UT Vols have potential for long-term prominence in college basketball

As happy as Tennessee should be at seeing its name atop the world of college basketball, it knows how fleeting a No. 1 ranking can be. It learned that when the program became nationally prominent under coach Bruce Pearl in the mid-2000s.

The Vols ascended to No. 1 after knocking off then-No. 1 Memphis in late February 2008. They lost to Vanderbilt three nights later.

Now, the Vols are No. 1 again. They were voted first in The Associated Press Top 25 poll Monday.

Regardless of how long they stay there this time, No. 1 matters — and not just for the celebration it sparks among your fan base. There’s a long-term value, too.

Two years after a brief fling with No. 1, the Vols were knocking on the NCAA Final Four door. They came as close as a one-point loss to Michigan State in the Elite Eight.

That’s a reminder that while the program might not have put a stranglehold on a No. 1 ranking, it’s capable of sustaining success.

Tennessee had suffered through five consecutive losing seasons when Jerry Green became coach in 1997. He won 20 games in his first season.

That wasn’t an aberration. He won 20 or more games in each of his four seasons.

The Vols hadn’t won more than 17 games in a season for four consecutive years when Pearl became coach in 2005. UT won 19 or more games in each of the next nine seasons – six under Pearl and three under Cuonzo Martin.

NCAA violations cost Pearl his job and robbed the program of its momentum. Things took a turn for the worse in one season (2014-15) under Donnie Tyndall. When his NCAA violations at Southern Mississippi were uncovered, his college coaching career was finished.

The same athletic director who hired Tyndall also hired Rick Barnes. That was the best thing Dave Hart did at Tennessee. By far.

Barnes had won everywhere he had coached. He had two 30-win seasons and a Final Four at Texas, where he led the Longhorns to 16 NCAA tournaments in 17 years.

But after a losing season and five early exits from the NCAA tournament, Texas was ready for a change. For that, UT can be forever grateful.

Last season, Barnes’ third at Tennessee, the Vols won 26 games. This season, they’re on pace to win even more. In fact, they might be on their way to the first Final Four in school history – maybe even a national championship. They’re that good.

They also could be laying the foundation for long-term success.

Barnes has proved he can recruit. He has proved he can develop players.

He has proved something else, too.

Pearl galvanized the Tennessee fan base with his charismatic personality and affinity for promoting as well as winning. I wondered if any UT coach could ever rev up the fan base the way he did. But Barnes is doing just that by winning at a high level and by winning with a balanced, unselfish team that a basketball-savvy fan base can appreciate.

The product at Thompson-Boling Arena promotes itself now. Not only do the fans fill up a 20,000-plus-seat arena, they’re passionate about it.

And that could make a greater impression on a recruit than a No. 1 ranking.

Tennessee could be No. 1 for a week or a month. It could make the Final four or fall short.

But it has the potential to be prominent in college basketball for a long time.  

John Adams is a senior columnist. He can be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.