Has the rise of BBall in Tenn hurt the Hogs?

[The Truth]

Last night, Vandy and Tenn played in a matchup of two teams ranked in the top 15. The game turned into a laugher, but both teams are headed to the NCAAs, and the Vols look like they have a real shot at the Final Four. Down I40 a bit, at the Mississippi River and the Arkansas border, the Memphis Tigers have been virtually unstoppable. The team with the best chance to beat them, at least before the NCAAs? It's the Vols.

Over the last few years, as Kentucky has slipped--even before this season's debacle under Billy Clyde--there has been an opening in the Upper South, a chance for other programs to establish themselves, build recruiting, and compete for SEC Championships. Right now, it looks like all three TN schools have capitalized on that opportunity, while the hogs have slowly struggled to "rebuild."

[3kgthog]

The things that have hurt the Hogs most were Nolan Richardson losing his fire and the subsequent hiring of unproven Stan Heath. We have only ourselves to blame and nothing UT and Memphis have done has greatly affected the potential here. The facilities, tradition, and fan support were always there. We just didn't have the coach to get the right players and run the right system for this conference. Whether Pelphrey is that guy remains to be seen.

[razerbacker]

maybe

[Peter Venkman]

I think the success of those teams have hampered our ability to recruit Memphis. When the Razorbacks were rolling we had some players from Memphis (Todd Day, Corey Beck, Dwight Stewart)

[40MINSOFHELL]

nah Tenn. isnt hurting us but maybe Mempiss is, but if u didnt notice, Tenn. is horrible at rebounding, wait until the tournament when they play a good team that can rebound, their season will be over, and for mempiss, they will lose because they are really horrible at free throw shooting, horrific is the key word for their ft shooting but if i have to pick one, ill pick Mempiss

[The Truth]

nah Tenn. isnt hurting us but maybe Mempiss is, but if u didnt notice, Tenn. is horrible at rebounding, wait until the tournament when they play a good team that can rebound, their season will be over, and for mempiss, they will lose because they are really horrible at free throw shooting, horrific is the key word for their ft shooting but if i have to pick one, ill pick Mempiss

In 2001-02, UA finished 14-14 overall, 6-9 SEC.
In the same season, UT finished 14-16 overall, 6-9 SEC.
I think it's fair to say that the two programs were at the same mediocre place that year.

Since 2001-02, the Hogs have gone 2-4 against UT.

Heath was lucky to sneak into the NCAAs last year, and this year's Hogs look a lot like last year's. Meanwhile the Vols are the class of the SEC and contenders for a Final Four. Now that's "rebuilding."