Ramar Smith and Duke Crews Dismissed From Team

Tennessee Coach, Bruce Pearl, announced today that Ramar Smith and Duke Crews have been dismissed from the team.

Here is the press release.

“I am disappointed to announce that neither Duke Crews nor Ramar Smith will be a part of the 2008-09 University of Tennessee basketball program,” Pearl said. “Both were provided every opportunity to succeed here but have not met our expectations. With both Ramar and Duke, we came to the conclusion that it was in their best interest to transfer to another institution in order to continue their academic and basketball careers.”

At this point I’m not sure anybody knows why Coach Pearl decided to dismiss the two former 5 star prospects from the team, but its safe to say they haven’t been model student athletes since arriving on campus. With that said, the only thing that matters right now is that they are no longer on the team, and its time to move on without them.

Neither Duke or Ramar were guaranteed a starting spot on the roster next season. Ramar Smith looked to be competing with J.P. Prince, who shockingly moved to the point guard position in the NCAA tournament. However, now that Ramar is no longer a factor, Prince looks like he will be the starting point guard next year, that is unless Daniel West, an incoming 3 star freshman, doesn’t take his spot. Plus, now that Pearl has two more scholarships to use, he might be looking to sign another point guard in this class. However, I think most people expect Prince to be the leader in the clubhouse, which means that Cameron Tatum and Scotty Hopson will get their chance to shine early and often, now that they don’t have to compete with Prince at the two and three spots.

The most memorable play in Ramar Smith’s career.

As for Duke Crews, he looked to be the odd man out with the emergence of Brian Williams, and the continued development of Wayne Chism. Pearl has recently said that he expects Williams to be a starter this upcoming season, and if he continues to get stronger in the weight room he could be a big part of this team’s success. Also with Duke Crews no longer on the bench, incoming freshmen Renaldo Woolridge and Phillip Jurick should get a chance to show what they can do to help this team next season.

Woolridge just got a boost in playing time. The big time prospect is not only taller than Duke Crews, he can also drive the lane and shoot from the outside.

Duke Crews and Ramar Smith obviously weren’t very dedicated to the program, and their play is evidence of that as they haven’t improved very much since they arrived on campus. Every program is going to hit a bump in the road, but I don’t think this is one that will cripple this team from reaching their goal of becoming an elite basketball program. We may struggle early on in the season because of the inexperience at multiple positions, but this team has the talent to do anything they want.

If Coach Pearl thinks our team is better off without Ramar and Duke then thats a good enough reason for me. Ramar Smith and Duke Crews have a lot of talent and its sad to see that talent go somewhere else, but as Chris Lofton proved throughout his college career, it takes more than talent to become great.

Scotty Hopson Commits to Tennessee

Barring the worst April Fool’s joke in the history of the world, Scotty Hopson committed to play for the BIG ORANGE today! Choosing UT over in-state Kentucky and the school he previously committed to, Mississippi State.

With the loss of Chris Lofton and Jajuan Smith at both shooting guard positions, there was definitely a big hole the Vols needed to fill, and with this most recent commitment consider that done. Scotty Hopson is ranked as the second best shooting guard and 9th best player in this year’s class, according to Rivals. He is also Pearl’s first McDonald’s All-American commit.

At 6′5 Hopson is a very versatile player that could be a star at not only the college level, but also in the NBA. His upside is through the roof, and has even been compared to Vince Carter athletically. However, his jump shot is his best asset because of the height he gets on it, and his range.

With the addition of Hopson, the Vols look to trot out another team that should be the favorites to win the SEC, and possibly contend for a National Title, that is if Tyler Smith doesn’t decide to go pro. The rotation is going to look something like this:

PG- Ramar Smith, J.P. Prince, Daniel West (2008 commit)

SG- Scotty Hopson

SG- Cameron Tatum, Josh Tabb

SF/PF- Tyler Smith, Duke Crews, Renaldo Woolridge (2008 commit, #57 on Rivals 150), Ryan Childress

PF/Center- Wayne Chism, Brian Williams, Phillip Jurick (2008 commit, #63 on Rivals 150)

This team may not be as good as last year’s team, but they will definitely have more talent and size. We will replace two 6′1 guards with two 6′5 or 6′6 guards in Hopson and Tatum. A very talented 6′8 small forward with a great shot in Renaldo Woolridge. Plus, we will finally have a true center and point guard in Jurick and West, respectively. Not to mention all the talented players that remain on the team.

I don’t know how this team will pan out, but one thing is for sure, “There is always next year,” just got a lot easier to swallow. Go Big Orange!!

Clemson’s Bold New Recruiting Strategy Paying Off

Kenneth Page, a very highly touted offensive lineman, was one of many prospects to choose Clemson over Tennessee this past recruiting season. Many Vols fans wondered how we could be beat out on so many recruits by Clemson. Well I guess we got our answer.

HT: Brahsome.com

This photo of Page holding what looks to be thousands of dollars riding in the back of a car was posted on Kenneth’s Myspace page. However, as soon as Clemson learned of the picture it was immediately removed.

Clemson, a team that is the epitome of mediocrity, has suddenly had unreal success in recruiting. Most people believed this was because of Dabo Swinney, the man that recruited Page and most of their other highly touted recruits, who is considered to be one of the best recruiters in College football. Obviously their recruiting success can be attributed to more than just Dabo.

I guess there is always the possibility that he could of just had thousands of dollars saved up for a rainy day, or maybe he was just holding it for someone (Dabo). Either way it looks like Clemson has some explaining to do. This should be fun.

Breaking Down the Bracket: East Region

The hardest region of them all and Tennessee is right smack in the middle of it. As Ghost pointed out, the Vols got HOSED by the selection committee and will have to go through some pretty tough teams to make it to the Final Four. It is what it is though, and if we’re going to win it all, we’re going to have to beat some good teams. Lets see if Vols can do it.

East Region

#1 UNC defeats #16 Play-in Winner- Its already over.

Everybody- UNC

#9 Arkansas defeats #8 Indiana- Indiana is one of those teams that can beat anyone, or get beat by anyone. They are really talented with super freshman Eric Gordon leading the way, and Big Ten Player of the Year D.J. White. Arkansas is not too bad athletically themselves with Sonny Weems and Patrick Beverly. However, as good as Arkansas played against Tennessee, they played equally as bad against Georgia in the SEC Tournament’s final game. What this will come down to is the ability of Eric Gordon to make shots from the outside, and take over the game. I would say that could be a possibility if Gordon didn’t have to wear a shirt under his jersey to cover up his man-boobs. Not exactly a superstar move. Arkansas, by the hair on Steven Hill’s chin.

I will forever hate you Steven Hill.

#5 Notre Dame defeats #12 George Mason- I’ve already picked my twelve seed upset, and there isn’t really anything that tells me this George Mason team can follow the route of their predecessors. Notre Dame relies on the three point shot, but they also have a good inside game this year with Luke Harangody. Irish advance.

#4 Washington State defeats #13 Winthrop- This isn’t the same Winthrop team that upset the Irish last year in the tournament.

#11 St. Joes upsets #6 Oklahoma- Oklahoma is by far the most talented team in this matchup, but they’re not healthy to say the least. Their best player Blake Griffin, is coming off knee surgery, which may cause him to play at less than a hundred percent. The only other rebounder on the team, Longar Longar (his parents must have really liked the name Longar), is playing on a broken leg. St. Joes on the other hand has the older brother of Nick Calathes, Pat, playing down low. He’s a great scorer from all over the court, and can rebound pretty well at 6′10. If Oklahoma is less than a hundred percent, and St. Joes hits some shots outside, they should pull the upset.

#3 Louisville downs #14 Boise State- This isn’t football. I doubt the Statue of Liberty would work with a basketball. Louisville big.

#2 Tennessee annihilates #15 American- This is American’s first tournament appearance in the history of the program, so they’re probably just happy to be here. Tough draw guys. Maybe next year.

#7 Butler fends off #10 South Alabama- The best seven seed in the history of the tournament didn’t get any favors from the selection committee. South Alabama isn’t exactly a walk over, and if it wouldn’t have been for the mighty Blue Raiders knocking them out of their conference tourney they would have been seeded a couple spots higher. USA is lead by the very talented Demetric Bennett, who can drive the paint and has NBA range on his three point shot. However, Butler’s guards aren’t too bad themselves, and may have the best frontcourt of any team I’ve seen this year. They only lost three games all season, and that included some pretty tough teams early on. I like the Bulldogs.

Breaking Down the Bracket: West Region

Well its that time of year again. The tourney is finally here, and the field is set and ready to go.

As our Bracketologist here at TSIB, I’m going to break down each region before the first game is played on Thursday. Unlike those other so called “Bracketologists,” I’m going to go against the grain and pick something other than all one seeds, since its never happened before.

This first edition of Breaking Down the Bracket is going to deal with the West Regional.

West Region

#1 UCLA defeats # 16 Mississippi Valley State- UCLA walks in to the arena thinking they can just win because of the name on their jersey, and they are correct.

Everyone- UCLA

#8 BYU defeats #9 Texas A&M- The Cougars have pretty good guard play, and don’t seem to turn over the ball a lot. Their best player, Lee Cummard a 6′7 guard, will be the best player on the court with his ability to shoot the rock from anywhere and play solid defense. On the other hand, The Aggies don’t have very good guards at all, and never had anyone step up to be anywhere close to what Acie Law was last year. Plus, BYU is still pissed about McCain beating out Mitt Romney in the Republican Primary. I like the Fightin’ Mormons.

Tidefanintn- BYU
GhostofNeyland- Texas A&M
Capstone King- Texas A&M

#12 Western Kentucky upsets #5 Drake- Every year you have to pick a 12 seed over a 5, and most years it wouldn’t hurt to pick a couple. I have seen Western in person, and on television this season, and I came away very impressed, especially with the the future high first rounder Courtney Lee. He was a force against Tennessee in Nashville, and I even liked him better than Derrick Rose as a pro prospect and player that night. They also match up very well against Drake. Almost every player on the court for both teams can drain the three, but Drake doesn’t have a player like Lee that can do it all. Lee will take over late in the game, while Drake is distracted with trying to figure what the heck Western Kentucky’s Mascot is supposed to be. SUN BELT DOMINANCE!!!
Capstone King- Western Kentucky
Tidefanintn-Drake
GhostofNeyland- Drake

#4 Connecticut defeats #13 San Diego- Connecticut wins on talent alone. No upset here.

Tidefanintn- UCONN

GhostofNeyland- San Diego

Capstone King- UCONN

#6 Purdue defeats #11 Baylor- Purdue is a pretty solid team that has improved as the year has went along. Their coach Matt Painter won Coach of the year in the Big Ten, and they had some impressive wins over Loisville, Michigan State, and Wisconsin twice. Although they lost eight games five of them were by 3 points. The Baylor Bears on the other hand, finished the season 5-8, losing practically every big game down the stretch. Take the Boilermakers.

Tidefanintn- Purdue

GhostofNeyland- Baylor

Capstone King- Purdue#3 Xavier defeats #14 Georgia- I hate to do this to Georgia, but I think the great story will come to an end. Georgia is on fire right now, but I just don’t think they have the depth to make a run in the tournament. Xavier hung with the Vols earlier this year, and have some good wins over tournament teams. Not to mention their RPI ranking is nearly 100 spots higher than the Dawgs. Xavier is really well rounded and pretty deep. I hope I’m wrong, but I’m going to take Xavier here.

Tidefanintn- Xavier
GhostofNeyland- Xavier
Capstone King- Georgia

#7 West Virginia defeats #10 Arizona- Arizona just barely made into the round of 65 because all of their losses late in the season. They have a lot of talent, but they’re also young and probably lack confidence after playing so bad near the end. On the other hand, the Mountaineers played well down the stretch with wins over Pitt and Connecticut. West Virginia relies heavily on the three point shot, which sounds like a recipe for winning if you ask me. Plus, they got Huggy Bear, and Arizona has an interim coach. Take the Mountaineers.

Tidefanintn- West Virginia
GhostofNeyland- West Virginia
Capstone King- West Virginia

#2 Duke defeats #15 Belmont- Just because Belmont beat Alabama doesn’t mean their good. Just ask Lousiana-Monroe. Duke wins in impressive fashion.

Tidefanintn- Duke
GhostofNeyland- Duke
Capstone King- Duke

Vols Lose More Than Just a Game

I’m going to be honest, this one hurts. It hurts because this was our year to finally break the SEC Tournament curse. It hurts because the game was so close. And most of all, it hurts because we may have just lost our number one seed.

Everything was set up perfectly for the Vols to finally win the tournament. Kentucky and Vanderbilt had already been put out, we didn’t have to play in the dreaded Georgia Dome, and we had already beat Arkansas earlier in the year.

A lot of contributing factors went into the loss, but most importantly was the lack of defense. However, the defensive intensity was certainly affected by foul problems, especially with our big men, which allowed Arkansas to score in the paint all night long.

On offense we actually played pretty good. The shots were falling for the majority of the game, until the end when everything seemed to rattle out. Lofton’s missed free throw was especially crucial, and Jajuan Smith’s wide open three just barely missed as well. Obviously those are two shots that we must make if we expect to win the tournament that really matters.

The question now becomes, Will we lose our number one seed? I thought at first we may not, but now I believe we will. First of all, Memphis and North Carolina are locks. Then there is UCLA who looks like a one seed now by barely winning (Getting all the calls) their last four games to claim the Pac 10 tournament title. Which leaves one spot left for Kansas, Texas, or UT. Kansas and Texas will be decided on the floor in the Big 12 Tournament’s Championship Game. If Kansas were to win they would likely get the one seed, because they only have three losses, and if Texas wins they might get it because they would have beat Kansas twice, Tennessee, and UCLA. I personally don’t know what they should do, but it would mean a lot for Tennessee to still get that one seed.

At least this was just the SEC Tournament and not the Big Dance. We still won the SEC Title, and were still in it for the National Title. This meant a lot to Tennessee, but our ultimate goal is still in reach. Lets get out there and play some d.

Mayo Leaping his Way Up the Draft Boards

Just in case Jerod Mayo didn’t prove to NFL scouts that he is a sure-fire first rounder during his All-SEC season and great combine workout that included a 4.54 forty, just recently at UT’s pro day he turned in an incredible 40 inch vertical. Thats eight inches higher than the 32 inch vertical he recorded at the combine.

Just to put this into perspective, his 40 inch vertical is higher than anyone jumped at the combine, and 3.5 inches higher than any other linebacker.

Mayo is being projected as a late first rounder, potentially landing with the Titans.

The NCAA Tournament and the BCS Need a Change

The NCAA Tournament and the BCS could not be any more different than each other. “The Big Dance” is just that, BIG. Sixty-five teams have a chance at the end of the year to play it out on the court for the championship. Unfortunately the BCS doesn’t allow the same kind of fairness, or entertainment, in determining their champion.

However, neither system is without flaws.This season was a clear sign that a playoff is needed in college football. The top seven or so teams could make an argument of why they should have been in the title game. On the other hand, the regular season was one of the best we’ve ever seen, and partly because of the hated BCS. Teams that were considered out of it one week, were right back in the next. LSU lost their last regular season game in a thriller to Arkansas, before rebounding against the Vols to get to the title game where they blew out Ohio State.

On the other hand, West Virginia was upset by Pitt in the last game of the season and it cost them their chance at the title. These kind of scenarios are strictly unique to College Football because every game matters so much. However, the NCAA tournament doesn’t allow this sort of late season games to matter. With a playoff like we currently have in basketball, the only thing LSU and West Virginia would have been playing for at that point in the season would have been seeding. The only games that really matter at the end of the regular season are the bubble games, which allows teams with 10 losses to prove their worthy of a chance to play with the best teams. Not exactly fair, in my opinion.

Live Blog: Tennessee vs. Vandy

7:55- Almost game time. Eric Gordon is decent at best. He would probably be better if he ever worked out. Maybe then he could lose the t-shirt as well. Maybe I just associate the t-shirt under the jersey with bad basketball because thats what we used to wear.

7:58- Watching the game with a fellow Tennessee fan Chase, and a Bammer that roots against everything orange, Run in the Mud. We better win this game after all the bragging I’ve done these last two days or I’ll never here the end of it. I made the prediction we would pull this one out, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they beat us, at all.

8:00- Just watched the pep rally speech by Pearl before the Memphis game, so I’m ready to go, hopefully the team is too.

8:10- Terrible start. We got to start guarding Foster or were going to get killed.

8:17- We look flat. Lazy on defense, and not guarding the perimeter at all.

8:19- This gym really takes away the Pearl factor. Someone give that man a megaphone. I hate this place.

8:21- 20-9. About the worst start we could hope for. At this point I would give us a 25% chance of winning this game. This is such a trap game for the Vols and it looks like we’re caught in it.

8:25- Pearl just got a technical foul for arguing an obviously terrible call. If he’s not careful he may get the boot. Maybe he’s trying to pull a Lou Pinella to get a rise out of our players, we certainly need it.

8 :31- They’re getting it to the big men and its working. 24-12.

8:34- (Chase)- “Always great to hear the bullsh** cheer on national television. Especially when its the top college in the South doing it.”

8:35- Lofton needs five 3’s a game to catch Reddick. That’s three tonight. 24-17.

8:37- Vandy finally went cold. I’m starting to feel better about our chances. As long we hang in there in the first half we should fare better in the second half when we get the Pearl factor back, at least on offense.

8:39- Commercial break: Roger Clemens has been caught in yet another lie. Who would have thought that telling jokes about his wife and Canseco’s wife comparing boob-jobs would be the thing that ultimately took him down.

8:41- Chism has already got three fouls, but Ogilvy has three as well. The way Chism has been playing so far, advantage Tennessee.

8:42- Jajaun Smith from nearly half-court!!!! Wow!! That was Lofton-like from last year’s Vandy game. Our shot selection has not been very good as of late, but if we can drain them from there, who cares?

8:44- Jay Cutler in the house tonight (No, not the body builder). With that swoop hair-do and low I.Q., why did Bama not recruit that guy?

Fulmer Replies To Adams Calling For His Job

As many of you already know, this week John Adams called for Phillip Fulmer’s job for not being firm enough in his disciplinary actions, and letting the team become out of control. Not only was Adams’ article based on poor logic, but he was also speaking of something he knew nothing about.

We here at Third Saturday in Blogtober chose not to acknowledge this article because we basically considered it crap not worthy of our time. Thankfully, Coach Fulmer decided to write his own guest column in the Knoxville News Sentinel to defend himself. Enjoy.

Here is an excerpt from Fulmer’s response:

“In Tuesday’s Knoxville News-Sentinel, you may have seen John Adams’ column attacking my character and my leadership. We live in a free country, and Mr. Adams has built a successful career speaking his mind - that’s his right. But the readers of the News-Sentinel have a right to know what Mr. Adams doesn’t know, as well.

Mr. Adams has never sat next to me in a prospect’s living room, looking his mother or grandmother in the eyes and promising to treat the young man like he was my own child - giving him tough love when necessary and an opportunity to straighten up when that’s in order. It is a promise I take seriously and will never abandon to please any columnist.”

Coach Fulmer did the right thing in standing up for himself when Adams’ attacked his character. In fact, he probably should have been even harder on him. John Adams obviously has no respect for Phillip Fulmer, and after this article I have no respect for Adams. I’m happy to have Fulmer as our football coach. Sometimes he has probably been more lenient on some players than most would be, but I trust his judgment.

A lot of people consider Fulmer an easy target to criticize for whatever reason, but this time he’s not taking it like he usually does, and I for one am proud he’s not. He deserves better than this. Fulmer has done a lot of great things for Tennessee football and its time the writers and fans take notice.

Tennessee vs. Arkansas

The Vols will host Arkansas tonight at TBA. Arkansas comes in to Knoxville riding a 5 game winning streak, while Tennessee has their highest national ranking in as long as I can remember at number four. However, Arkansas currently holds the lead in the Western division, and almost certainly will be in the tournament come March.

Tennessee needs to be careful not to overlook the Razorbacks, and I doubt they will since Arkansas is one of only two teams to take down the Vols at home since the arrival of Pearl. The Hogs have a great point guard in Patrick Beverly, and are also very deep down on the post, which gave the Vols fits last game versus LSU. However, Arkansas’s best player is Sonny Weems. At 6-6 Weems can do it all. He has become a very good shooter as of late, and can drive the hole effectively as well. Obviously Weems will provide matchup problems for the Vols, but combine that with a bunch good big men and we could very well lose this game.

For the Vols to pull this one off Chism and Crews will have to have huge games defensively. Lofton will need to keep up his hot shooting, and Jujaun will need to keep Weems from ripping us apart offensively.

The question for both of these teams will be, which one of them shows up. Obviously Tennessee struggled offensively against LSU, and I would say that we need to break 50 to beat a much better Arkansas team. Likewise, Arkansas has looked great beating Florida and Miss. State by twenty, but they were also handed defeats by South Carolina, Georgia, and Appy State.

As last night’s Kentucky/Vandy game proved, you never know what team is going to show up, but I got a feeling Pearl will have them ready.

UT vs. Rutgers, National Champs vs. “Nappy Headed Hos”

Pearl is also expected to be at the game dressed in pink for breast cancer awareness. What’s not to watch?