If the Big East is the top conference in the country, as the league's coaches have professed recently, what is Tennessee? The Vol's have beaten the conference co-favs-- Pittsburgh and Villanova--away from Knoxville. Tennessee must be considered one of the contenders to get to the Final Four in Houston, and it's has emerged as the SEC East favorite.
Try to find two better wins than the Vol's have right now; it's probably a futile task. Tennessee won the NIT Season Tip-Off on Nov. 26 with a 10 point win over the Wildcats in NYC. This past saturday in Pittsburgh, the Vols dominated the Panters from the opening tip in a 7 point win.
Tennessee's schedule continues to be challenging, with Oakland ( a one point loser to Michigan State ) up next, then a road game at Charlotte. USC and Memphis will visit in the next month, a trip to UConn on Jan. 22 is also on tap. The Vol's might end up with a top-five strenght of schedule in March. Don't forget Head Coach Bruce Pearl must sit-out the first 5 games in conference play.