Remember when Tennessee was 18-3 and ranked No. 2 in the nation?

Sure you do. It was only 23 days ago.

Tennessee had just beaten top-10 Texas and looked like a real Final Four contender.

Zakai Zeigler was receiving “best point guard in the SEC” talk and Rick Barnes had his deepest team since he arrived in Knoxville.

A LOT has changed since then.

The Vols have lost five out of seven games.

Two starters — Josiah-Jordan James and Julian Phillips — have missed two weeks of games due to injury.

And something has just been… off.

“We’ve underperformed heavily in our eyes,” James told the Big Orange Tip-Off Club on Wednesday, according to Volquest.

There’s something that isn’t missing: awareness.

Tennessee knows it’s better than what the team has shown in February.

And the Vols still have time to prove it.

South Carolina (3-12 in the SEC) comes to town this weekend and should be an easy win.

James said he plans to return, and if he and Phillips are back healthy, this team has legit depth and athleticism.

Tennessee also has the best defense in the nation, according to KenPom.

That will give the Vols a chance to compete with anybody in March.

But Tennessee needs to offer proof. The Vols will get their chance next week when they host Arkansas (Feb. 28) and play at Auburn (March 5).

Play well in those games and confidence should return.

“We’re gonna find a way,” Barnes said after Tennessee’s loss to Texas A&M on Tuesday.

That might be difficult to believe right now, especially with Tennessee’s previous March woes.

But the Vols have already shown us they can beat the best teams in the country. They just need to do it again.

MORE HYPE (HEUP) FOR TENNESSEE

Tennessee finished the 2022 football season with an 11-2 record and a No. 6 ranking in the national polls.

It was a spectacular season led by players like quarterback Hendon Hooker and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt.

But those guys are gone.

So is Darnell Wright. And Byron Young. And Cedric Tillman. And… no need to keep going.

So we shouldn’t expect Tennessee to repeat last year’s success, right?

Not so fast my friend, Lee Corso might say. Or his ESPN colleague Bill Connelly.

Tennessee ranks No. 6 in Connelly’s 2023 SP+ rankings, exactly where the Vols finished last season.

There are several reasons why. No. 1 on the list: Josh Heupel’s offense.

Connelly explained on Josh and Swain what kind of difference Heupel has made since he arrived at Tennessee.

“The four years before Heupel got there, (the Vols) averaged an offensive SP+ ranking of 86th in the country,” Connelly said. “They’ve been third and second in two years under Heupel.”

You read that right: 86th in the country over a four-year span.

Times have changed in Knoxville. Another reason for Tennessee fans to be thankful for Heupel.

Connelly gave us more details on what he expects out of Tennessee and the Vols’ top competition in 2023. Check out our conversation below.

SPORTS NUGGETS!

🏈 Two Vols landed in the first round of Daniel Jeremiah’s latest NFL Mock Draft.

🏀 VFL Admiral Schofield received great news from the Magic this week. (Go check out our conversation with Admiral back in the summer.)

🏀 How about these suggestions for a landing spot for current Iona coach Rick Pitino?

🔥 The Old School vs New School basketball argument has gotten spicy.

🏈 Aaron Rodgers has finished his darkness retreat. So what's next for the Packers QB?

⚾ Tennessee baseball will host a weekend series vs Dayton. Here’s the schedule and starting pitcher info.

STICK TO SPORTS

Knoxville will have the national spotlight this weekend thanks to “Cocaine Bear,” a highly-anticipated film hitting theatres.

This is a real movie with a legit cast, including Keri Russell and O’Shea Jackson Jr.

The Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer gave Cocaine Bear a 72 with the audience scoring it an 83.

Watch the official trailer below and hit this link for details on the real-life story from Knox News.

QUICK BYTE OUT THE DOOR

Legends of Tennessee sold out its annual “Sips and Cigars” event for Friday night.

The event, led by VFLs Jabari Davis and Chris Treece, will help fund football camps and work being done to help mental health and reading development among youth in East Tennessee.

Current Tennessee football players participate with Legends of Tennessee as a way to give back to East TN communities.

“We already have kids engaged,” Davis said on Josh and Swain. “We have kids eager to learn because we’re sitting at the table with those kids, we’re interacting with those kids. … The way we were brought up, it takes a village.”

Kudos to Legends of Tennessee. ⬇️⬇️

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⏺️ Did you know?: Eminem’s “The Slim Shady LP” came out 24 years ago this week. Today’s headline is a reference for anyone old enough to remember.