NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The LSU men's basketball team went through a 55-minute workout at the Bridgestone Arena Wednesday in final preparations for the 2010 Southeastern Conference Tournament opening round game with the University of Tennessee.
The Tigers and Volunteers meet in the second game of the afternoon session on Thursday at approximately 2:15 p.m. The game will be televised on the SEC Network (WAFB for LSU games; WBXH for the remainder of Thursday-Friday games in Baton Rouge) and the LSU game will be broadcast on the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network (New Country 100.7 FM The Tiger in Baton Rouge) and also in the GeauxZone at LSUsports.net. The game is also available at ESPN360.com
LSU is 11-19 overall and 2-14 in the league but 2-2 in the last four games of the season, while Tennessee comes in at 23-7 and 11-5 in the league, the third best record in the Eastern Division. The matchup is the same as the first round of the 2007 tournament when sixth-seed LSU upset Tennessee, the three seed, in overtime.
Tennessee is also hot, having won five of their last six and eight of their last 12 and come into the game on a three-game winning streak.
Both teams went through media sessions and then were given 60 minutes on the Bridgestone Arena court. Then the top player from each team took part in a brief ESPN/SEC Network photo shoot.
The Tigers are in a one and done situation and it has now come to the point where Tasmin Mitchell and Alex Farrer's college careers could end at any time. Mitchell comes into the game as a member of the coaches All-SEC second team and the leading scorer on the team at 17.0 points per game to go with 9.5 rebounds.
He is fourth in the league in scoring and third in rebounds and enters the Tennessee game just 21 points shy of 2,000 career points. The Denham Springs senior is trying to become just the third player at LSU and the 24th in SEC history to pass the 2,000 point mark. He is third all-time in scoring, sixth in rebounds, in the top 10 in assists, field goals made and steals and the school leader in minutes played, games started and game s played.
Tennessee is led by Scotty Hobson averaging 13.1 points per game and Wayne Chism at 12.4 points. Chism also averaged 6.8 rebounds a game.
The teams met on Feb. 4 in Baton Rouge with LSU a 59-54 loser in the game. LSU rallied from a double digit deficit late in the game and had a three-pointer in the air to tie the game in the final 10 seconds.
The winner of the contest will play Ole Miss on Friday at 2:15 p.m. in the quarterfinals. Ole Miss got the bye as the second seed and co-champions in the Western Division with Mississippi State.
In the other first-round matchup Thursday, South Carolina meets Alabama at noon in the other afternoon game, while in the night session Auburn faces Florida at 6:30 p.m. and Georgia meet Arkansas in the 8:45 p.m. nightcap.
THE MODERATOR: We're ready to continue with LSU. We'll ask Coach Johnson for his opening thoughts. Just some thoughts on LSU headed into the Tournament. Then we'll take questions for the two student athletes, dismiss them into the locker room, and finish up with questions for coach.
COACH JOHNSON: Thank you. Obviously, we're looking forward to a new season. We're probably playing as good a basketball as we have all season long, having won the last two games. We have a stiff challenge in front of us in terms of Tennessee. I think Tennessee is playing as good of basketball as anybody in the country, probably anyone in the league.
We're looking forward to it. We're as healthy as we've been and excited about the opportunity in front of us.
THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions just for the two student athletes.
Q. I'm going to ask you something I asked you guys earlier this week, but for the benefit of everybody else. Two years ago Georgia made a run from last place to win the conference tournament. Talk about that as maybe a motivation for you guys.
TASMIN MITCHELL: Two years ago Georgia did it. It was unbelievable. I think, like Coach say, this was the start of a new season. And right now, I know the records show us 0-0 in the SEC. But we're going to go out and play every game like it's our last and try to get one of those spots like Georgia did.
BO SPENCER: Like Tasmin said, I want to go out and play a strong game. I don't think our record shows what kind of basketball we can play. Like I said, Georgia made the run. Hopefully, we can try to go out and play strong and try to do the same.
Q. Can you guys talk about just what propelled you in those last four games. What kept you going, why you were able to win two of them.
TASMIN MITCHELL: I think it shows that we got heart because we got heart. You know, we just continue to go out there and fight no matter what the situation was.
You know, we never stop. We're never going to give up. I guess we just wanted to end the season on a good, positive note, knowing that whether we win, lose, or draw, we went out and played our hardest.
BO SPENCER: Just want to go out and get us some wins. This is Tasmin's last year, last season, and we wanted to send him out with a few wins, and we just wanted to play hard.
Q. For Tasmin, can you talk about what you've seen over your career in this league. Obviously, '06 and '07 was very good. '08 not quite as good. '09 only got three teams in. This year's it's kind of nobody is sure how many they're going to get in. Just talk about from '09 to '10 whether you think the league has improved.
TASMIN MITCHELL: You know, I've seen a lot of ups and downs throughout this league. I've been here for a while. I played four and been here five.
You know, the league has improved. I feel like we was always a good league. You know, I guess just other people would say that we were down some years and we was up some years. I feel like you've got to be ready to play every night in the SEC, whether it's '06 or '08 or from then to now.
Yeah, I have saw a lot throughout this league, and I think the league has improved a lot. But I always thought it was the same. You just got to compete every night.
Q. If you guys wouldn't mind, talk about the last matchup with Tennessee. You guys made a run. They had to hit a lot of key free throws in the final minute to hold on for a victory. If you could just talk about some of the keys to the matchup.
TASMIN MITCHELL: When we played them last time in Baton Rouge, we gave them a pretty good matchup. You know, we just went out that game and played hard.
They went on a drought. We went on a run. We had a chance to win the game at the end. So I mean, hopefully, this time around, they won't take it for granted, and we can come out with a victory at the end.
BO SPENCER: Yeah. We played them in Baton Rouge. They came out. They did a good job of defending Tasmin. They stopped him from getting a lot of sets that would normally go through him.
They did a good job making good interior passes and beating us in the interior. Hopefully this time, we'll come out and defend them well and stop them from the jump.
Q. For Bo, I had a couple of coaches this morning talk about the importance of guard play in tournament time. For you to play well, to have the good guard play that other coaches are talking about, what is going right for you if you're playing well?
BO SPENCER: I'm helping everyone on the team, making people on the team better. Getting Tas some open shots, knocking down my jump. Just out there really having fun and controlling the team.
THE MODERATOR: We'll excuse Tasmin and Bo. We'll continue on with Coach Johnson.
Q. Coach, you talked about how well Tennessee's playing. Can you be more specific on what they're doing so well that this late in the season that maybe they struggled with earlier.
COACH JOHNSON: Obviously, their length and their athleticism puts them in situations where they can really guard you, really defend you. Then they're making shots. They appear to be in a really, really good rhythm.
When you go into Starkville and beat Mississippi State on senior night like they did, that speaks volumes to the caliber of player and how well they're playing right now.
Q. Coach, can you talk about what if you've seen any difference in the league from last year to this in terms of talent and how good the teams are. Seems like the league got a little bit better this year.
COACH JOHNSON: Well, I've said this before, last year the league was very talented, but it was very young. There were two teams in the league, us being one and Auburn, where a senior dominated, which were two pretty good teams. I thought we were a pretty good basketball team last year.
So now the league is more experienced. It's been healthier. And then obviously Kentucky has an infusion of talent that's pretty good.
You know, when you talk about our league and you start talking about this bubble talk, I think you need to start with Georgia. Georgia's beaten Illinois. They beat Georgia Tech. They beat a very, very good St. Louis team. And then you look at some of their league wins versus Florida, versus Tennessee, so on and so forth, Vanderbilt.
So I don't think you can sit here and honestly say Ole Miss and Mississippi State shouldn't be a bubble team. Obviously, we know what Kentucky's done, Vanderbilt's done, Tennessee has done. My goodness, I think Florida Billy gets punished for winning two national championships back to back, but he's won 20 games three years in a row. Why are we talking about them as a bubble?
I was in a league that was really, really good two years ago, and this league is without question just as talented and just as deep. But like the Pac 10, they lost a bunch of kids to the NBA, so the league took a drop. That's usually what happens.
Q. Trent, last year a lot of the coaches said that, when Kentucky's good, all boats rise. It helps the whole league. They weren't very good last year, so there was some perception the league was down.
Now, obviously, Kentucky's a lot better this year. Yet the SEC seems like from the talk is only going to get three solid teams in, maybe a fourth. How do you explain that?
COACH JOHNSON: First of all, Jerry, I like to think that the talk should be that, when LSU is good, the league is down, like last year. So now LSU's down, so the league's down.
No, I don't get caught up a lot in that. I think, obviously, you know, Kentucky has played extremely well. They've gotten it done in nonconference. But you got to look at the full body of work.
Once you start getting into league play, you start beating upon yourself so much, I don't think there should be a lot of stock based on what happens in terms of rankings and all that.
Again, for me, I look at the caliber of basketball that's being played, I look at the teams that have won games on the road versus nonconference opponents. So I think the league's good, and it's up because Kentucky's good, because Vanderbilt's good, because Tennessee is good, because Florida is good.
You look at some of the wins Alabama's had in their nonconference. I think there's probably one team in the league that's not very good right now, and you happen to be talking to him.
Q. I just wanted to get your take on the old adage that guard play wins at tournament time and specifically how that applies to your team. You're not very deep in the backcourt right now. For you to get the guard play you need, what does that mean?
COACH JOHNSON: No, that speaks volumes to we're not deep. It speaks volumes to our inconsistency in our play, our inexperience at times. But to me, guard play keeps you in games and gives you a chance to win games.
Obviously, your point guard or your two lead guards, whatever it may be, are an extension of their coach. If they're on an even keel, and they're an extension of him making plays and keeping the team involved and making guys better and getting the basketball to the right guy at the right time, that gives you a chance to win.
Again, it's no question, if you look across the country, the teams that have really good guards, solid guard play, are the teams that are winning their share of games on a consistent basis.
Now, to go back to Kentucky, they got solid guard play, and they got a couple of animals in the post. Vanderbilt's got real good guard play out front. They got a real good post guy. So you can go on. But guards give you a chance to win.
Q. Coach, Tennessee's obviously gone through a few transitions with personnel. I wonder how much different do they look to you now than when you played them in Baton Rouge? And how would you characterize their strengths? I know you mentioned the defense, but as far as offensively, where do you start at?
COACH JOHNSON: Well, where do we start offensively?
Q. Tennessee.
COACH JOHNSON: With Tennessee. The difference between with what we saw in Baton Rouge and what we're seeing now is the addition of Brian Williams, the Williams kid. Now they have the luxury of playing slow on the backcourt and also playing up tempo if they take him out.
Their talent level has always been good. A lot has been said about the suspensions and the guys they didn't have, but the guys that remained were good players. Obviously, Bruce does a good job, getting his players ready to play all the time.
Offensively, we have to try and limit transition baskets. We have to try and play them and match them on the glass in terms of rebounding. And we have to try and take care of the ball.
Bobby Maze is really an unheralded guy in our league in terms of point guard play. He doesn't get the publicity a lot of guys in this league do, but he's a very, very good player.
For us, we've got to defend. We've got to rebound. From our standpoint, attack them offensively. We've got to have our guys step up and make shots because they are going to play up against our guys in the perimeter.
Q. Coach, Kentucky's got two, probably three guys that are going to be one and done this year. As a coach, do you take a one and done guy knowing in advance he's going to be one and out of there? And what are the pluses and minuses to your program if you do take those players?
COACH JOHNSON: First of all, the first question, they don't have three, they've got four. They can take Orton too along with those other three.
And the second part of that question is, yes, we do take one if he's good enough. Because my wife likes to shop a lot, and she likes the payroll.
The third part of that question is what fills your program? It depends on the situation your program is in. The APR, I think a lot of people don't understand the impact it has on how you recruit, which is the academic progress rate.
So our program's in a situation now where this year or next year, or even the following year, can we take a guy who could be a one and done or two and done? Yeah, probably. But the other guys in your program need to be good students and need to be program guys, so to speak, that are going to look to their education and not flunk out of school.
To answer your question, I want the best student athlete, the best player possible to help us win games. Make no mistake about it, it's about winning games. Those guys that are one and done usually help you win a lot of games.
Q. Going back to the good guard play, how important is it at tournament time to have a guy who can create on his own? I'm just assuming that maybe a lot of teams know each other pretty well by this point. How important is it to have a guy that can just sort of make it happen?
COACH JOHNSON: Well, there's a guy that's with the Hornets that we had last year. All that stuff we were running two and three strong, you know I'm talking about Marcus Thornton. It's everything.
At this time in the year, teams are so good defensively. It turns into a half court game. So your ability to get it off the bounce on late clock or create your own shot once your offense breaks down is huge.
I go back to our game last year, Kentucky, when we clinched it. They took us out of everything, and the only thing we had was to isolate Tas and Marcus by themselves and let them go make a play. I think it's everything.
But usually those guys, Jerry, as we well know, if they're in the post or the perimeter, usually they're pros. So I think it's a definite correlation if your team's going to advance deep into the SEC Tournament or win the SEC Tournament maybe has one or two or in some cases three guys that are NBA players.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
THE MODERATOR: We're ready to continue with Tennessee. We'll ask coach Pearl for his thoughts on the Tennessee team headed into the Tournament. And we'll take your questions first just for the two student athletes. So coach.
COACH PEARL: Thank you. We're excited about being in Nashville for the tournament. It's a festival of the regular season.
I think all the teams coming together and being in one venue, the fans, the media that follows them, just everybody, you know, in the SEC family coming together. And competing and coming out with a tournament champion. So we're very excited about being in Nashville, Tennessee, for this.
Probably for the first time all season, I would say that we one of the things that we've been dealing with is how are we dealing with success in the sense that we've won five out of our last six games. We defended pretty well. We rebounded pretty well. And we shared the ball.
We feel good. Our kids do feel good about the way they're playing and how we've played as a team. And so now we have, you know, LSU obviously tomorrow, and we know the road ahead if we're fortunate enough to advance.
THE MODERATOR: We'll take your questions for either of the two student athletes first.
Q. This is for both players. Compared to last year going through a tournament at this time, do you feel that you have a better chemistry and a better sense of who you are and how you need to play?
WAYNE CHISM: Last year we had a lot of chemistry last year. The team was still the same this year, but we just had some mishaps around the team. But we're still the same, and nothing changed about this team.
J.P. PRINCE: I just had I think we just matured as a team. I think the chemistry has always there. I think now we're just a year older, and some of the freshmen, they got to see a lot of things they didn't see last year. It was their first time seeing it.
It's not the new factor anymore. We're ready to come here and handle business. We know what it takes to win here, and that's all we're trying to do this weekend.
Q. Wayne, how do you judge the importance of this tournament? I know another program in the conference kind of downplayed the importance of the SEC compared to the NCAA. Where does it stand for you?
WAYNE CHISM: It stands to be it's real good to be in this tournament. Making it being in it four years in a row, not making it, it's a great tournament to play in. You play in it so long that you know what it takes to come to the championship game.
You've just got to have a lot of focus, and that's what our team is doing. We're focusing a lot this time.
J.P. PRINCE: It's just the grind. It's a long weekend. I think it's different because, you know, five games in four straight days. It's just a new challenge. But I think coach has prepared us well. We've done good in practices. I think we're ready.
Q. For both players, you guys had a close game in Baton Rouge earlier this year. Can you talk a little bit about what you remember about that night, what didn't go well, what did go well, and how you guys have changed since the first meeting with LSU.
WAYNE CHISM: Playing at LSU was a close game. They always play good at home, and it's always a close game when you play LSU at home.
In that game, we played very good defense against their team, and they did a great job of shooting the ball, but especially in that game.
So this game we're coming out being very focused, and we can't come out like we did in that game and be like that type of game. We've just got to come out and be ready to play against those guys.
J.P. PRINCE: They're a well coached team, they always play us well. They do a great job of slowing the game down and getting the shots that they want to take.
I think it just comes down to our defense is the most important thing.
Q. You all have gone through a season where you had some suspensions, a dismissal, and all that. What's it like now to be to have virtually everybody back and make the adjustments?
WAYNE CHISM: It's just the same. I mean, we know sometimes you have to go through a lot of things in your career that a lot of people get dismissed.
But at the same time, you learn to grow from that, and this team did a great job of that, they grew from it.
But at the same time, when they came back, we added some more weapons back to the team, and it turned out to be a very good thing. We did a great job playing without those guys too, and we're doing a good job playing with them.
J.P. PRINCE: It was just a learning experience. It was something that taught us a lot. It tested our character as a team. I think it brought us closer together as a family. Something like Wayne said, we grew from it, we matured from it.
Coach did a good job of keeping our focus from that instance on, and I think we've done a great job of building on that.
Q. J.P., Coach Pearl has made it a priority to play in Nashville every year since you've been in Tennessee. Is there a comfort level in this building now after having played here a number of times?
J.P. PRINCE: Most definitely. We're confident in this building, we've played here before. So it's not a new arena to us since we played here the past three years.
You know, it's not like a home away from home, but we enjoy our fans can come. It's not far from Knoxville. Just to have the Tournament in Tennessee is a big thing for us because it's someplace our fans can come, and they're not far away, from both sides of the state.
Q. J.P., with you're so close and your fans being here, do you think you can have more of your fans than Kentucky has of theirs?
J.P. PRINCE: I'm not sure. I hope our fans are pretty competitive. I'm sure they'll try to outdo Kentucky in whatever they do. I'm waiting to see. We won't know until game time.
WAYNE CHISM: What J.P. said. I mean, Kentucky, the way their team is playing right now, there's going to be a lot of Kentucky fans right now. And the way they're ranked right now, it's going to be packed.
So even though our fans are not even far from here, it's going to be a good time for us.
COACH PEARL: I don't remember seeing Kentucky on the schedule. I think we've got LSU on Thursday.
THE MODERATOR: We'll excuse Wayne and J.P. back to the locker room. And we'll continue on with questions for Coach Pearl.
Q. Bruce, everybody talks about changing a culture when they take over a losing program. Do you feel that's mission accomplished for you, that you have completely changed the culture now?
COACH PEARL: I think I don't think the word would be changed, I think the word would be returned to, restore.
Tennessee had a culture and a tradition and a history and a swagger about its men's basketball program for a long time: Stokely, Ray Mears and Don DeVoe. I do think mission accomplished in at least returning it to a competitive program consistently. We are proud of that.
And part of it has to do with, you know, being competitive in the league, and part it has to do with creating a home court advantage, getting fans to travel with you on the road, being somebody that national television wants to match up against other regional opponents, things like that have been restored.
Q. Bruce, can you talk about the right things need to happen here for maximum number of bids for the SEC to get in the NCAA Tournament. After last year when only two, and then three because Mississippi State won, how important it is to get the maximum number into the Tournament.
COACH PEARL: I think it's important to get a maximum number, but I also think it's important to get those numbers the right seeds. One of the things that we lost sight of, I think, a little bit is how important seeding is in advancing to the NCAA Tournament. And how important it is for Kentucky to remain a number one seed. That gives them a really good chance to get to the Final Four.
You know, last year Tennessee and LSU were 8 9, and Mississippi State was 11 or 12 or something like that maybe. So there weren't a lot of good seeds for opportunities to advance.
So things need to happen. There are some teams that need to win to get in, and there are some teams that need to win to improve their seeding and have a better chance to advance.
Q. Coach, you've obviously been at this a while, but this has kind of been a unique season. Can you say this is your best coaching job after everything you've been through?
COACH PEARL: Have I been at this a while? Obviously, because of the number of years I've been coaching or because of all the gray hair or the weight gained? Obviously, I've been in it a while.
This has been a good year. It's been a I've enjoyed coaching this team. I look back at all the things that we've gone through, and I admire their resiliency and the way they've grounded out.
We won in a period of time early January with six scholarship players, and then the guys, when they came back, were lack welcomed back by our fans, by the other players on the team.
So there's been there have been a lot of positives. I would certainly love to see some more consistency from my basketball team; every coach would.
I think overall we've guarded well, we've rebounded pretty well, and we've shared the ball offensively. Those things are good formulas for success.
Q. Coach, you're 11 5 and playing tomorrow. There are 9 7 teams who get a bye. What's your thoughts on the format and the divisional thing?
COACH PEARL: The only point is we play LSU at 2:15 tomorrow. That's the only answer I have as it relates to the format today.
In the off season, I'll comment on how conference tournaments should, you know, how we think their formats can be improved. But right now we play LSU tomorrow at 2:15. It's a fair question. I just don't want to answer it right now.
Q. Is that one of the challenges with your players is to make sure that they don't look past this game? Is that a challenge to not take these guys lightly?
COACH PEARL: It's not a huge challenge because LSU is good. They've got some good personnel. They've won a couple games here down the stretch. They played us to a very tight game at LSU. They beat us two years ago in an East three, West six matchup, there's plenty of motivation for us. Our focus is there. We need to we've worked real hard this week to prepare for LSU and LSU only.
The one thing we don't have an advantage on our side of the bracket would be the revenge factors. This season we beat LSU. If we beat LSU, we played Ole Miss, and we beat them. The last time we played the teams Alabama, South Carolina, and Kentucky, we beat them.
So you don't have that last time we played you we lost factor. And I think that would be the only factor that wouldn't be something that we have to point to.
Last year heading into the SEC Tournament, I don't know that we were playing you know what, Sam, we weren't playing as well. We had beat Mississippi State at Florida, at South Carolina to win the SEC East and went into the Tournament last year playing pretty well. We played Alabama first. We had lost to them the last time we had played them. We played Auburn second. We had lost to them the last time we played them. We played Mississippi State in the Championship Game. We had beaten them the last time we played them. That would be the only factor, I would say, not overlooking LSU.
Q. Bruce, last year the SEC got three bids and the league was down. People thought. People said, well, when Kentucky's down, the perception in the league is down.
This year Kentucky's a lot better, yet there's still talk there's only three bids that are solid at this point. So what's going on?
COACH PEARL: I don't know how Florida's considered not solid. You know, I understand that there can be things happening throughout this week that maybe could put some teams that aren't supposed to be in, but there haven't been a ton of upsets yet.
Kentucky has a terrific nonconference schedule. Their strength of schedule is way up; they beat Florida State, they beat Michigan state. They got nine conference wins and the teams that they did lose to in the conferences in places and lost to them are places where a lot of folks are going to lose.
I think we've got four, and we're looking for more.
Q. Bruce, Kentucky's got two, probably three one and dones. As a coach, talk about the pros and cons of taking those kind of players, knowing that they're going to be out of there in one year.
COACH PEARL: Well, I think in Kentucky's case, I don't know that that may have been thought to be the case when some of those guys got there, but those guys perhaps have played their way into that situation. It's one thing to say it, it's another thing to actually do it.
You know, depending upon how things work out, the way they've matured and progressed and improved and grown, if what's being said is accurate about where they could potentially go in the draft, you've got to give them credit for doing what they were said to possibly be able to do and not leave very many doubters out there.
You know, that said, we would love to be in a position to be able to recruit and have guys be able to come and play for you, do great, and then leave your university, even though it's after a year, but move on to professional basketball. Hope they'll come back and finish their degrees at some point.
I think that Ohio State would look back at the time that Greg Oden and Michael Conley were there and say, pretty good run at the Final Four. If we had a chance to do it again, would we do it again? You bet you would.
Q. The top four teams in the East are 24 0 against the West this year. Is the gap that big between the divisions? Is it that big of an imbalance?
COACH PEARL: I think, if you go back, I've been in the league five years, and mathematically it's never been quite like it is this year.
But with the exception of just in the SEC Tournament, where I think it kind of has been fairly even at tournament time, during the course of the regular season, I think the East has been ahead of the West every year I've been in the league.
The one thing that I would point to with great consistency is currently, I'd say, there are we played on the road in the SEC in five sellouts; Georgia was sold out, South Carolina was close to being sold out, Kentucky, of course, was sold out, Vanderbilt was sold out, Florida was close to being sold out.
I mean, we played in front of and I think right now that's the difference between the East and the West is they've got great home court advantages in the East, and the West, you know, we there were a few places we went to where there wasn't the crowds weren't quite the same.
That opens the door, you know, for road teams to be able to come in there and win.
I think what's as impressive about being 24 0 is being however many games, 12 0, I guess, on the road.
Q. Bruce, an aspect of Tennessee's negative history before your game was failure in the SEC Tournament. Is that something that you looked at and said, this is an area we need to get better to affect our overall image?
COACH PEARL: I'm a huge regular season, grind 'em out guy. The body of work all season long to me is what I look at.
And as far as respecting different programs and what they do, the Tournament is a festival. It's exciting. It's great to come together. It's great to be able to crowned a tournament champion, and maybe that champion wouldn't have gone had they not won it.
But for me, if you could offer me a choice between the tournament champion and the regular season championship, I'd take the regular season championship every time and not even blink.
That said, we've not you know, we've the last two years we got to a Saturday a couple years ago in Atlanta and that was progress. Last year we got to the championship game, that was progress.
But, I mean, overall I don't have a winning record in the SEC Tournament. I'm aware of that. I'd like to try to improve on that if we can. And I would say that our road to advance, if we do have the opportunity, is more difficult this year than it's been in a number of years.
As I look at LSU, and then we know it's going to be Ole Miss for the winner, and then you're looking at the number one seed in the Tournament and the number two ranked team in the country sitting there potentially for Saturday.
So it will be a hard road for us to improve on our tournament record. But, yes, I am aware that Tennessee basketball has not had great, great success in the SEC Tournament, and, yes, I would like to improve on that.
Q. Coach, given the suspensions and the dismissal and how the players have come back, you know, in increments as the year's gone on, are you as where a team would normally be in the postseason, or are you still more of a work in progress?
You know getting players back and getting your rotation changed and all that.
COACH PEARL: I think right now we're comfortable where we are. We've been back for a while. We've been together. It's been a long time since the roster's been had the adjustments. So we're this is who we are.
We've played with this group now for a few weeks, and so it is what it is.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much.
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