Tennessee finished 12th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll this season – and as the media’s choice to win the SEC. Fast forward to Saturday, and the Vols are 19th in the AP poll, and fourth in the league standings, four games behind Alabama, first place.
So is it fair to describe UT as disappointing?
By definition, maybe.
But the Vols are still very good and are able to progress deep in the bracket of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. They are not expected to reach the Final Four as they will not be a No. 1 seed. But if the five-star freshmen play like future NBA concepts in the first round, which has sometimes been the case lately, no one should be surprised if they do.
“There are things we need to clean up,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said after Wednesday’s 93-73 win over South Carolina.
And of course he’s right.
But all the things that created high pre-season expectations for Tennessee – a capable coach, proven veterans and two NBA-level freshmen in the form of Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer – remain in place. And if you combine this fact with the fact that UT’s custom defensive efficiency rating takes place in third place, there are many reasons to believe that the Vols next month will be difficult for almost everyone under almost any circumstances.
Tennessee is number 19 on the updated CBS Sports Top 25 and 1 daily rankings for college basketball. The Vols have been 3-1 in their last four games with a win in the series against Kentucky, Georgia and South Carolina. They will try to finish a regular season from Kentucky on Saturday at 1pm ET on CBS.
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