The Day the Music Survived: Vols shock sixth-ranked Kentucky after tragic day for Tennessee

In times of tragedy, sports often take a backseat to reality.

Such appeared to be the case in Tennessee on Tuesday, March 3.

In the wee hours of the morning, a massive tornado ripped through East Nashville, tearing apart families, homes, buildings and lives in the process.

The storm continued east until it reached Mt. Juliet, then Cookeville.

In total, the ravaging winds, rain and subsequent damage have left 24 dead so far, with the death rate possibly still rising.

Homes, buildings and businesses that stood on Monday night- all gone in an instant.

Families, which remained together until the last possible moment- now torn apart, some forever.

In times like these, we typically revert back to the top line of this column: that sports don’t matter, at least not quite as much as they did.

Sometimes, though, these dire circumstances can have the opposite effect: they make sports matter even more, if only because they bring smiles to faces that have witnessed destruction.

Such was the case for two teams I watched on Tuesday night, especially the latter.

The first team: the Creek Wood Red Hawks, which I’ve covered since taking over as the Sports Director at WDKN— located 30 miles west of the worst storm damage in Nashville.

Prior to Creek Wood’s regional tournament win over Fairview High School, the crowd stood in silence, reflecting on the day’s events.

It was a stark reminder that, in times of crisis, we are all united. We are all Tennesseans.

That concept remained true through the evening, extending to Rupp Arena as unranked Tennessee overcame a 17-point deficit to shock the sixth-ranked Kentucky Wildcats 81-73.

Yves Pons patrolled the paint. Santiago Vescovi delivered no-look passes. Josiah-Jordan James delivered in ways we’ve yet to see this season, save for the Vols’ win over Florida.

And John Fulkerson?

He took shots to the body, elbows to the face, and gutted his way to a 27-point performance, pacing the Vols in what might be the most shocking victory we’ll see until March Madness actually begins.

Fulkerson’s performance was one of pure poetry, especially considering that he’s a Tennessee native, leading the flagship school, on a day that might go down as one of the most destructive in the history of The Volunteer State.

You really can’t write it any better.

I’m not saying the Vols will make the NCAA Tournament. After this season, they’ll still need a miracle in the SEC Tournament to slide within spitting distance of the bubble, and even that might be laughable.

Still, that doesn’t make the win any less sweet. Not now. Not today.

As a whole, Tennessee’s performance showed what a group can do when it truly rallies together.

And after today’s tragedy, that’s exactly what we should expect from the entire state going forward: rallying together, helping one another, and lending a hand whenever possible.

Because that’s what Volunteers do.

featured image via CBS Sports

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