Unrest in Knoxville

If you need a little pick-me-up this morning, just compare the offseason we are having in Athens with the offseason they are having up in Knoxville:

Volunteers coach Donnie Tyndall confirmed Monday at a Big Orange Caravan event in Atlanta that both players had asked for their releases "to explore their options."

"I don't think in either case, at least what they're telling me, that these guys have made their mind up to not come back," Tyndall said. "The door has been left open. We certainly hope they will come back, but at the end of the day, they need to be comfortable in what they're going to do the rest of their career, so we've released them to explore their options with the hopes that they'll decide to return."

Their departures would be the latest defections to hit Tennessee since an offseason coaching change. California hired Cuonzo Martin away from Tennessee on April 15, and Tyndall was announced as his replacement a week later. All four recruits to sign with Tennessee in November -- guards Larry Austin Jr. and Jordan Cornish and forwards Phil Cofer and CJ Turman -- have been released from their letters of intent.

Tennessee was already going to have to replace four of its five top scorers.  Now all of this.

And just to be clear, this is said with very little sympathy.  After all, the fans wanted this, right?

h/t ESPN