Volunteers Ascend in National Rankings

By David Oglesby

Photo / Andrew Ferguson / Tennessee Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team rose to a season‑high No. 13 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, the university reported. The Volunteers (7–1) jumped four spots in the AP poll and three spots in the Coaches Poll, marking their 85th consecutive week in the AP Top 25. The streak began at the start of the 2021–22 season and is the country’s second‑longest active run, behind Houston (111).

Head coach Rick Barnes has led Tennessee to 139 AP Top‑25 appearances during his 11 seasons with the program. Tennessee’s strong start also is reflected in the NCAA NET rankings, where they sit at No. 12, per rockytopinsider.com.

Last week the Volunteers played in the Players’ Era Men’s Championship in Las Vegas and went 2–1. They opened with an 85–60 win over Rutgers, paced by senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie’s 32 points. Tennessee then beat No. 3/2 Houston, 76–73, with Gillespie scoring 22. The week ended with an 81–76 loss to Kansas, despite freshman forward Nate Ament’s 20 points.

Tennessee’s climb in the polls came with an increase in points: 771 in the AP Poll and 337 in the Coaches Poll. The SEC placed seven teams in the Top 25 in both polls, including No. 12 Alabama; No. 15/14 Florida; No. 17/16 Vanderbilt; No. 18 Kentucky; No. 20/24 Auburn; and No. 25/23 Arkansas.