The 2009–10 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represented the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th sta ...

in the 2009-10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was the fifth season for

Bruce Pearl Bruce Alan Pearl (born March 18, 1960) is an American college basketball coach, and the head coach of the Auburn Tigers men's basketball team. He previously served as the head coach at Tennessee, Milwaukee, and Southern Indiana. Pearl led Sout ...

as the Volunteers' head coach. The team, a member of the Eastern Division of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

, played its home games at Thompson-Boling Arena. They finished the season 28–9, 11–5 in SEC play and advanced to the semifinals of the

2010 SEC men's basketball tournament The 2010 SEC men's basketball tournament was held March 11–14, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee at Bridgestone Arena. The first, quarterfinal, and semifinal rounds were televised by SEC Network and the semifinals and finals were broadcast nation ...

before losing to

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. They received an at-large bid to the

2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2009–10 basketball seaso ...

, earning a 6 seed in the Midwest Region. They defeated 11 seed

San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

in the first round and 14 seed

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. In the regional semifinal they defeated 2 seed and AP #5

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

to advance to the first Elite Eight in school history. They were defeated by 5 seed and AP #13

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

in the regional final to end their season.

Preseason

The 2008–09 Volunteers finished the season 21–13 overall, against the second-rated schedule in the nation, with a 10–6 mark in conference play. The Vols won the SEC East crown and appeared in the SEC Championship Game for the first time since 1991. In postseason play, the Volunteers earned a number 9 seed in the NCAA tournament. The team went on to lose in the first round to the

Oklahoma State Cowboys The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater. The program's mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates at the National Col ...

and finished the season unranked. The Vols lost several players during the off-season. Two seniors from the team graduated: Tanner Wild and Ryan Childress. Philip Jurick did not return to the team and Daniel West did not have his scholarship extended due to being academically ineligible. Also, sophomore forward Emmanuel Negedu underwent surgery and will not play for the 2009–10 season. Negedu had to have a sub-pectoral implantable cardiac defibrillator implanted after suffering a cardiac arrest after a workout in the Neyland-Thompson Sports Complex on September 28, 2009. On October 28, 2009, senior guard Josh Tabb, who was indefinitely suspended on September 18, returned to Illinois in order to care after his ailing mother. On November 2, 2009, the SEC released the rosters for the All-SEC first and second teams. Senior guard/forward Tyler Smith was chosen for the first team All-SEC. Wayne Chism was selected for the second team All-SEC. On January 1, 2010, Tyler Smith, Cameron Tatum, Brian Williams, and Melvin Goins were arrested for weapons charges and marijuana possession. Coach Bruce Pearl suspended the four players. Tyler Smith was dismissed from the team, and the three other players have since been reinstated.

Class of 2009 Signees

2009–10 Roster

2009–10 Schedule

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2009-10 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

Tennessee Volunteers basketball seasons

Volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

Preseason

Class of 2009 Signees

2009–10 Roster

2009–10 Schedule

See also

References