I never want UT to be #2 or #1 in any sport....

#26
#26
PEPPERJAX said:
That game was da shiz! The top ranking was short lived though. The Mempuss squad that Pearl beat was absolutely loaded too.
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Seems like we played on Monday vs. Vandy after a late Saturday night game. Just not great scheduling. We needed another day to enjoy it.

Edit: faulty memory. We played on Tuesday.
 
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#27
#27
I don't like the top rankings designed specifically to motivate our opponents. Maybe this will payoff in the tourneys if we drop to 10th or lower. Fact is we have proven on the right day or night with our shots hot and our defense up to par we can beat just about anybody. We were set up at home with Kentucky and flunked the test. We are not a #2 team now based on consistency. Consistency take maturity and a couple years playing together. Their big last night whooped us left and right around the basket and their perimeter D shut down our 3's. Solid coaching by their staff. Zeigler and Vescovi need to stay out of the paint for sure. I predict more wins than losses from here on out and a really good showing on a neutral court.
 
#28
#28
Volador said:
...until the last poll of the season. Just seems like we don't perform well when ranked at the top. Is it just my imagination???? Losing to the Cocks in Columbia was feverishly difficult to watch and last night, the Vol Bballers losing to Florida was excruciating to watch. So, I am hoping that all our UT teams peak when it means the most, and that is winning the championship game and then and only then earning the #1 spot.
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I’m inclined to agree with you. Historically, our programs have tended to underperform when we have the spotlight on us…like we’re allergic to success. Also historically, we have played our best when the nattering nabobs didn’t give us a chance, when we were clear underdogs. Personally, I love it when people count us out…not when we’re favored. This past football season went against this grain, of course. We actually lived up to our billing 11 times.
 
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#29
#29
Always love the "we always play better as the underdog" logic.
 
#30
#30
McDad said:
Seems to me those moments are excruciating to watch for you.

May I suggest you stop watching when a UT Sport is ranked 1 or 2 before season's end?
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Sh********t - I tape every game and when we are getting our arses whooped, the game takes less than 5 minutes to watch. That helps narrow down the excruciating pain. That and a belt of Angel's Envy. (gulp!)
 
#32
#32
Volador said:
...until the last poll of the season. Just seems like we don't perform well when ranked at the top. Is it just my imagination???? Losing to the Cocks in Columbia was feverishly difficult to watch and last night, the Vol Bballers losing to Florida was excruciating to watch. So, I am hoping that all our UT teams peak when it means the most, and that is winning the championship game and then and only then earning the #1 spot.
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I agree. I would rather he underrated a bit every year.
 
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#33
#33
Always liked it when "we get no respect". Teams play with a bigger chip on their shoulder when they get no respect.
 
#35
#35
I’d just assume to be ranked #1 and get everyone’s best game. It’s silly to pretend our ranking determines the game we get from others. We consistently get the best game from most of our opponents and still win more than we lose. Tennessee is their Super Bowl when they play us.

You win some and you lose some, it’s all about getting hot and playing well tournament time. With football, it’s about making the playoffs and then having a good game plan and executing.
 
#36
#36
We still have to play Bama. The way they destroyed Vanderbilt this week is almost scary. We also have to play Kentucky at Rupp. If we win those and win out, yes, we deserve to be ranked near the top.
 
#38
#38
Volador said:
...until the last poll of the season. Just seems like we don't perform well when ranked at the top. Is it just my imagination???? Losing to the Cocks in Columbia was feverishly difficult to watch and last night, the Vol Bballers losing to Florida was excruciating to watch. So, I am hoping that all our UT teams peak when it means the most, and that is winning the championship game and then and only then earning the #1 spot.
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You know it's hard to win games, right? Rank is not a curse, it's a target.
 
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#39
#39
joevol33 said:
I understand. Though I love bragging about the rankings, they usually always lose the very next game, and you gotta hear the overrated crap. I had this conversation with someone last night. Hopefully they catch fire in the post season.
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You are to blame for are losses! You are a bad luck little person!
 
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#40
#40
Good Lord. What a mindset like a snowflake. It's mathematic. Once you reach the rarified #1 or 2, the ONLY place you really have to go is down.
We held #1 is Bball for an entire month. Baseball controlled the #1 for prob a ½ the season Our last football NC had us sitting @ #1 for the last 5 games or so before season end and the title.
Think @ it like this. How are we at holding the #14 spot? .... exactly .... Nobody can remember . The mind only remembers the specifics of #1 maybe 2, and there is nowhere to go but down. It's classic glass ½ empty emotionally weak thinking. I'll take #1 over ANY other rank every game of every season for eternity.
 
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#41
#41
I literally laughed out loud when I saw us ranked #2 in the b-ball poll. I knew that was fool's gold.
 
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#47
#47
I never get caught up with rankings, especially in basketball where the only thing that matters is how healthy you are and how you're playing entering the NCAA's. I'd be fine with 7-8 losses and not winning the SEC if it meant that the team had found the answers to the cold spells and a crunch time go-to guy by the time March Madness rolled around.

Football is different, or was before the 12-team playoff because being ranked highly meant more after the CFP rankings began in November as long as you continue to win. I do believe being ranked #1 going into Georgia hurt us this year because it lit a fire under a Georgia team that had been underperforming relatively speaking. We may have lost anyway, but that didn't help.
 
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