What to make of a hectic, adverse February for the Vols

March is officially here. To most basketball fans, it is the most exciting time of the year. However, the mood among the Tennessee fanbase is mixed entering the month given how the past month went.

On one side, the Vols took down Alabama, who was No. 1 at the time. On the other side, they entered February 18-3 but left 21-8 after losing to four unranked SEC foes. Two of those losses were on buzzer beaters, two were rivals Kentucky and Florida and all of them ended the Vols’ hopes at an SEC regular season title.

Still, the mood inside the program has been fairly upbeat, and there is no sign of Rick Barnes’ group giving up on the season.

“Every team in the country goes through the ups and downs,” Barnes said. “I would just say that these guys have embraced each other in a great way. And at no point in time during this they have not gone to practice hard, not been locked in on what we’re trying to do.”

Not once has this team pointed fingers or stopped bringing everything to the floor. Despite the struggles that February has brought, they found a way to salvage some nights with a few statement wins.

“This group of guys, they’ve been very resilient,” Barnes said. “We’re always disappointed when we don’t win. We’re disappointed sometimes when we win and don’t play well. These guys, they care about each other.”

First, the Vols fell to Florida but came back home and beat No. 25 Auburn 48-46. It was ugly but it showed up in the standings as a win. Tennessee then lost heartbreakers backto-back against Vanderbilt and Missouri. The response? A dominant win over the Crimson Tide. To close the month, a loss at No. 25 Texas A&M led to a 40-point win over South Carolina.

Though the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament is out of the mix, Tennessee is still in the driver’s seat for the No. 4 seed, which gives it a double bye to open the tournament. If the Vols win out, the spot is theirs, but things could get foggy if they drop another game. Barnes says it’s important to secure the bye but not paramount to success.

“If it is, it is. If not, you look at it the other way. Some of these guys need more games,” Barnes said. “You obviously look at it from one point, it would obviously be great to have another day to rest but from the other end you’ve got to play, you’ve got to play. We’ll determine it based on how we perform, but it is what it is. If we can get it, fine. If not, we’ll have to make what we have and deal with it.”

Tennessee has been able to remain afloat despite loads of adversity. The absences of starters Josiah-Jordan James and Julian Phillips have certainly played a part. James immediately proved his impact in his 18-point performance against the Gamecocks. However, Phillips’ return is still an unknown. But his defensive prowess will be missed given that the Vols allow 20 points less per 100 possessions with him on the floor.

If the Vols can get back to being near or fully healthy, then there is little reason to panic moving forward. They were at their healthiest in January and went 7-1 capped off with a dominant win over current No. 9 Texas.

Tennessee has shown that it can respond, but the time for response is running out and a few mistakes could end its season. However, adversity is what makes champions, and the Vols have had their fair share of it. March is a time of putting everything the regular season has taught to the test, and the Vols are ready.

“I think what those guys want to do right now is win,” Barnes said. “They understand this time of year because they’ve been through it more than anybody, these next couple weeks, how important they are and how it’s such a fine line between winning and losing, but I don’t think their thoughts are anywhere besides trying to make this basketball team the best it can be with what we have left.”