We are approaching peak basketball. Despite the fact that snow continues to torment many of us, we are closer to St. Patrick’s Day than the Superbowl. That means the *MADNESS OF MARCH* is close at hand. The NCAA tournament is pizza. It’s never bad. Never. Even cold. But when it’s your pizza, prepared the way that you like, it’s gourmet. When your team is in the NCAA tourney and on a run, March is magic. Tennessee has spent the season on the proverbial brink and will likely close it that way. Bracket prognosticators are split as to whether the Vols are left out or if the Vols are in the dance. Joe Lunardi has them in and has kept them there, for the most part, consistently this year. This is despite the hiccups this season and the off court Bring Back Bruce/Bruce Pearl as WiFi addiction chatter.

But it doesn’t really feel that way does it?

The last two games for Tennessee have been absolutely spectacular, dominating both Vanderbilt and Auburn. But the mood of the fanbase still remains rather conflicted. It dates back to last year.

Last years team felt deserving of the tournament. They had great SEC wins, including that legendary thumping of Kentucky that brought a smile to the faces of every Tennessee fan even on the cloudiest of days. There was legitimate outrage at the Vols not making the tournament, particularly with how they finished the season. Then the NIT performance was NIT worthy. The season ended with a sour taste that has sustained itself into this one. When a fanbase is actively discussing a coaching change, the focus isn’t on the court anymore. Yet this team could actually make the tournament. This weekend, against Missouri, will have a big say on whether or not they do.

Onward.

Glance Game Of The Weekend

(14) North Carolina at (4) Duke (9 PM EST TV: ESPN)

This is a glance and a half of a game, one of the great rivalries in all of sports, and tremendous fun to watch. The only reason it’s positioned as a glance game is merely because a Tennessee loss to Missouri, combined with some of you playing the Tennessee Vols Drinking Game (Which I did here and was on the struggle bus for a few days after) or drowning your sorrows after the final buzzer could leave you indisposed to a 9 PM start time. But troop on through it if you can to see Cameron Indoor host the 238th meeting of this rivalry. If you care at all about college hoops, this is the most reliable fun game outside of your team that gets played each year. Enjoy it.

Haterade Game Of The Weekend

(25) Kentucky at (1) Florida (12 PM EST TV: CBS)

If Tennessee had gotten a second shot at Kentucky, and it is outrageous that they did not have a chance play the Wildcats in Thompson-Boling arena, it’s VERY possible that they could have done what South Carolina did last weekend. Which would have been highly enjoyable to watch. The John Calipari one-and-done model was always fascinating from its inception. It always makes sense to target some of those players, but to build a team stacked with them? That wasn’t how Calipari won at Memphis or at UMass, thought to be fair UMass was a lifetime ago, and it was a surprise that he began to completely discount kids who were more likely to stick around for a few years. Structurally, having someone stick around makes sense, right? Combing through an AAU and building a “Dream Team” every year means that you’re constantly hitting refresh and trying to teach defense to players who are far more interested in their stats and shot attempt accumulations and Tinder accounts. It’s never good when a coach is being accused of quitting on their team. Unless, of course, you are someone who hates that team and that coach. Then it’s glorious. Meanwhile, Florida seems poised for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, plays tough and together and is obnoxiously competent at all facets of the game. The Florida Gators overcame Billy Donovan’s midlife crisis and have returned to being one of the more dominant programs in America. Come because these are, whatever their flaws, the two best teams in the SEC as we close the regular season. Stay to hate them both, comforted in the knowledge that one of them has to lose.

Reservation Game Of The Weekend

Missouri at Tennessee (4 PM EST TV: ESPN)

As an amateur bracketologist, as we all are this time of year, I have one prediction: barring one of them winning the SEC Tournament, both of these teams are not making the field. As the committee looks at the league as a whole while breaking down their individual resumes, they are unlikely to find both of these teams worthy. They will cannibalize each other. Tennessee has surged since the Texas A&M debacle and looks like a team that not only could enter The Big Dance but do a bit of damage while they are there. But beating Missouri is mandatory. This is a knockout game. Limited hype necessary. It’s also the regular season finale. Enjoy it, to the fullest extent possible. Remember, the only thing worse than having Vol basketball to watch and curse at and fret about is not having it.

Something To Watch On Selection Sunday

It could be a rough day. Maybe you’d like to see some comedians from across the pond chat about the news? You would? Huzzah. Have I Got News For You is a delightful show which might be the basis of John Oliver’s new HBO show. John Oliver might also be a good bet for this day too.

Enjoy the weekend and the games.