Hat: "8" Is Vols Magic Number for AA Bid

While co-hosting with Basilio on the Arkansas post-game*, Hat commented that Tennessee's magic number for a legit shot at an AA bid was 8 wins.

Where are the best chances to get these 8 wins, and where are the land mines that could bite us, if not careful?

Here's the remaining regular season schedule (copied from UTSports.com):

[TABLE="width: 100%"]
[TR="class: event-listing, bgcolor: #ffffff"]
[TD="class: row-text"]01/20/15[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]at South Carolina * [/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]Columbia, S.C.[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]9:00 p.m. ET[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: event-listing, bgcolor: #eaeaea"]
[TD="class: row-text"]01/24/15[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]vs. Texas A&M * [/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]Knoxville[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]1:00 p.m. ET[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: event-listing, bgcolor: #ffffff"]
[TD="class: row-text"]01/27/15[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]at Arkansas * [/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]Fayetteville, Ark.[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]9:00 p.m. ET[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: event-listing, bgcolor: #eaeaea"]
[TD="class: row-text"]01/31/15[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]vs. Auburn * [/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]Knoxville[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]12:00 p.m. ET[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: event-listing, bgcolor: #eaeaea"]
[TD="class: row-text"]02/03/15[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]vs. Mississippi State * [/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]Knoxville[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]7:00 p.m. ET[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: event-listing, bgcolor: #ffffff"]
[TD="class: row-text"]02/07/15[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]at Georgia * [/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]Athens, Ga.[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]12:00 p.m. ET[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: event-listing, bgcolor: #ffffff"]
[TD="class: row-text"]02/11/15[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]at Vanderbilt * [/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]Nashville, Tenn.[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]7:00 p.m. ET[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: event-listing, bgcolor: #eaeaea"]
[TD="class: row-text"]02/14/15[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]vs. LSU * [/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]Knoxville[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]4:00 p.m. ET[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: event-listing, bgcolor: #eaeaea"]
[TD="class: row-text"]02/17/15[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]vs. Kentucky * [/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]Knoxville[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]7:00 p.m. ET[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: event-listing, bgcolor: #ffffff"]
[TD="class: row-text"]02/21/15[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]at Ole Miss * [/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]Oxford, Miss.[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]7:30 p.m. ET[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: event-listing, bgcolor: #eaeaea"]
[TD="class: row-text"]02/26/15[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]vs. Vanderbilt * [/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]Knoxville[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]7:00 p.m. ET[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: event-listing, bgcolor: #ffffff"]
[TD="class: row-text"]02/28/15[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]at Florida * [/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]Gainesville, Fla.[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]TBA[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: event-listing, bgcolor: #ffffff"]
[TD="class: row-text"]03/04/15[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]at LSU * [/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]Baton Rouge, La.[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]7:00 p.m. ET[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: event-listing, bgcolor: #eaeaea"]
[TD="class: row-text"]03/07/15[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]vs. South Carolina *[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]Knoxville, TN.[/TD]
[TD="class: row-text"]4:00 p.m. ET[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

*If you want to hear a truly excellent sports show - with a heavy emphasis on callers, and just an all-around fun listen - you should be listening to Basilio & Hat's post game show, via the Basilio Show App. It's what a sports call-in show should be. Just my $.02

 

Although good for the record, it doesn't seem right playing Kentucky only once.

 

At UK and at UF are Ls.

MSU, Vandy, AU, USC, A&M, GA, Ole Miss?, LSU?

 

Tomorrows Missouri game is not listed, as well, and I think we match up well with them even if it is on the road.

 

At Arky is another loss. The rest, who knows. This bunch is on a knife edge most every night

 

Im not calling the others Ws, just the ones more likely to be if we get 8 out of that bunch.

 

Doable, but 8 is about this team's ceiling. No sure wins with this bunch.

 

I am not very knowledgeable in basketball, but with the prospect of Tyndall being out 5 games, I would refuse to even hazard a guess as to what this team will do from here on out.

 

True.
This team will be in enough positions to win 8. Closing the deal is the questions.

 

I just don't see that coming down before the conclusion of this season tho

 

No, it won't. Actually, it can't, given that this season ends in 2.5 months.

That is, unless the 'AA and DT / USM strike a deal, where all parties agree on the allegations and punishment to be imposed. Then, it could happen tomorrow. I'd like to believe that this is possible, even if unlikely, simply as a way to keep it from bleeding into the off-season, or even next year.

 

I agree.

 

Not sure I see more than 6 or 7 even with @MIZ

 

I'll take a shot. Obvs best case scenerio

@mizzou
vs TAMU
vs Barn
vs MSST
@UGA
vs LSU
vs VANDY
vs USC

Winning on the road is the deciding factor, imo.

 

seriously? This conference absolutely sucks. We can beat anyone in it, besides KY, on any given night. Sadly, they can all beat us just as easily.

 

I think our best shot is to win 6 out of 7 at home then 2 out of Vandy UGA, Mizzou and USCe on the road.

 

I think that's right, though I give us very little shot of winning at South Carolina.

 

I hope to be at that game. Only drawback is a 9 pm tip with work the next day

 

There's more than 6 or 7 for the taking for sure, I just think we only end up winning 6 or 7 more. Only 6 winnable home games left (excluding Kentucky). Apart from Mizzou, none of our road games are against total jokes (all top 100 RPI at least).

Mizzou is pretty much a must win for 8. If you have that and all 6 non-UK home games, you only have to get one other road game. Each home loss from the six means we'll have to beat someone roughly equal or better on the road to make it up.

 

That was also my least likely of that list. I would love to see us sweep Vandy.