Published: March 20, 2008 04:03 pm      

ROCKY TOP BEAT: Vols AND Lady Vols must put SEC behind them

Last weekend was the absolute pits for Vol fans along with the team as the violent weather in Atlanta upset the entire SEC Tournament. After the Georgia Dome was damaged by the storms, only few fans were allowed to get into the alternative site at Georgia Tech where they saw the Vols upset by a good Arkansas team. The game was played in a gymnasium pick up atmosphere and the teams played like that with a lot of offense and no defense.

We will never know if the results would have been different had the games been played on the "big stage" in front of 24,000 fans.

The bad news just kept on coming for the Vols as the selection committee decided to disregard a whole season's work and place more significance on the conference tournaments.

Not only did Tennessee not get the #1 seeding that Coach Bruce Pearl thought was deserved, but they have one of the toughest routes to the final four as a #2 seed landing in the same region as North Carolina, the top team in the field of 65. The good news in all of this, they will be playing in reasonable driving distance for fans to go and support the team. They'll need that support because eventually they will probably have to defeat North Carolina in their backyard to advance to the Final Four.

I know that many Vol fans are feeling slighted by the seeding and the monumental task that awaits this team to get to the Final Four. The fact is that no matter where the Vols were put, there are some pretty decent teams to go through to reach San Antonio.

The Vols will find that none of the obstacles they face are any harder than the task they have already completed in beating #1 Memphis on their home floor. Look at how North Carolina must feel looking down the bracket and seeing the Vols as their roadblock to the Final Four.

The Vols can use this region as redemption for last season when they lost to both Butler and North Carolina while in New York for the preseason NIT. Who says the selection committee doesn't have a sense of humor? Barring any upsets, after Butler and before the big game against North Carolina, there is a team from Kentucky that feels they have something to prove. Louisville with Coach Pitino will be a tough out for the Vols to get to the Elite Eight, but if you are going to be the best, then why not play the best?

Meanwhile, the Lady Vols seem to have parlayed their 13th SEC Tournament championship into not only a #1 seeding but on paper look to have the easiest route to the Final Four. It sure looks like the Lady Vols are on a collision course with Connecticut for the national championship. We will just have to see how this plays out as these two teams advance through the field.

One thing is for sure for both of these teams; guard play and defense will dictate how far they can go. The Vols have a solid team that is deep and capable of winning any time they step on the court. That said, they need their point guards to step up in the NCAA Tournament and play like they were a month ago. If Jordan Howell can find his outside shot and Ramar Smith can finish plays when he penetrates the defense, Tennessee can reach their team goal and arrive in San Antonio this year.

The Lady Vols need a continuation of the guard play they had in the SEC Tournament. They played with passion and a sense of urgency throughout the tournament. Guard play for this team is so important to keep defenses from collapsing on Candace Parker.

This weekend it looks like "Rocky Top" will be heard in West Lafayette and Birmingham as the Lady Vols and the Vols take the court in the opening rounds of NCAA play. To hear "Rocky Top" in Tampa and San Antonio, though, they first have to take care of business one game at a time and it starts with American University and Oral Roberts. If all goes as planned, we should be looking at match ups in the Sweet Sixteen next week. Go Vols and Lady Vols!!

Frank Gale is a Chronicle correspondent, and his column appears weekly.