An old Pat Forde tweet about Tennessee is making the rounds again after Vols advance to the Sweet 16, and it looks as bad as ever
The Tennessee Vols took down the Virginia Cavaliers to advance to the Sweet 16.
The Tennessee Vols took down the Virginia Cavaliers on Sunday evening in Philadelphia to advance to the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight season.
Vols head coach Rick Barnes, who will turn 72 in July, has helped Tennessee achieve consistent success since arriving on Rocky Top in 2015.
When Tennessee hired Barnes in 2015 to replace Donnie Tyndall, many in the national media viewed it as a lackluster move.
Barnes had just been let go by Texas after a 17-year run that included one Final Four appearance and a couple of Elite Eight appearances.
Tennessee, meanwhile, was hiring its second coach in two years after Cuonzo Martin left his role as the Vols’ head coach to take over at California.
Plenty of folks in the national media poked fun at Tennessee hiring Barnes, including Pat Forde, who never hesitates to be overly critical of the Vols. The feeling was that Barnes was a retread who was near the end of his career.
That feeling led to a tweet from Forde that resurfaces nearly every year.
And that infamous tweet from 2016 is making the rounds again following Tennessee’s win over Virginia.
“To Tennessee trolls who pop up every time Cuonzo Martin loses a game at Cal: your record is 26-27 since he left. And you just lost to TCU,” tweeted Forde in 2016.
CBS Sports college basketball analyst Gary Parrish chimed in as well.
Barnes is arguably the best coach in Tennessee basketball history.
Martin, meanwhile, left California for Missouri in 2017 after three seasons (which included just one NCAA Tournament appearance). He was fired by Missouri in 2022 after making just two tournament appearances in five seasons (both first-round exits). Martin is now the head coach at Missouri State (it’s his second stint).
I’d say things worked out just fine for Barnes and the Vols.
It turns out those “Tennessee trolls” know ball better than Forde or Parrish.
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