KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Vols fans are hyped up as the Vols are the outright SEC champs. They said they hope to see the streak continue. The Vols men's basketball team lost to the Kentucky Wildcats 85-81 on Saturday.
"I think they're doing really well this year," George Petersen, a UT transfer student graduate, said. "You know, I do watch. I'm interested in college basketball. I'm actually a graduate of Purdue and you know, Purdue's right there and the Vols right there. And you know, it's good competition. I I'd like to see them be number one seed."
Fans said the current team seems different than teams in recent years.
"I think when I was a sophomore, junior, they won it, the regular season title, but they shared it with Auburn," Caleb Waters, a UT Class of 2021 graduate, said. "This one's outright. So it's even more exciting that they finally did that. But this team just seems different every time they play. Somebody's got 20 points. Somebody you know, it's just fun to watch all around."
To celebrate the big win, the VolShop ordered special shirts to sell in-house. They were ready in less than a week.
"We have a local vendor here in Knoxville that has done a lot of work for us," Tommi Grubbs, marketing manager for the VolShop, said. "And he has been printing through the night to get the championship merchandise to us. So it is a really quick turnaround."
Grubbs said she sees an increase in people buying fan gear when a Vol team is doing good.
"It's been really, it's been very great to be able to see so many people support the team," Grubbs said.