Jan. 16, 2008
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What is the only state with three teams currently ranked in either the AP or ESPN/USA Today Top 25?
It has to be California, right? What about Texas or Ohio? Wrong, Wrong and Wrong again. Try Tennessee.
That’s right, the Volunteer State.
Known more for its football, the state of Tennessee is making its claim as a hotbed for college basketball with No. 2/2 Memphis, No. 6/7 Tennessee and No. 16/14 Vanderbilt all being ranked in the top 25 in both polls.
“I think that all three programs are in pretty good shape,” Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings said. “I think that it speaks well for all things concerned with basketball.”
With a combined record of 45-2, it is clear as to why all three schools are firmly entrenched in the top 25. In fact, prior to Vanderbilt’s double-overtime loss at Kentucky last Saturday, Vanderbilt and Memphis were two of just five remaining unbeaten teams.
The state’s success in college basketball has also been illustrated in recent NCAA Tournament fields. Last season, Belmont joined Memphis, Tennessee and Vanderbilt in the field – making the Volunteer State just one of five states with four or more teams in the field. Belmont also made the field in 2006, while fellow mid-major program, Chattanooga, made the field in 2005.
The accomplishments of the basketball programs in the Volunteer State certainly haven’t gone unnoticed by Nashville native and freshman guard Jamie Graham. Also a member of Vanderbilt’s football team and one of two native Tennesseans on the basketball team, Graham appreciates how much success programs from within the state are having on the hardwood.
“Being from Tennessee, it is nice to see the state making a rise in basketball,” Graham said. “We’ve always been known to be good at football, so for us to have three teams in the top 25, that is great. It is telling a lot about how Tennessee is becoming more of a major state for basketball.”
Just how much of an impact the success of the programs will have on youth in the state is yet to be seen, but Graham may provide insight into what more kids are thinking.
“It had me changing my mind when I was in high school,” said Graham, who had scholarship offers from suitors in both football and basketball.
Fellow freshman and Memphis native Elliott Cole believes that the recent success of the in-state programs will help keep talent within state lines.
“Growing up in Memphis, I know there are some high schools that have pipelines from Memphis to out of state schools,” Cole said. “I think as high school kids see teams in the state in the top 25, they will be more inclined to stay in the state, which will make teams in Tennessee even better.”
It is hard to quantify how much of an impact the success of the three programs will have on basketball in the state of Tennessee, but one thing that is easy to forecast is continued success for each school as long as Kevin Stallings, John Calipari and Bruce Pearl continue to lead programs in the state.