Tennessee 89, Florida 86: SEC Champions!

It came packaged in a classic game of comebacks and clutch baskets; of two excellent coaches working as hard as they could; of two teams fighting, each with something important on the line. At the end of the night, it was Tennessee that managed to grab it like a kid under the Christmas tree, ripping the paper off and letting out a scream of emotion as the wrapping revealed a reward no Tennessee team in the last four decades had earned: an outright SEC championship.

Bruce Pearl described the reaction in the postgame as “emotional.” It should have been. When you have a group of coaches and players who have worked their butts off for an opportunity at a championship, the culmination of that effort has to be momentous; a great emotional release in addition to a joyous event. When Chris Lofton, JaJuan Smith, and Jordan Howell all got here four years ago on their own, different paths, could any of them truly envision an outright SEC Championship? After a disappointing season to kick things off for the three guards, did anyone really believe the coaching change would result in an instantaneous improvement in Tennessee basketball?

Bruce Pearl believed it, and has spent the last three years convincing his players that with hard work, conditioning, hustle, defense, and a little confidence, great things could happen. He had players willing to believe and willing to work, and the first major prize in his tenure was finally in his sights last night. Less than halfway through the second half, almost 600 miles away, Shan Foster hit his ninth three of the night to put Vandy ahead an an overtime thriller against the Vols’ main threat for a title, Missisippi State. A win would now clinch a title for the Vols, but they had yet to lead the Gators in Gainesville.

It was shortly after Foster ended his three-point barrage that JaJuan Smith would begin one, willing the Vols into their first lead of the game and pushing it all the way to double digits. To credit Billy Donovan and his team, the young Gators did not panic and pushed the game back to a tie late. With a one-point game in the balance, Wayne Chism of all people was at the line with a pair of free throws that could give the Vols a 2- or 3-point lead. The 49% shooter swished both, and they were just about the prettiest free throws your humble blogger has ever seen. Florida would not score again.

Tennessee got significant contributions from sophomores Tyler Smith (13 points, 8 rebounds), Wayne Chism (12 points), and J.P. Prince (10 points), but fittingly, the night belonged to its seniors. JaJuan Smith would pour in 23 points, Lofton 21, and Jordan Howell would break out of an agonizing shooting slump to put in five big points early in the game. The three senior wings would combine to shoot an astounding 17 for 27 from the floor, and hit 9 of 17 three-pointers.

After giving up 55 first half points, Bruce and his staff made some philosophical changes that would dramatically improve the defensive efficiency. Primarily, they slowed the game down to a halfcourt battle, ceasing to press for most of the second half and putting pressure on Florida’s halfcourt offense. It worked. And it’s amazing, isn’t it? We’ve all been griping about pressing tempo and running with teams so we could play better, and in a big road game in Gainesville, we intentionally do the opposite and it wins the game for us. The fact of the matter is, Billy Donovan is a hell of a coach and the Gators were as ready for the Tennessee press as any team I’ve seen. They broke it easily and with regularity, getting several easy baskets in the first half. That would not be the story in the second half as Bruce denied them the opportunity.

Meanwhile, the Vol offense just kept plugging away. The nine threes were nice, but the Vols scored 89 points– 24 two-point baskets and 14 free throws were required to put them over the top, and Tennessee was banging and grinding it out like a champion. Tyler, Wayne, and J.P. did their jobs, scoring 30 points in and around the paint and five more at the line.

At the end of the day, what did all of this mean? Just a school record 27th win and an outright SEC title. Ho-hum. Bruce and his Vols dared to dream big, and their hard work has turned those dreams into reality.

The Vols have 24 hours, at the most, to enjoy this before they have to focus everything on South Carolina. Ahead of them is a potential 14th SEC win, an SEC tourney, and an NCAA tourney in which the Vols are looking more and more like a #1 seed. There are more giants to conquer and, hopefully, more presents to unwrap. But what they clinched last night was the culmination of years of hard work and dedication, and can never be taken from them. Imagine what Ray Mears would be thinking right now. Finally Big Orange Country rules the SEC hardwood again, after all these years. Hell, for all we know he might even let out a “WOO” in the chorus of Rocky Top.