This year’s Tennessee team may not be good enough for this to matter, but right now playing at ETSU is a great idea. The Bucs are 9-2 including a 67-65 win in Starkville last week, are 81st to Tennessee’s 82nd in KenPom, and are currently 63rd in RPI. Playing ETSU (or Chattanooga, or Middle Tennessee) on the road isn’t just good for the in-state basketball crowd, it’s good for the tournament resume.
The Bucs almost got there last year, vanquished by Chattanooga in the SoCon finals by six points. Along the way they lost in Knoxville a year ago today, a 15-2 run to close the deal for Tennessee in a nine point win.