Tennessee entered this season in 12th place in the Associated Press Top 25 poll – and as the media’s choice to beat the SEC. Advancing to Saturday, the Vols are 19th in the AP vote and fourth in the league standings, four games behind first-placed Alabama.
So, is it fair to label UT as disappointing?
By definition, perhaps.
But the Vols are still very good and very capable of advancing deeply in the key of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. They will not be designed to reach the Final Four, as they will not be the number one seed. But if the five-star fledglings play as future NBA Draft choices, which has been the case lately, no one should be surprised if they did.
“There are things we have to clean up,” said Tennessee coach Rick Barnes after Wednesday’s 93-73 victory over South Carolina.
And he is right, obviously.
But all the things that created high expectations in the preseason for Tennessee – namely, a talented coach, proven veterans and two NBA freshmen in the form of Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer – remain in place. And when you combine that fact with the fact that UT’s adjusted defensive efficiency rating is in third place nationally, there are many reasons to believe that the Volts will be a tough fight next month for almost anyone in almost all circumstances.
Tennessee ranks 19th in the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 updated college basketball diary. The Vols are 3-1 in their last four games, with victories in that section against Kentucky, Georgia and South Carolina. They will try to complete a regular season sweep in Kentucky on Saturday at 1 pm ET on CBS.
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