Memphis was reportedly looking to make a big splash after losing John Calipari to Kentucky. Rick Pitino was not going to be walking through that door. Neither was Tim Floyd coming from USC -- despite apparently listening. Bruce Pearl may or may not have been interested, but Tennessee was not going to let Pearl even appear to be considering an offer from Memphis.
The NCAA tournament is just days away, so FanHouse writers and editors got together to talk over each region. The Midwest Region got the ball rolling. Now it's the East's turn.
Some great defense inside, horrid shooting from the perimeter, a clock operator that never started the clock, and refs who choked in the final minute of the game. The end result of all that? While Mississippi State is deservedly heading to the NCAA Tournament by winning the SEC Tournament, it is diminished by incompetence elsewhere.
Ultimately, most will remember the final minute of incompetency from the officials and clock operator. It was that bad. Phantom foul calls, not noticing a malfunctioning clock, a rapid five second call -- all these things took away from what was a taut and exciting game.
The Volunteers bandwagon will be full for at least one day. Teams from Happy Valley, PA to Moraga, CA will be pulling for Tennessee. They will play Mississippi State for the SEC Tournament final. A Tennessee win, saves one last bubble spot for the teams that will be just happy to be there.
Tennessee was highly efficient on offense the entire game. They hit shots outside and the inside game opened up for them. Auburn just could not stop Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism. The Vols performed like the team many expected in the preseason. They just overwhelmed Auburn.
Well, I mean aside from LSU which has run their record to 10-1 in the conference. Over in the SEC East it is a mess. Whether you want to call it parity, mediocrity or just plain suckitude, there are four teams pillow-fighting their way to see who can back into the top spot in the division.
Kentucky got humiliated by Vanderbilt yesterday. Florida, which had lost three of four got a win over a bad Alabama team. Tennessee got run out of Oxford by an injury-ravaged Ole Miss team. South Carolina has been overachieving, but they couldn't win in Starkville. That leaves all four with identical 7-4 conference records.
It seems that any week of the season, just about any Pac Ten team can beat any other, unless the former is named Stanford--and after surprise upsets in 2006 by Arizona over California and UCLA and Oregon State over Southern California the axiom proved true--setting up some good revenge matches for 2007 in addition to a quality out-of conference schedule
5. Oregon State at Southern California, November 3
In 2006, Southern California traveled to a packed house in Corvallis, gave the ball up four times and dug itself into a 23-point deficit, before scoring 21 unanswered poins only to lose on a tipped ball two-point conversion. Homecoming will have extra meaning for the Trojans this year.
Beaver running back Yvenson Bernard will be making a run at two Trojans' places in the record books, as he chases Marcus Allen and Charles White on the all-time rushing yards list.
4. Notre Dame at UCLA, October 6
Only last-second heroics by Brady Quinn and Jeff Samardzija could save the Fighting Irish from the jaws of defeat at the hands of Pat Cowan and the rag-tag bunch of Bruins.
In 2007, Jimmy Clausen will have to fill the big shoes of Quinn as he makes his first trip back to Southern California in the Blue and Gold. Expect no sympathy for his spurning USC's advances from an aggressive Bruin defense.
Someone let Florida Coach Billy Donovan know that he can control some of the coaching carousel speculation around him if he wants. Bruce Pearl did it nice and quickly to before there was even any major issue as to whether he would leave Tennessee for Iowa.
The men's basketball coach was contacted Tuesday by Iowa athletic director Gary Barta, who got clearance the night before from Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton to talk to Pearl, a former Iowa assistant.
Pearl told Barta he was not leaving Tennessee, and then he wanted fans to know.
"I'm putting it out there just as fast as I can because I don't want it to be a concern of our fans, and I want to demonstrate my loyalty and my commitment to this program. I appreciate very much being here, so I don't want them to worry about me going anywhere," Pearl told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "This is where I want to be. I want to be here as long as they'll be happy with me here."
In a statement issued by the school, Pearl expressed appreciation for support from fans, administrators and other coaches, namely football coach Phillip Fulmer and women's basketball coach Pat Summitt.
"It was never a consideration for me to leave Tennessee," Pearl said in the statement. "I had a phone conversation with Iowa's athletic director early this morning as a courtesy for a place I have coached at and have great respect for. The University of Iowa is an outstanding school, and I know they will find a quality coach to continue their strong tradition of great basketball."
And now the issue is over. In a way, I'm a little saddened. There is this whole hatred Illinois fans have for Pearl because of his part in entrapping exposing some recruiting shenanigans at Illinois in the late 80s. Illinois already has a hate going at Indiana with Kelvin Sampson grabbing top point guard Eric Gordon after he verballed to Illinois. This would just fire up the Illini up against another Big 10 school even more. That's always fun.
Ah, well. It's good for Tennessee at least. Iowa is rumored to be interested in Dana Altman at Creighton, but he seems very content where he is.
We mentioned yesterday that Tennessee' women's basketball coach Pat Summit had threatened promised to show up at the men's Tennessee/Florida game tonight in a cheerleader outfit, and, well ... she wasn't kidding. Here's Pat (with thanks to the always reliable Awful Announcing), showing off her getaway sticks:
I got a little bit nervous for the male cheerleaders lifting Pat up to the top of the mini-pyramid there. Had she gone up any higher, someone was getting an upskirt shot. And you just wouldn't recover from something like that.
Honestly, though, it's hard to make fun of this. If you're a Tennessee student, it was probably a hell of a lot of fun to witness that. Cliche or not, it is school spirit, it is part of what makes college athletics great, and plus, for maybe the first time in his life, Peyton Manning was probably not the goofiest white person in the room.
The only thing at all aggravating about it was Dick Vitale, forcing out the staggered chuckles and the "Ohhh!"s like he was being held at knifepoint and forced to do it. I try to be nice to Vitale, but ... it's like he was trying his best to ruin that.
I know you've been wondering for a long time what's lurking under that neatly-tailored pantsuit. Tomorrow night when Tennessee takes on Florida, you'll get the chance to find outt. Tennessee women's coach Pat Summitt is going to put the goods on display. Rrrrrrow.
Earlier this year, men's coach Bruce Pearl showed up for a women's game with his torso painted orange, and now Summitt's going to return the favor by cheering in the stands at a men's game ... and what better opportunity than when the Vols get the 5th-ranked Florida Gators at home.
Summitt's hinted that she'll be going as a cheerleader. She's said her appearance will be "a lot out of character." Well, that shouldn't be difficult. If she does anything other than show up and berate every fan in the building for not paying attention, and then smacks them all on the hand with a ruler, it would be out of character.
Pat Summitt in a cheerleader outfit. It's about damn time.
If you were watching college basketball on ESPN last night or Sportscenter, it was hard to miss the shot of Tennessee Volunteers basketball coach Bruce Pearl showing up at the Lady Vols game -- in orange body paint with a big "V" on his chest. The appearance so startled the Lady Vols that they fell behind 19-0 early in the game, before rallying to a 74-70 loss. Can't say I blame them. Really, more impressed that they recovered at all.
I have to agree with Zach of the Big Picture (and also the Fanhouse) I imagined Bruce Pearl to have a lot more body hair. Given the way Pearl has sweated through some suits, I wonder how much the body paint was running by the end of the game.
The biggest problem I have with this stunt, I started considering what certain basketball coaches would look like shirtless and covered in body paint. Mike Krzyzewski in blue paint with the Cameron Crazies. Ernie Kent bouncing in day-glow yellow with Oregon students. Lute Olson? Try and imagine Bob Knight going -- okay, I can't even form that one.
Upon further disturbing reflection, at least most of the college basketball coaches are not grotesquely huge. The most terrifying prospect would be the trend staying on the Tennessee campus and spreading to the coaches of other teams. I don't think the world could handle Phil Fulmer showing up shirtless. If the game was televised, surely the FCC would have to be involved.
Nothing like the threat of having a bitter in-state rival possibly poaching your coach to force another contract extension, even after a somewhat disappointing season. Memphis was hoping to land Bruce Pearl from Tennessee, with a whopping seven-year, $21 million contract according to some reports.
Some great defense inside, horrid shooting from the perimeter, a clock operator that never started the clock, and refs who choked in the final minute of the game. The end result of all that? While Mississippi State is deservedly heading to the NCAA Tournament by winning the SEC Tournament, it is diminished by incompetence elsewhere.
The Volunteers bandwagon will be full for at least one day. Teams from Happy Valley, PA to Moraga, CA will be pulling for Tennessee. They will play Mississippi State for the SEC Tournament final. A Tennessee win, saves one last bubble spot for the teams that will be just happy to be there.
Well, I mean aside from LSU which has run their record to 10-1 in the conference. Over in the SEC East it is a mess. Whether you want to call it parity, mediocrity or just plain suckitude, there are four teams pillow-fighting their way to see who can back into the top spot in the division.
Someone let Florida Coach Billy Donovan know that he can control some of the coaching carousel speculation around him if he wants. Bruce Pearl did it nice and quickly to before there was even any major issue as to 
I know you've been wondering for a long time what's lurking under that neatly-tailored pantsuit. Tomorrow night when Tennessee takes on Florida, you'll get the chance to find outt. Tennessee women's coach Pat Summitt is going to put the goods on display. Rrrrrrow.
That sight will take a while to fade. 
