Seriously: If you had told me when Bruce left that Tennessee would be in position to compete for a national championship within 10 years, I'd probably have laughed out loud. If you had told me as Cuonzo was bolting and we were hiring a coach who was about to be show-caused for violations at his prior stop that we might be in a position to compete for a national championship within 10 years, I might've smacked you. If you had told me the day the Rick Barnes hire was announced that he would put Tennessee in a position to compete for a national championship, I would've rolled my eyes and called it a "safe hire" meant to stabilize the program.
Rick Barnes DID stabilize the program after the Donnie Tyndall disaster. Then he elevated its national profile, and has is putting together a roster that appears to be good enough to compete for a national championship.
If we land Chandler plus one of those other guys they mention (and I think that’s probably the
worst case scenario), that team next year could be a popular NC pick depending on early departures.