Issue 48, Volume 122
Monday, March 18, 2013
Vols left out of NCAA Tourney Austin Bornheim Assistant Sports Editor With the final seconds of Friday afternoon’s SEC Tournament quarterfinals game against Alabama ticking away, Jordan McRae sat with his face buried in a towel on the Tennessee bench. The junior and team’s leading scorer had fouled out moments earlier for just the third time all season, a microcosm of the game the Volunteers’ played. Nothing went right. Following the loss the team sat dejected in the Bridgestone Arena locker room, thinking about what a win could have done. “No shots were falling for us,” Trae Golden said Friday. “It just wasn’t our
night. Now we wait to see what happens on Sunday.” With a chance to put their NCAA Tournament fate squarely in their own hands, the Vols (20-12) saw their postseason hopes all but slip through their fingers with a 58-48 loss to the Crimson Tide. That scenario materialized Sunday evening when head coach Cuonzo Martin’s squad failed to hear its name mentioned among the tournament field for the second straight season — relegating Tennessee to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) once again. “It’s tough for our guys,” Martin said. “It was one of those times where you’re asking, ‘Where we are going to go play in the tournament?’ and it doesn’t go
your way.” Much like 2012, Tennessee closed the regular season as one of the hottest teams in the country — winning nine of its last 11 games this season and eight of its 10 games in 2012. Wins down the stretch against Kentucky, then No. 8 Florida, LSU and Missouri — all top 100 teams — were not enough to bolster the Tennessee body of work, as the losses shone brighter than the victories in the committee’s eyes. A midseason loss to Virginia and a tough stretch of five straight losses at the beginning of conference play ultimately hurt Tennessee’s résumé. See TOURNAMENT on Page 10
Tia Patron • The Daily Beacon
Men’s basketball coach Cuonzo Martin is engrossed in a call during the Florida game.
Students enjoy ‘Vol Night Long’ Emilee Lamb Staff Writer The annual “Vol Night Long” block party transformed the TRECS on Friday night as students skipped the treadmills in favor of laser tag and free food. Students entered the TRECS patio to be greeted by a jousting arena where their classmates vied comically to knock each other off a pedestal. Meanwhile on the intramural fields, others rolled by in human hamster ball races. A constant stream of students lined up to tumble around inside the giant plastic bubbles, spinning head-over-heels through cones before dizzily making their way back to the start line. Also set up on the patio was a small refreshment stand offering attendees an ice cream sundae bar and popcorn. A disc jockey spun a constant mix of popular dance music as students enjoyed the 60 degree temperatures. Inside the main lobby of the building, about 100 students waited to receive their custom street signs which were produced free of charge for the participants of “Vol Night Long.” “The cotton candy was my favorite part, hands down,” Victoria Odell, a junior in anthropology, said. Two basketball courts in TRECS were completely taken over for “Vol Night Long,” one by an inflatable obstacle course and the other by a large game of laser tag. The laser tag game attracted a long line of students, who
played inside a self-contained course. The maze inside the inflatable black bubble was smoky, dark and filled with flashing lights. Laser tag players were equipped with large, military style guns that looked and felt very real. While the game was intended to be harmless, one player emerged with a bloodied eyebrow and another complained of a busted lip. Despite the element of danger, the laser tag course appeared to be a favorite among “Vol Night Long” attendees. “I would have to say the laser tag was my favorite part,” Kent Connell, a junior in biological sciences, said. “Getting second place among my friends might be influencing my decision a bit though.” For those feeling less adventurous, there were a few basketball courts open to use. In fact, most of the courts were occupied with players throughout the night. Although the event offered many forms of entertainment for attendees, Connell said certain aspects could be improved in the future. “More food,” Connell said. “One chicken wing per person just wasn’t going to cut it.” Overall, “Vol Night Long” appeared to be a success. Hundreds of students flowed in and out of the TRECS from the event’s start at 10:00 p.m. until its ending at 2:00 a.m. “I came out because my friends and I went to ‘Vol Night Long’ last year and had a blast,” Connell said. “‘Vol Night Long’ was a cool way to unwind after a long week.”
Fish sparks controversy, takes TVA to Supreme Court Samantha Smoak Copy Editor In 1973, a three-inch fish sparked a controversy around the Endangered Species Act, taking the Tennessee Valley Authority all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. More than 50 people took advantage of the opportunity to learn about what that three-inch long snail darter, the TVA and environmental regulation had in common at Thursday’s Baker Center Energy and Environmental Forum.
Zygmunt Plater, professor of law at Boston College Law School, gave a presentation entitled, “The Biggest Environmental Law Case in Twentieth Century Tennessee … and Where Was the Press? The Little Endangered Snail Darter versus TVA’s Tellico Dam.” Plater explained how the TVA started construction on the Tellico Dam in 1967 but was delayed when the snail darter, an endangered fish species, was found upstream. Initially the dam construc-
tion was stopped under the Endangered Species Act but was later finished after Congress made an exception for the Tellico Dam. There was hardly any media coverage over the controversy. Plater, one of the litigators in the subsequent lawsuit, said in his presentation that media coverage would have changed the outcome of the case. “… My proposition to you is this: if the media had ever covered this story in terms of its real facts, the river would still
be flowing today,” he said. Plater said that the infamous case illustrates the importance of the media as the “fourth branch” of government. “The media has incredible effect,” Plater said. “It’s what the public doesn’t know, that lets them (Congress) go forward … If the public knows, then they will respond … we never got an investigative story into any of the case’s elements.” Jacob LaRiviere, an assistant professor in the depart-
ment of economics, said he hoped that students saw how a piece of Tennessee history was a major player in environmental regulation policy. “(I hope that students learned) about the challenges and tradeoffs associated with environmental regulation, (and about a part of) East Tennessee history that played out on a national stage,” LaRiviere said. LaRiviere also emphasized the opportunities that students had at the event. A chance to interact with the
main participants in a case that went to the Supreme Court and shaped the future of environmental law in the U.S. offered the gathered crowd a fresh perspective on future environmental regulation. The lecture was a part of the Baker Center Energy and Environmental Forum. The forum contributes to the Baker Center’s continuing effort to engage the campus and larger community on energy and environmental policy topics.