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Snowflakes: SEC Hoops

* I’ve written all season about the banner year for basketball in the state of Tennessee. The two best teams in the league appear to be from the Volunteer State in Tennessee and Vanderbilt (although detractors would qualify the Commodores inclusion as long as they are playing at home). Vandy beat the newly crowned #1 Vols at Memorial Gym Tuesday night to run their home record to 18-0. Opponents in the SEC often complain about the benches in the end zone, the raised floor, and also the fact that the refs have given technical fouls to the visitors in 4 straight games at Memorial. Either way, Vanderbilt has proven this season that their program is right there to compete with Tennessee and Memphis for press clipping in the State.

While more attention tends to go to big personality coaches like Bruce Pearl and John Calipari, many fans forget that Kevin Stallings has taken Vandy to the Sweet 16 in two of the last four seasons. He and Calipari took a little while to build Top 20 programs, but it has been Pearl’s presence that seems to have lifted the basketball conscience in Tennessee. ‘Bruce Almighty’ has granted access to his team that many coaches are afraid to give, and the fact that the Vols play a wide-open, exciting style has attracted national attention as well. With both Vandy and UT looking like a great bet to go back to the Sweet 16, it shows that the coaches in the Volunteer State are steadily building a solid foundation of hoops tradition.

* It’s going to be quite an interesting two weeks for both Kentucky and Florida. Both perennial powerhouses should get in to the NCAA Tournament with a decent finish, but you never want to leave room for the committee to question your resume. Florida hosts Mississippi State on Saturday while Kentucky travels to Knoxville to try and claim first place in the East from the Vols. A victory for either the Gators or Wildcats will definitely go a long way into securing a bid to the Big Dance.

- Patrick Snow

                                                                 

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