In addition to possible looming NCAA sanctions and a roster bereft of its usual talent, former Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl left new Vols coach Cuonzo Martin with one final parting gift.
Tennessee's schedule next season is brutal.
Thursday's announcement that defending Big East champion Pittsburgh will visit Knoxville on Dec. 3 only increases the degree of difficulty of a non-league schedule that now appears to be among the toughest in the nation.
The Vols already were hosting national champion UConn and visiting Conference USA favorite Memphis and Summit League champion Oakland. They'll also be part of perhaps the most loaded Maui Invitational field in history, a tournament that includes the likes of Duke, Kansas, UCLA, Michigan, Memphis and Georgetown.
"I think our guys will be ready for the challenges physically; it's a matter of how quickly they pick up the things we want to do on the floor,'' Martin told the Knoxville News-Sentinel on Thursday.
"Our returning guys want to prove some people wrong who think we won't be competitive. We lost some great players, but our guys continue to work to be champions.''
Tennessee has traditionally played top 20 schedules recently, but the difference is that most of Pearl's teams had the talent to be competitive against elite foes. The early exits of Scotty Hopson and Tobias Harris means that four of Tennessee's five leading scorers are gone from an inconsistent team that lost by 30 to Michigan in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
The SEC schedule likely won't be any friendlier for Tennessee. Whereas the league was top-heavy last season and mediocre in previous seasons, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Florida and Alabama all look like top 25 teams next year with Mississippi State also capable of making huge strides.
Because of the success Pearl had during his tenure, Tennessee fans now expect to win 25 games, contend for SEC titles and make the Sweet 16 on a regular basis. Hopefully they'll be patient with Martin because with a threadbare roster and a grueling schedule, the Vols might be fortunate to finish much above .500.
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