the grass is much greener... make yourself at home

1/12/2008 2:19:53 PM

haha, well played sir!

1/12/2008 2:20:39 PM

State fans welcomed me with open arms when I moved to Raleigh, just returning the favor

1/12/2008 2:21:27 PM

Already there, Jaybee..... And it's looking much better now

[Edited on January 12, 2008 at 2:22 PM. Reason : FYI, I'm from Knoxville, guys]

1/12/2008 2:21:49 PM

^^^^Bruce Pearl almost w/ da cop and feel.

1/12/2008 2:24:08 PM

Want to give us more players like Marques?

1/12/2008 2:25:24 PM

Quote :

"Tennessee's the place to be: Volunteer State is new capital of men's college basketball NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- To the east, Bruce Pearl is spreading school pride on Rocky Top, sporting a fresh orange suit and taking his eighth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers to new heights. To the west, John Calipari is perched on the banks of the Mississippi River, trying to keep his No. 2 Memphis Tigers perfect. And halfway between the nearly 400 miles of rolling mountains, tobacco fields and blue chip recruits that separate Memphis and Knoxville, Kevin Stallings quietly has turned his 13th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores into the latest star of the Music City. Welcome to the Volunteer State, making a case for Tennessee as the new home of men's college basketball. "You can talk about tobacco road in the Carolinas, and you can talk about Indiana and Kentucky all you want, you're not going to find a more competitive basketball state than Tennessee right now," Pearl said. "The state of Tennessee defines what college basketball is all about." Tennessee is the only state with three teams ranked in The Associated Press Top 25, let alone the top 15. These three schools were among the final 16 playing last March -- Memphis (13-0) made it to the regional finals, while Vanderbilt (15-0) and Tennessee (12-1) were each a basket away from joining the Tigers. All not only hope to be playing deep into the NCAA tournament this season, they have national title aspirations. "I think we all have a chance to get to the Final Four," Calipari said. "Right now, you don't even need to leave Tennessee to find the best basketball in the country." For years, the college basketball landscape was controlled by states like North Carolina, Kentucky and Indiana. Top-ranked North Carolina now has only Duke for company in the rankings. In the Bluegrass State, Kentucky and Louisville have sputtered, and the power seems to have shifted. Make room for Tennessee. "We're enjoying it," Stallings said. "I've always felt this state had a huge talent pool." It has, but high school stars haven't always stayed. Billy Donovan, for instance, led Florida to consecutive national titles with a pair of Tennessee players as starters -- Corey Brewer from Portland, and Lee Humphrey from Maryville. One of the first high-profile recruits Pearl tried to bring to Tennessee was Brandon Wright, a Nashville native who ultimately went to North Carolina and turned pro a year later. Trying to recruit Wright seemed like a lost cause for Pearl. "He wasn't disrespectful at all, but there was no way he could have stayed," Pearl said. "I think those days are gone. I think the best players in the state are going to give us all a strong look. They don't feel like they have to leave anymore." Don't think these schools, just because they're flourishing, are rooting for one another. Yes, all three coaches say there's mutual respect, but they've had heated battles, too. Calipari and Pearl have tussled over recruits, often trying to sign a star player even after he's said where he wants to go. Pearl pulls his signature orange suit from the closet only against select opponents. Vanderbilt made that list last year. And there's been dispute over the Memphis-Tennessee game, which alternates between schools each season. Calipari wants it in a neutral city, like Nashville, to keep Pearl and the Vols from getting exposure in his western third of the state. "You could call it the Governor's Cup," Calipari said last month. The Vols are nestled on the edge of the Smoky Mountains, in a campus town. The Tigers sit atop the Mississippi Delta in Memphis, anchoring a region that breeds top recruits and lives for basketball. And Vanderbilt is a small, private university that relies on out-of-state and international players. "Each school has a different personality," Vanderbilt guard Shan Foster said. "It's like none of us want to be the same as the other." They differ on court, too. Memphis goes physical, letting the offense come from isolating players for penetration. Vanderbilt has the shooters, and it's tough to get players into the academic-minded university. Pearl has Tennessee running with a quick-shot offense to go along with its full-court pressure. Tennessee and Memphis have strong followings in the state, while Vanderbilt often is overshadowed. "I think that sometimes people forget Vanderbilt is in Tennessee," said Commodores guard Keegan Bell, who grew up in Hazel Green, Ala., just over the Tennessee border. "We're the forgotten school." Good basketball doesn't stop with the big three in Tennessee Belmont has been to the NCAA tournament two straight years. East Tennessee State made the tournament four consecutive years from 1989-92, and in 2003 and 2004. Tennessee State upset Illinois on the road in December, and Tennessee-Martin's Lester Hudson recorded a rare quadruple-double against Central Baptist earlier this season when he had 25 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals. Oh, and the coach who has won the most college basketball games calls Tennessee home. Don't think Pat Summitt, who has led the Lady Vols to seven national titles, hasn't noticed the men catching up to her. "We've got something special going on right now in Tennessee," Summitt said. "It's the place to be.""

1/12/2008 2:28:46 PM

Oh how I miss home

Rocky Top will always be home sweet home to me

1/12/2008 2:30:02 PM

~

1/12/2008 2:32:17 PM

Take my hand and join us. There's plenty of room for all in the Herb Garden

1/12/2008 3:03:31 PM

~

1/12/2008 3:32:28 PM

... to the Hump!

1/12/2008 4:10:11 PM

bah

1/12/2008 5:08:21 PM

you guys better win by 6 or more

1/12/2008 5:10:45 PM

Quote :

"Volunteer State is new capital of men's college basketball"

aha

and north carolina is the new capital of college football

1/12/2008 5:10:48 PM

^^ I agree, of course with this thread they are jinxed now

^ no, they suck at that too

1/12/2008 5:13:05 PM

tennessee is the new capital of crooked-ass head coaches

1/12/2008 5:13:55 PM

sigh

1/12/2008 5:20:01 PM

and rednecks, dont forget rednecks

1/12/2008 5:26:26 PM

i have nothing against the state of tennessee, i have a lot of family there

but it's pretty silly of tennessee/memphis fans to think a few decent years (no final fours, no championships, no considerable impact on the game) would make their state the new "capital" of college basketball

especially lame-ass memphis fans

1/12/2008 5:29:49 PM

/thread

1/12/2008 5:30:21 PM

Quote :

""You can talk about tobacco road in the Carolinas, and you can talk about Indiana and Kentucky all you want, you're not going to find a more competitive basketball state than Tennessee right now," Pearl said. "The state of Tennessee defines what college basketball is all about.""

this would be the equivalent of wake forest talking down usc, ohio st., michigan, and notre dame after winning the acc title game

1/12/2008 5:36:12 PM

^^^ well, I dont think the fans have said anything, a writer said that


^ and no, thats not equivalent, equivalent would be Duke, Carolina and State all being top ranked team at the same time

[Edited on January 12, 2008 at 5:39 PM. Reason : d]

1/12/2008 5:38:54 PM

lol at that quote

comedic

1/12/2008 5:39:15 PM

full disclosure: i enjoy tennesse volunteers athletics

however, no team in tennessee has ever done shit on the basketball court

it isn't the capital of college basketball, it isn't even a county seat

this is dumb

go pack

1/12/2008 5:42:51 PM

hahah, of course it is, the whole article was obviously somewhat in jest and he did say "right now"

1/12/2008 5:43:39 PM

I was already 1) NCSU...........2) UT but now that gap is getting smaller.

It used to be UT football and NCSU basketball now it is UT both.

1/12/2008 6:41:42 PM

1/12/2008 6:42:46 PM

^ the Smokey one is gay, but the other one is funny, love the newspaper

^^ atta boy!


GGOOVVOOLLSS









[Edited on January 12, 2008 at 7:01 PM. Reason : d]

1/12/2008 6:46:37 PM

Rocky Top, you'll always be home sweet home to me!

1/12/2008 6:58:32 PM

Damn, how many people from Knoxville are here????

1/12/2008 7:09:51 PM

i hate you jaybee.

1/12/2008 7:37:06 PM

haha im not from there, just went to school there

1/12/2008 7:38:56 PM

The Orange coat is much more powerful and has brought much better results than the red coat.



Join us.

p.s. I was born and raised in Knoxville. GO VOLS!

1/12/2008 7:49:18 PM

we run this shit now

1/12/2008 7:49:58 PM

if you win by more than 6 i'll let you be my favorite sec basketball team

1/12/2008 7:50:35 PM

haha, as opposed to who?

1/12/2008 7:52:56 PM

it is all hate right now

1/12/2008 7:54:27 PM

id pull for TN

if they played fagolina

1/12/2008 8:00:19 PM

Quote :

"id pull for TN if they played crapolhill"

[Edited on January 12, 2008 at 8:16 PM. Reason : i would]

1/12/2008 8:16:37 PM

i have a gamecocks shirt that just says cocks with the usc logo on it that i acquired somehow

its a little too small but i've been wearing that around today

i won't even wear my state hat and i haven't washed my hair its all over the place




go cocks!

1/12/2008 8:19:18 PM

That 6 point spread is lookin pretty safe right now



GO VOLS!

1/12/2008 9:35:05 PM

hahaha yeah, I think we are ok

1/12/2008 9:39:02 PM

doh, missed the dunk haha

1/12/2008 9:41:31 PM

6 point spread my ass

1/13/2008 3:40:58 PM

haha that was awesome

1/13/2008 3:53:49 PM

rivers > manning,
so nc state > tennessee

1/13/2008 4:20:59 PM

kids seats are still just 5 bux

1/13/2008 4:31:05 PM

received several applications, but plenty of room for more... ease the pain and suffering, spread your love out a bit

1/15/2008 10:49:06 PM

this thread looks better and better each game that goes by

1/15/2008 10:57:34 PM