Bobby Maze takes the Ferrari

Do you guys ever watch games that don't involve the Wildcats?  Just a little FYI for you homers......Tennessee was fourth in the nation in attendance.  The Vols averaged 21,516 a game.  Kentucky averaged 23,421.  That is not that much of a difference when you consider that Rupp is bigger.  Every game but three was on TV.  17 where national broadcast either on ESPN, CBC, or Versus.  I am not sure if FSN games are national or not, but they had several on that network as well.  Bruce Pearl was a media hound.  He was all over ESPN shows like PTI and Jim Rome is Burning.  In addition, he had a segment  on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumble.  IMO the Vols are getting more exposure.  Thompson Boling went through a complete makeover last year.  All the seats were  removed and replaced with black ones, skyboxes added, and a suspended scoreboard that is second to none.  I have heard many unbiased say that TB arena is the best in college basketball.   The Vols also have a brand new practice facility that folks around here say is better than UK's. 

Can't fill the arena????  Have you seen a game in Knoxville since Buzz Peterson?  Times have changed.  Look at what Pearl has done with players you guys did not even recruit.  Now he is getting guys Kentucky and every other traditional power wanted.  If I were a Kentucky fan, I would be worried about what Bruce Pearl is doing in Knoxville.

I love homers. They think they know what thier talking about.lol It brightens up my day to see some idiocracy.

I know you are not talking about me.  My screen name is not Big-Orange-Always.   I did not end my post with "Go Vols" or some other cheer.   I am just trying to put a little objectivity in this Tennessee bashing thread. 

Do you know what idiocracy means?  It is really not an insult. 

This didn't begin as a UT bashing thread, and it really doesn't have to be one at all.  We were simply mocking Bobby Maze for his comment.  A Bobby Maze who never even got an offer from UK just expressing some sour-grape sentiment.  I doubt us UK fans want to bash UT's facilities, tradition, exposure, success.  We just want to put it in perspective.  You called us homers and then mentioned that UT was 4th in attendance...yet that is still behind UK, even despite the fact that I think TB arena can fit almost 1,000 more people in it.  When you're comparing 2 schools, and one is higher than the other, don't claim a point is invalid and then re-validate it with numbers.  That's just silly.

I love watching UT ball when they're doing something cool like beating Memphis on the road, or playing Ohio State (I live in Ohio so I like it when SEC schools beat them).  I've seen Pearl on ESPN, but I've also seen Gillispie on both those shows you mentioned.  And UT's national media exposure was about even with UK's last year, most likely because of their high rank.  UT doesn't always get that kind of national press.

Look at the difference in percentage of seats full in Rupp versus TB: Rupp (capacity 23,500) was 99.7% full ON AVERAGE last year, and TB (capacity 24,535) was 87.7% full on average.  That's a great average, but 12% smaller than UK's.

It would likely be fair to say, at the moment, we're even on facilities (I just noticed UT also upgraded their practice place) and national exposure, but UT has a long way to go in the tradition/fan support department.

Bruce Pearl wears Billy Gillispie pajamas.