Vanderbilt’s football team decided to refer to Tennessee as “that team from the East” before facing the Vols back in the fall, and now the basketball team is stirring the pot a bit before Thursday’s basketball game between UT and Vandy in Knoxville.
Here are a few of the comments from Vandy guard Wade Baldwin, via Tennessean Vandy beat writer Adam Sparks:
#Vandy PG Wade Baldwin says #UT's Josh Richardson "punked us" in media & "offended our team" by comments bout physicality @MattSlovin
— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) February 25, 2015
#Vandy PG Wade Baldwin: "We're going after (#UT's Richardson). We’re going after Tennessee. We’re going after their fans." @MattSlovin
— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) February 25, 2015
To be fair, Baldwin’s opinion didn’t necessarily represent the whole team, as center Damian Jones had a different take on it.
#Vandy's Damian Jones on loss to #UT: "(Josh Richardson) said they out-toughed us at the end, which is kinda true."
— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) February 25, 2015
When asked if the Vols “stole” a win on Feb. 12 in Nashville when they came back from five points down in the final 15 seconds of regulation to force overtime and eventually claim the 76-73 win, this was Richardson’s response that appears to have Baldwin, who played 44 minutes and scored nine points in Vandy’s overtime loss that night, upset:
“I just feel like we out-toughed them a little bit tonight,” Richardson, who scored 27 points in 42 minutes against VU that night, told reporters in Nashville. “I think Vandy did a good job of attacking us the whole game and being tough, but I think we were a little tougher tonight.”
The Vols will host the rematch with Vandy on Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
