2009–10 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team

For Tennessee's women's team in the same season, see 2009–10 Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team.

2009–10 Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Elite Eight
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEast
Ranking
CoachesNo. 9
APNo. 15
Record28–9 (11–5 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaThompson-Boling Arena
Seasons
2009–10 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
East
No. 2 Kentucky† 14 – 2   .875 35 – 3   .921
No. 21 Vanderbilt 12 – 4   .750 24 – 9   .727
No. 15 Tennessee 11 – 5   .688 28 – 9   .757
Florida 9 – 7   .563 21 – 13   .618
South Carolina 6 – 10   .375 15 – 16   .484
Georgia 5 – 11   .313 14 – 17   .452
West
Mississippi State 9 – 7   .563 24 – 12   .667
Mississippi 9 – 7   .563 24 – 11   .686
Arkansas 7 – 9   .438 14 – 18   .438
Alabama 6 – 10   .375 17 – 15   .531
Auburn 6 – 10   .375 15 – 17   .469
LSU 2 – 14   .125 11 – 20   .355
† 2010 SEC tournament winner
As of March 30, 2010
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2009–10 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team[1] represented the University of Tennessee in the 2009-10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was the fifth season for Bruce Pearl as the Volunteers' head coach. The team, a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference, played its home games at Thompson-Boling Arena. They finished the season 28–9, 11–5 in SEC play and advanced to the semifinals of the 2010 SEC men's basketball tournament before losing to Kentucky. They received an at-large bid to the 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, earning a 6 seed in the Midwest Region. They defeated 11 seed San Diego State in the first round and 14 seed Ohio to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. In the regional semifinal they defeated 2 seed and AP #5 Ohio State to advance to the first Elite Eight in school history. They were defeated by 5 seed and AP #13 Michigan State in the regional final to end their season.

Preseason

The 2008–09 Volunteers finished the season 21–13 overall, against the second-rated schedule in the nation, with a 10–6 mark in conference play. The Vols won the SEC East crown and appeared in the SEC Championship Game for the first time since 1991. In postseason play, the Volunteers earned a number 9 seed in the NCAA tournament. The team went on to lose in the first round to the Oklahoma State Cowboys and finished the season unranked.[2]

The Vols lost several players during the off-season. Two seniors from the team graduated: Tanner Wild and Ryan Childress. Philip Jurick did not return to the team and Daniel West did not have his scholarship extended due to being academically ineligible. Also, sophomore forward Emmanuel Negedu underwent surgery and will not play for the 2009–10 season. Negedu had to have a sub-pectoral implantable cardiac defibrillator implanted after suffering a cardiac arrest after a workout in the Neyland-Thompson Sports Complex on September 28, 2009.[3] On October 28, 2009, senior guard Josh Tabb, who was indefinitely suspended on September 18, returned to Illinois in order to care after his ailing mother.[4]

On November 2, 2009, the SEC released the rosters for the All-SEC first and second teams. Senior guard/forward Tyler Smith was chosen for the first team All-SEC. Wayne Chism was selected for the second team All-SEC.[5]

On January 1, 2010, Tyler Smith, Cameron Tatum, Brian Williams, and Melvin Goins were arrested for weapons charges and marijuana possession. Coach Bruce Pearl suspended the four players. Tyler Smith was dismissed from the team, and the three other players have since been reinstated.

Class of 2009 Signees

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kenny Hall
PF 		Stone Mountain, Georgia Redan High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Mar 2, 2008 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 92
Melvin Goins
PG 		San Diego, California Mt. San Jacinto College (CA) 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 185 lb (84 kg)  
Star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Tennessee 2009 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  • "2009 Tennessee Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  • "2009 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 16, 2009.

2009–10 Roster

Name Number Position Height Weight Year Hometown Former School
Renaldo Woolridge 0 PF/SF 6'8" 208 Sophomore Sherman Oaks, California Harvard-Westlake
Bobby Maze 3 PG 6'3" 195 Senior Suitland, Maryland Hutchinson (Kan.) C.C.
Wayne Chism 4 C/PF 6'9" 246 Senior Jackson, Tennessee Bolivar Central
Emmanuel Negedu 5 PF 6'7" 218 Sophomore Kaduna, Nigeria Brewster (N.H.) Academy
Michael Hubert 10 G 6'2" 203 Junior Hendersonville, Tennessee University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Quinn Cannington 11 SG 6'4" 165 Senior Knoxville, Tennessee Fulton
Skylar McBee 13 SG 6'3" 190 Freshman Rutledge, Tennessee Grainger County High School
Kenny Hall 20 PF 6'8" 220 Freshman Stone Mountain, Georgia Redan High School
Melvin Goins 21 PG 5'11" 195 Junior San Diego, California Mt. San Jacinto (Calif.) College
Steven Pearl 22 SF 6'5" 232 Junior Knoxville, Tennessee West
Cameron Tatum 23 SG 6'6" 197 Sophomore Lithonia, Georgia The Patterson School
Josh Bone 24 G 6'3" 195 Junior Nashville, Tennessee Southern Illinois University
J. P. Prince 30 G/F 6'7" 205 Senior Memphis, Tennessee Arizona
Scotty Hopson 32 SG 6'7" 200 Sophomore Hopkinsville, Kentucky University Heights
Brian Williams 33 C 6'10" 278 Junior Bronx, New York Harmony Community Prep

[6]

2009–10 Schedule

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 30*
7:30 pm 		No. 10 North Alabama W 117–79 
Thompson-Boling Arena (18,362)
Knoxville, TN
November 4*
7:30 pm 		No. 10 Lincoln Memorial W 97–58 
Thompson-Boling Arena (17,924)
Knoxville, TN
Regular season
November 13*
7:00 pm, SportSouth 		No. 10 Austin Peay W 83–54  1–0
 Thompson-Boling Arena (17,963)
Knoxville, TN
November 17*
7:00 pm, FSN 		No. 10 UNC-Asheville W 124–49  2–0
 Thompson-Boling Arena (17,085)
Knoxville, TN
November 20*
3:30 pm 		No. 10 vs. East Carolina
Paradise Jam Round 1 		W 105–66  3–0
 Sports and Fitness Center (3,117)
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
November 22*
6:00 pm, FCS 		No. 10 vs. DePaul
Paradise Jam Semifinal 		W 57–53  4–0
 Sports and Fitness Center (3,222)
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
November 23*
8:30 pm, FCS 		No. 9 vs. No. 7 Purdue
Paradise Jam Final 		L 73–72  4–1
 Sports and Fitness Center (3,755)
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
November 27*
7:00 pm, CSS 		No. 9 College of Charleston W 86–69  5–1
 Thompson-Boling Arena (18,293)
Knoxville, TN
December 2*
7:00 pm, SportsSouth 		No. 11 ETSU W 78–66  6–1
 Thompson-Boling Arena (17,512)
Knoxville, TN
December 11*
7:00 pm, CSS 		No. 9 vs. MTSU
Sun Belt Classic 		W 75–54  7–1
 Sommet Center (14,516)
Nashville, TN
December 15*
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 9 Wyoming W 77–58  8–1
 Thompson-Boling Arena (17,274)
Knoxville, TN
December 19*
4:30 pm, FSN 		No. 9 at USC L 77–55  8–2
 Galen Center (4,523)
Los Angeles, CA
December 23*
7:00 pm, CSS 		No. 16 North Carolina A&T W 99–78  9–2
 Thompson-Boling Arena (17,759)
Knoxville, TN
December 31*
4:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 14 at Memphis W 66–59  10–2
 FedExForum (17,544)
Memphis, TN
January 6*
7:00 pm, CSS 		No. 16 Charlotte W 88–71  11–2
 Thompson-Boling Arena (17,023)
Knoxville, TN
January 10*
4:30 pm, CBS 		No. 16 No. 1 Kansas W 76–68  12–2
 Thompson-Boling Arena (21,936)
Knoxville, TN
January 14
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 9 Auburn W 81–55  13–2
(1–0) 		Thompson-Boling Arena (20,368)
Knoxville, TN
January 16
1:30 pm, SEC Network 		No. 9 No. 21 Mississippi W 71–69 OT 14–2
(2–0) 		Thompson-Boling Arena (20,714)
Knoxville, TN
January 19
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 8 at Alabama W 63–56  15–2
(3–0) 		Coleman Coliseum (12,098)
Tuscaloosa, AL
January 23
5:00 pm, FSN South 		No. 8 at Georgia L 78–63  15–3
(3–1) 		Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)
Athens, GA
January 27
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 14 No. 21 Vanderbilt L 85–76  15–4
(3–2) 		Thompson-Boling Arena (19,103)
Knoxville, TN
January 31
1:00 pm, CBS 		No. 14 Florida W 60–61  16–4
(4–2) 		Thompson-Boling Arena (21,208)
Knoxville, TN
February 4
9:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 14 at LSU W 59–54  17–4
(5–2) 		Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,052)
Baton Rouge, LA
February 6
6:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 14 South Carolina W 79–53  18–4
(6–2) 		Thompson-Boling Arena (21,003)
Knoxville, TN
February 9
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 12 at No. 22 Vanderbilt L 90–71  18–5
(6–3) 		Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
Nashville, TN
February 13
9:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 12 at No. 3 Kentucky
ESPN College GameDay 		L 73–62  18–6
(6–4) 		Rupp Arena (24,402)
Lexington, KY
February 17
8:00 pm, SEC Network 		No. 20 Georgia W 60–69  19–6
(7–4) 		Thompson-Boling Arena (18,086)
Knoxville, TN
February 20
1:30 pm, SEC Network 		No. 20 South Carolina W 63–55  20–6
(8–4) 		Colonial Life Arena (15,622)
Columbia, SC
February 23
9:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 19 at Florida L 75–62  20–7
(8–5) 		O'Connell Center (11,273)
Gainesville, FL
February 27
12:00 pm, CBS 		No. 19 No. 2 Kentucky W 74–65  21–7
(9–5) 		Thompson-Boling Arena (21,214)
Knoxville, TN
March 3
7:00 pm, CSS 		No. 16 Arkansas W 80–73  22–7
(10–5) 		Thompson-Boling Arena (20,139)
Knoxville, TN
March 6
6:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 16 at Mississippi State W 75-59  23–7
(11–5) 		Humphrey Coliseum (10,021)
Starkville, MS
2010 SEC tournament
March 11
3:15 pm, SEC Network 		(E3) No. 15 vs. (W6) LSU
First Round 		W 59–49  24–7
 Bridgestone Arena (15,152)
Nashville, TN
March 12
3:30 pm, SEC Network 		(E3) No. 15 vs. (W2) Mississippi
Quarterfinals 		W 76–65  25–7
 Bridgestone Arena (19,123)
Nashville, TN
March 13
1:00 pm, ABC 		(E3) No. 15 vs. (E1) No. 2 Kentucky
Semifinals 		L 74–45  25–8
 Bridgestone Arena (20,207)
Nashville, TN
2010 NCAA tournament
March 18
9:45 pm, CBS 		(6 MW) No. 15 vs. (11 MW) San Diego State
First Round 		W 62–59  26–8
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,788)
Providence, RI
March 20
3:35 pm, CBS 		(6 MW) No. 15 vs. (14 MW) Ohio
Second Round 		W 83–68  27–8
 Dunkin' Donuts Center (11,271)
Providence, RI
March 26
7:07 pm, CBS 		(6 MW) No. 15 vs. (2 MW) No. 5 Ohio State
Sweet Sixteen 		W 76–73  28–8
 Edward Jones Dome (26,377)
St. Louis, MO
March 28
2:20 pm, CBS 		(6 MW) No. 15 vs. (5 MW) No. 13 Michigan State
Elite Eight 		L 70–69  28–9
 Edward Jones Dome (25,242)
St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time[7].

See also

References

  1. ^ The "Volunteers" nickname is exclusive to men's athletics at the school. Women's teams and athletes are formally referred to as "Lady Volunteers", but the short form of "Lady Vols" is more widely used (the university officially approves the use of both forms).
  2. ^ "2021-22 Men's College Basketball Rankings for Preseason".
  3. ^ "GoVolsXtra, University of Tennessee sports coverage".
  4. ^ "GoVolsXtra, University of Tennessee sports coverage".
  5. ^ "GoVolsXtra, University of Tennessee sports coverage".
  6. ^ "University of Tennessee Athletics Men's Basketball". Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2009.
  7. ^ "Tennessee Men's Basketball Schedule 2009". Archived from the original on September 6, 2015.