Summitt felt that her behavior in recent months had been erratic and decided to go see doctors at the famed Mayo Clinic, at which time the diagnosis was made.

Summitt said that she will continue to coach and certainly does not want a pity party thrown for her.

It’s a shocking announcement given that Summitt is just 59-years old and in good shape. It’s not typically a condition linked to people so young.

Summitt’s grandmother had Alzheimer’s so it runs in the family, but this is still stunning news that will surely dumbfound anyone associated with college basketball.

Bruce Pearl put Tennessee basketball on the map like no other coach. From painting his chest orange in support of the Lady Vols to his unabashed passion for the Big Orange, Pearl definitely left his mark in Knoxville.

Unfortunately, he also left his mark on the NCAA rule book. That in the end is the reason Pearl’s run at Tennessee apparently is over.

According to published reports Monday night, Tennessee had decided to fire Pearl after a season during which the embattled coach missed eight games after the Southeastern Conference suspended him for hindering an NCAA investigation.

It’s a difficult end for Pearl, who made the college basketball world pay attention to a school that primarily is known for football. Pearl’s Tennessee teams went 145-61 in six seasons, never missing the NCAAs, reaching the top of the national polls in 2008 and falling one point short of a Final Four appearance last season.

Tennessee was blown out by Michigan on Friday in the second round of the NCAAs, 75-45. Earlier last week, Tennessee AD Mike Hamilton, his own job thought to be hanging by a thread, failed to give Pearl a vote of confidence on a radio interview. The story took off nationwide and dominated the pregame talk leading into the Vols’ NCAA opener.

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Down four points at halftime of their NCAA tournament opener Friday, the Tennessee Volunteers totally fell apart on Friday afternoon.

Now the question is will Bruce Pearl get the chance to pick up the pieces after Michigan destroyed the Vols in the second half, running to a 75-45 rout of Tennessee in the second round of the West regional in Charlotte, N.C.

Pearl, who has been under fire all season and served an eight-game suspension for misleading NCAA investigators, didn’t get a vote of confidence from athletic director Mike Hamilton this week during a radio interview. The story exploded across the nation, and after an admirable first half, the Vols’ hopes exploded.

Michigan led 33-29 at halftime, but outscored Tennessee 42-16 in the final 20 minutes. Tobias Harris, who scored 19 points in the opening half for the Vols, finished with 19, going scoreless in the second half. Tennessee shot just 34.9 percent from the field, hitting only 3 of 18 from 3-point range.

The Vols, who at one time this season were ranked in the top 10, finished 19-15. Zack Novak’s 14 points led Michigan.

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They have defeated ranked teams, and they have also stumbled in conference play. At times, they have looked like a powerhouse. At times, they played without their suspended coach.

It has been an up and down ride for the Tennessee Volunteers in 2010-11. The ride continues into the NCAA tournament.

The Vols begin the NCAA tournament as a No. 9 seed on Friday in Charlotte against Michigan. For Tennessee, just getting to the NCAAs on one hand seems like not a big deal, considering at one time this season the Vols were 7-0 and considered a strong favorite to contend for the Southeastern Conference title.

At the same time, the Vols couldn’t handle success. A loss to Oakland of the Summit League, at home, ended the unbeaten streak. Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl was suspended for eight SEC games for misleading NCAA investigators.

Tennessee beat ranked Villanova, Pittsburgh and Memphis early in the season. The Vols also beat Vanderbilt twice, once when the Commodores were ranked. But Tennessee was swept by Florida and Kentucky.

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Tennessee tried to put a positive note on a tumultuous season on senior day, but couldn’t finish off Kentucky.

The Volunteers took a seven-point lead into the locker room but struggled in the final minutes, which has become a common theme.

Head coach Bruce Pearl lamented getting swept by Kentucky and how his team has struggled in the rivalry in recent years.

Freshman Tobias Harris lead the Volunteers with 18 points and six rebounds. Scott Hopson added 13.

There is no place like home. For the University of Tennessee, the upcoming Music City Bowl appearance will be yet another appearance in the Volunteer State.

The Volunteers will hit Interstate 40 west and head to Nashville, a two-hour trip, for the bowl matchup against North Carolina.

Tennessee will make its first appearance in the Music City Bowl, and the game will mark the fourth different venue inside Tennessee’s borders the Vols have played in this season.

Expect to see the ball in the air quite a bit. The Tar Heels are 22nd in the nation in passing yards per game (286.2), while Tennessee ranks 29th in the country (271). The Vols are averaging 27 points per game, while UNC has scored 24.9 points per contest this season.

Both teams have struggled on defense. The Vols gave up 24.7 points per game, while the Tar Heels allowed 22.9 points per contest.

The two teams have met 31 times, Tennessee holding a 20-10-1 advantage. The last meeting was in 1961, a 22-21 North Carolina victory.

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The Volunteers trailed by just three points at halftime, which is somewhat of a moral victory for this team.

However, the second half was a completely different story, as the Volunteers were shut out by the more talented Crimson Tide.

Tennessee’s front seven crumbled in the second half as Alabama churned up yards on the ground and rushed for three touchdowns.

The Volunteers have shown signs of life at times this year, but they are still a long way from competing with the big boys of the SEC.

The game came down to the final play when LSU nudged the ball into the end zone from one-yard out for the winning score.

It was an agonizing defeat for the Volunteers, who have been on the losing end of a lot of games so far this year.

To come out of Baton Rouge with a victory over a highly-ranked team would have been nothing short of a miracle.

At least there appears to be some progress on both sides of the ball for Tennessee, which bodes well for the future of the program.

Fulmer went on a crusade over the weekend about former head coach Lane Kiffin, who is now with the USC Trojans.

He said that he couldn’t understand how someone like Kiffin could be given the keys to two storied college football programs.

He then went on to say that he was never getting beat like Tennessee has since the time he was fired.

The part about Kiffin has some truth to it, but the Volunteers had been knocked down a number of pegs during Fulmer’s last several years as their head coach.

The Tennessee Volunteers carry high hopes that the rocky road navigated by Rocky Top in 2009 will be smoother this season.

The Vols landed two players on the All-Southeastern Conference Coaches’ second-team, announced Tuesday in advance of SEC Media Days.

Senior tight end Luke Stocker and senior defensive lineman Chris Walker were selected by the conference’s coaches.

Tennessee finished 7-6 overall, tying Georgia for second in the SEC East with a 4-4 mark.

Defending conference champion Alabama landed six players on the first team and nine players overall. Florida, which won the East, placed 10 players on the first and second teams.

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