Welcome to our weekly column, the State of the Vols. Here we look at the pulse of UT football and basketball. Check back next Monday to keep abreast of what’s going on and what’s coming up with UT sports.

Football

The Vols return to the practice field Tuesday afternoon after taking more than a week off for spring break. Tennessee will practice Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday this week. The coaching staff will undoubtably be looking for more consistency from the talented group of early enrollees and from the quarterbacks. Typically, the first practice or two after spring break is a little rough, so don’t be surprised to see the team struggle a little tomorrow. We’ll have full coverage as always.

Butch Jones was in attendance when the Vols beat Mercer to advance to the Sweet 16. He continues to do a great job selling the program and supporting Vol athletics at large.

Last week, Tennessee picked up a commitment from three-star defensive back Stephen Griffin. The 6-3, 188 pound defensive back from Charlotte, NC., committed to the Vols Thursday afternoon. He is the ninth official commit in the 2015 Vol class. Scout.com’s Michael Clark had this to say about Griffin:

“Griffin is a long, athletic defensive back. Griffin plays fast, but under control. He is extremely physical and very good in run support. However, he is also very good against the pass. Griffin is fluid in and out of his backpedal and does a nice job of reading the quarterback’s eyes and breaking on the football. Overall, he should contribute early in his college career and has a chance to become a star.”

He could play nickel, safety, or possibly outside linebacker at Tennessee depending on his growth and development. Tennessee is expected to sign around 20 players in the 2015 class so the Vols are nearly halfway home. According to 247Sports.com, UT’s 2015 recruiting class ranks 8th nationally.

Basketball

What a week for Vol basketball. Tennessee started slow against Iowa Wednesday in Dayton but rallied to win in overtime. Then they shut down an explosive UMASS team and destroyed a very well-coached Mercer to advance to the seventh Sweet 16 in program history. That’s three NCAA wins in one week for Cuonzo Martin and the Vols if you’re counting at home.

They’re advancing to face No. 2 seed Michigan Friday at 7:15 pm in Indianapolis (TV: CBS). The Wolverines are an interesting matchup for the Vols.  Michigan ranks 4th nationally in offensive efficiency and will pose a huge challenge for Tennessee’s defense. They’re lead by Big 10 player of the year Nik Stauskas who averages over 17 points per game and shoots 45% from 3. As a team, Michigan shoots nearly 40%  from 3  (6th nationally). Tennessee’s perimeter defense will have to be at its best for the Vols to advance.

Defensively, Michigan isn’t great. They rank 126th nationally in defensive efficiency (the Vols are 37th). They don’t turn you over and are one of the worst rebounding teams in the nation (303rd nationally). They’re allowing opponents to shoot 50% from 2 (225th nationally) and UT should be able to punish the Wolverines inside and dominate the glass. For Tennessee to pick up the win, they’ll have to continue to knock down some outside shots; that will be a tough task against a team that excels at perimeter defense—they’re holding opponents to 31% shooting from beyond the arc (35th nationally). The Vols will also have to get to the line against a team which leads the nation in keeping opponents off the free throw line.

We’ll have more on Tennessee’s big matchup with Michigan later this week.

Cuonzo Martin has done a great job getting this team to peak at the right time. The Vols are clearly playing their best ball and will be a tough out for the Wolverines. Martin is either the 10th or 11th highest paid coach in the SEC depending on your source and is headed for a big raise and extension this offseason. Dave Hart will have to make Martin among the highest paid coaches in the league to fend off other programs from making a run at him. Mike Anderson (Arkansas) and Kevin Stallings (Vanderbilt) both make over $2 million a year. Bruce Pearl will average $2.45 million per year over the life of his 6-year contract at Auburn, contract which would make him the third highest paid coach in the league behind John Calipari and Billy Donovan. Martin is making $1.3 million per year under his current contract. Look for that number to approach or surpass $2 million next season.