Tennessee Basketball: Men and Lady Vols Pull Off Major Upsets Within Same Week

Men’s and women’s Tennessee basketball had an amazing week. The Volunteers scored major upsets over the top team in the SEC on both sides.

Somewhere in Heaven, Pat Summitt is smiling. Tennessee basketball hasn’t had a week as exciting as this past one in quite some time. It all started on Tuesday, Jan. 24, when the men upset the No. 3 ranked Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena.

It was the biggest win in the Rick Barnes era in Knoxville. The Vols were able to shoot up the RPI standings and get to .500 in the SEC with the victory, launching them into the NCAA Tournament conversation.

Then, later that week, the Tennessee Lady Vols needed to prove they could consistently win on the road. They did that by taking care of business against a reformed Florida Gators team that looks like it has found itself and is ready to go on a roll.

Not to be outdone, the men still needed to prove they could handle success, so they came out Saturday and beat the Kansas State Wildcats, another quality team, to show that the Kentucky win wouldn’t be a letdown.

But then came the Lady Vols on Monday night. And while the men had knocked off the clear-cut top team in the SEC a week before, Warlick got her team ready to do the same thing.

Unlike the men, the women were on the road, but they held on for a huge 76-74 victory over the No. 4 ranked Gamecocks.

All of a sudden, in a week’s time, both Tennessee basketball programs gained a wave of momentum. And that they haven’t seen that type of momentum in at least three years.

They were middle of the pack SEC teams and knocked off the top teams in the conference. How often do the top team in the SEC on the men’s and women’s side fall in the same week?

Even more pressing, how often is it against the same team? And how often were both of those teams undefeated in the SEC?

Meanwhile, when has Tennessee basketball ever made headlines like that across both sports in the same week?

To be fair, on the upset front, the Lady Vols were a team that for years never did upset anybody.

They were the team that you upset.

But their slip under Holly Warlick has changed their status. Still, they made sure to remind the world Monday that they are still Tennessee.

And the men are putting the world on notice that they are arriving under Barnes.

Now comes the question of how both sides will handle the upsets. Both sides have Top 5 strength of schedule.

And it doesn’t get easier for either side.

However, before looking ahead, let’s marvel at what the Tennessee basketball program pulled off within a week’s time.

Summitt’s magic is affecting Tennessee basketball from above. But they could still use her wisdom.