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SEC report | NCAA Tournament Report

Round 1 Furious finish vs. Louisiana-Lafayette goes Vols' way W 63-58
Round 2 Ailing defending-champ UConn no match for raging Vols W 65-51
Round 3 Second-half comeback beats Vols in Sweet 16 L 69-74

SportsLine.com Report
June 5, 2000

A Glance at 2001

Tennessee should be strong again next season, with a substantial nucleus poised for a deep run into the NCAA Tournament. Only two seniors depart, and one of them, guard Vegas Davis, didn't play all that much. C.J. Black, the burly center, will be missed.

The Coach

Jerry Green was selected SportsLine.com's national coach of the year after rolling the Vols into a better-than-expected season.

He has a 287-201 record in 17 seasons as a head coach. Most of that time was spent at UNC Asheville. Green got a chance at the big time after a five-year stint as assistant to Roy Williams at Kansas. Green took the head coaching job at Oregon, then left for Tennessee three years ago. Though he endures some criticism from fans occasionally, he should be able to stay at Tennessee until he retires. At 57, Green figures to hang around for a while.

Who'll Be Back

The nucleus of Tennessee's team returns, providing no one goes crazy and turns pro. Vincent Yarbrough, Isiah Victor and perhaps Tony Harris will eventually play for pay, but none is ready for the NBA.

In all, 11 players are due to return.

Who's Gone

Reserve guard Vegas Davis and center C.J. Black are the only departing seniors.

Key Newcomers

Two freshmen join the team next season.

  • C Andy Ikeakor (6-8, 245): A bulky post player in the mold of C.J. Black, Ikeakor is a consensus Top 100 recruit.
  • F Brandon Crump (6-11, 210): Like Ikeakor, Crump hails from Houston. He's a slender, agile forward in the mold of Isiah Victor and Marcus Haislip. Crump can run, jump and block shots. He might redshirt next season; like Yarbrough did, he'll start college at age 17.
  • Others: Guard Jenis Grindstaff is hoping the NCAA will award him a third year of eligibility after he blew out his knee in the first game of the season. Grindstaff had just regained eligibility after sitting out a year following his transfer from Virginia Tech. He had been penciled in as the starter at shooting guard, and could have backed up at the point. Grindstaff might have meant the difference in a couple of losses.