University of Tennessee Athletics
Inside The T - From Far And Wide
March 06, 2015 | Women's Basketball
By Brian Rice LITTLE ROCK, Ark.
UTSports.com
Shortly after, many other orange-clad fans began to file their way into the Little Rock arena. It is never a surprise to see a partisan UT crowd at the annual event, even when it is 525 miles away from the home base of Thompson-Boling Arena. But what is rather surprising is when those fans arrive.
With the expansion of the Southeastern Conference to 14 teams in 2012, the league's basketball tournaments expanded from four days to five, with the first session coming in primetime on Wednesday night.
So on this late Wednesday afternoon, with the schedule moved up a couple of hours due to impending winter weather, the Tennessee fan takeover began. Never mind that it would still be more than 48 hours before the Lady Vols would take the court for the first time, the fans were there and ready.
Two media timeouts into Auburn's win over Florida in the session's first game, the dominant color in the arena was still orange, and it had nothing to do with the accent color both teams use. To remove any doubt, the first chant of "Lady Vols" began after a commercial on the arena's video boards featured a speech from Pat Summitt and highlights from previous Tennessee title runs.
A day later, even more fans arrived to take in the four games of the tournament's second day. The turnout was even more impressive considering the winter weather outside that had practically crippled the city, making even the short commute across the bridge from the downtown Little Rock hotels precarious.
Those fans were rewarded as the day's third game was set to begin when the Lady Vols themselves filed into the arena to take in the Georgia-Missouri game that would determine UT's opponent on Friday. The loudest applause of the day in the arena came as the team emerged from the floor and into the stands. Another chant of "Lady Vols" broke out, officially welcoming the team to Little Rock and the tournament.
The team reciprocated, signing autographs for the fans that made their way into the end section that they occupied. Head coach Holly Warlick joined the crew on the SEC Now studio set between games as fans crowded around the SEC Network stage on the concourse.
Following Georgia's win over Missouri that set up the third meeting between the Bulldogs and the Lady Vols, the fans once again cheered on the team as they departed the arena for a good night's sleep and preparation for the quarterfinal matchup.
The crowd turnout is not a one-time event. The Tennessee fan takeover of the tournament is an annual event that draws UT fans from all over the country to wherever the venue is. From more Knoxville-friendly sites like Atlanta and Nashville, to those locations a little farther away like this year in Little Rock and next year in Jacksonville, the fans are always there early and in force, leaving no doubt who has the best fans in the conference.
Tennessee fans will be rewarded when the Lady Vols finally take the court Friday evening in the Verizon Arena, but the true reward will be for the Lady Vols themselves. 525 miles and what Google Maps conservatively calls a 7 hour, 34 minute drive away from Thompson-Boling, Tennessee will feel right at home.
