National media outlet hits Tennessee with extreme disrespect after win against Alabama
The Tennessee Vols knocked off the Alabama Crimson Tide this week, but that doesn't mean they're going to suddenly start getting respected by the national media. In fact, the disrespect only seems to be intensifying. CBS Sports college basketball writer Gary Parrish, one of the more well-known voices when it comes to college hoops, revealed […]
The Tennessee Vols knocked off the Alabama Crimson Tide this week, but that doesn't mean they're going to suddenly start getting respected by the national media.
In fact, the disrespect only seems to be intensifying.
CBS Sports college basketball writer Gary Parrish, one of the more well-known voices when it comes to college hoops, revealed his new top 25 on Friday and he has Alabama at No. 2.
Tennessee, meanwhile, is at No. 14 in his top 25.
This is hilariously bad from Parrish.
I'm not someone that thinks Tennessee should be ranked above Alabama, but the Vols weren't even at No. 14 in the AP Top 25 poll after losing to Vanderbilt and Missouri in the same week.
How can Parrish justify putting them that low after beating Alabama???
And conversely, how is Bama still a top-two team? I know he updates daily, so these rankings reflect Purdue's loss to Maryland, but it still doesn't make sense.
If Alabama is that good — and I do believe they're an elite team — then why isn't Tennessee getting more credit for beating them?
Parrish's rankings make it seem like the Vols' win against the Crimson Tide counted for….absolutely nothing.
Bama, meanwhile, barely gets dinged for the loss.
Look, I know the losses to Vandy and Mizzou were bad. But if both of those last-second shots clang off the rim and the Vols win both of those games, they're in the conversation to be the No. 1 team in the AP poll next week (if they beat Kentucky on Saturday).
At some point, what happened during the game has to count for more than just the final score.
Though in Parrish's world, it seems like the final score doesn't really matter, either.
Parrish is a smart guy. He knows college basketball as well as anyone — certainly better than me. But keeping Bama at No. 2 and placing Tennessee at No. 14 — despite their wins against Kansas, Maryland, Texas, Auburn, and Alabama — seems beyond disrespectful. It feels agenda driven. And that's a shame because Rick Barnes and the Vols deserve better.
Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
