's emergence. 

But this team has done more than thrive off the sum of its parts; it has also displayed the toughness and grit needed to string together a championship stretch. 

Take Zakai Zeigler's chomping after the Florida win, or Uros Plavsic's "talkativeness" in the paint -- this team has found and maintained its swagger, and it has done so while maintaining love for one another. 

"This team has great chemistry," Plavsic said. "We are together off the court, and there is nothing that can get between us. I love these guys.

"We have great leadership on the team, and I think that is really important this time of year."

On Saturday, the Vols carried that mindset to Kentucky to claw into the SEC Tournament championship game -- UT's third under Barnes.

It gave Barnes his 10th win over the Cats, awarded John Fulkerson an eighth win over the same team and throws UT into an SEC title game that it has not won since 1979. 

That is no small feat, even though Chandler asserted that they tried to treat this as “just another game.”

It was not. No Kentucky game is.

One game, though, is not enough to determine Sunday night's seeding for The Big Dance. 

Instead, the NCAA Tournament committee will look at the "whole body of work," as John Calipari said Saturday.

And the Vols have had plenty of losses and droughts worth lamenting this year. 

They stand at 25-7 with losses to Texas Tech, Alabama, LSU (now sans Will Wade), and yes, Kentucky -- as well as the aforementioned L in Austin. 

Moreover, Rick Barnes Tennessee teams are also known for falling apart when moments count most. 

Take the Loyola Chicago loss, the Purdue ending or last season's Oregon State result as the primary examples. 

And Texas A&M, with its red-hot streak, will be waiting for the Vols in Sunday's title game. 

That alone could be another trap for these Vols, as they would drop in an instant after securing yet another résumé-builder on Saturday.

But this UT team has also gone 4-1 against Arizona, Auburn and Kentucky — all of which are among Joe Lunardi’s top seeds — and should be listed among the upper tier, according to Calipari.

“Tennessee has played so well, but they say they don’t do that anymore — your last 10,” Calipari said. “They look at your body of work, who you beat, your Quad 1s and all that other stuff they go with. I just wish they did some eye tests. Like watch. Forget about numbers.

"Do you know basketball? Watch the games.”

The knock on these Vols is their road performances.

Their scoring droughts — a five-minute one on Saturday being a primary example — don’t help.

Still, clawing to the top of this league -- which has proven incredibly deep and has given each team a "hard-fought season," according to Barnes -- is no small feat. 

Neither is the run this team has put together. 

So, no matter how Sunday goes, Tennessee has stamped itself with "Made for March" characteristics that could carry well beyond the SEC title game. 

But snapping a 43-year championship drought wouldn't hurt, either. 

Either way, it's time to strap in for much, much more -- because this is only the beginning. 

Cover photo courtesy of Jake Nichols