March 9, 2009

The Tennessee basketball team's 46 regular-season Southeastern Conference wins over the last four years are the most of any school in the league. The next closest team--Florida--has 40 such victories during that span.

The Vols have won back-to-back SEC Eastern Division titles--something UT had not previously accomplished since the league went to divisional play.

Serving as further testament of Tennessee's divisional prowess under fourth-year head coach Bruce Pearl is its 13-7 record on the road against Eastern Division teams in the last four seasons. No other Eastern Division team has more than nine such wins during that span.

And by virtue of its SEC Eastern Division title this season, Tennessee pulled off yet another noteworthy accomplishment: the Vols became the first team in SEC history ever to finish ahead of Kentucky in the final league standings for four consecutive seasons.

The Wildcats vacated their 1988 SEC title and were not eligible for the conference championship in 1990 and 1991. But UK still posted the league's best record in 1988 (13-5) and 1991 (14-4).

In each of the last four seasons, Tennessee's regular-season conference record has been better than Kentucky's. UT is the only school that can boast such an accomplishment in the storied, 76-year history of the SEC.

The Vols have reeled off four straight 10-win seasons in SEC play, this year's group of seniors is the winningest group in program history (96 victories and counting), the points of pride go on and on...

All this, and Pearl and the Vols have yet to put the finishing touches on the 2008-09 campaign. Tennessee begins play in the SEC Tournament in Tampa, Fla., Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET (Raycom Sports) against the winner of Thursday's first-round matchup between Alabama and Vanderbilt.

Following the league tourney, the Vols hope to earn their fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, where they've made runs to the Sweet Sixteen in each of the last two seasons.