What is almost as sweet is when you send that whole Big Blue Nation-- and their sense of entitlement-- packing early. Stallings did it unexpectedly in 2013. Goheen, Booker and Kornet did it in Knoxville in 1989. I think one of Richard Schmidt's teams did it (but that was only the second or third year of the revived tournament). It hasn't happened very much. (I'm not old enough to remember 1951 and Bob Dudley Smith, but the SEC Storied series had a good account of it.)
What's really amazing is that the Dores are still going despite the loss of Liam Robbins. Stack came up with a masterful plan for handling Oscar Tshiebwe. The big guy got his numbers and gave our undersized defenders a pounding, but it didn't matter. (How he can go over your back for a rebound and manage to get fouled is beyond me.)
What has made the difference, I think, is the guard play this team is getting. Manjon and Lawrence are great ball handlers, penetrators, and defenders, and their backups are not chopped liver either. Often it's teams that get great guard play that can make a run and go deep in March.
It's almost predictable that this team is going to hit a brick wall today or tomorrow after playing that kind of a physical game. (I think Vandy can take A&M, but probably not Bama.) But it doesn't matter. I think they've now done enough, and the bracketologists have to take notice.
