Under Rick Barnes, the Tennessee Vols have turned Selection Sunday anxiety into a yearly RSVP, stacking Sweet Sixteens and Elite Eights like they’re building a Marvel franchise. And like the quick snap of Thanos’ finger, the Vols disappear before the Final Four.
The defense travels, the pace suffocates, and every possession feels like the basketball equivalent of trying to sneak past a sleeping guard in a heist movie. Meanwhile, Iowa State, who I’m sure has a lovely campus and excellent corn-based morale, brings their own brand of chaos. They’re physical, disruptive, and perfectly capable of ruining a bracket faster than a surprise villain reveal in Act Two.
And if you ever decide to visit their campus, please go check out their tree. It’s one of three in the state.
But here’s the thing: Tennessee doesn’t feel like a plot twist this year. They feel like the inevitable third-act payoff. The kind where the music swells, the shots start falling, and suddenly you realize this team isn’t just advancing—they’re arriving. Iowa State will make it a fight. They always do. But if the Vols play their game, this one tilts orange in a hurry.
Officially? Toss-up. Could go either way. Truly a battle.
Anyway, here’s a Claude Cowork dashboard I created looking at the history of the Vols under Rick Barnes during the Final Four tournament. For comparison sake, I’ve created one for Iowa State. I’ll wait to the weekend to change the status of the game to a loss for Iowa State
….maybe…
SNAP!
