As the college basketball calendar flips to December, the NCAA’s first NET rankings of the 2025-26 season are officially out - and Tennessee fans have reason to feel encouraged. The Vols debut at No. 12 in the initial rankings, a solid position that reflects both their strong start and the quality of their early-season schedule.
At 7-1, Tennessee has already shown flashes of what this team could become. The Vols are 1-1 in Quad 1 games - the NCAA’s top-tier matchups used to evaluate tournament résumés - after splitting a pair of high-profile showdowns in Las Vegas.
They knocked off then-No. 3 Houston in a statement win, but followed it up with a tough loss to Kansas, where they let a double-digit second-half lead slip away.
Beyond those two marquee games, Tennessee’s résumé is still taking shape. Their win over Rutgers currently sits as a Quad 3 victory, while the rest - five comfortable wins in buy games - fall into the Quad 4 category. That’s not unusual this early in the season, but it does mean the Vols need to keep stacking quality wins if they want to climb higher in the rankings and, more importantly, secure a favorable seed come March.
In terms of SEC representation, Tennessee is the second-highest ranked team in the conference behind No. 4 Vanderbilt, who has gotten off to an impressive start of their own.
The SEC is well-represented in the top 50, with Alabama (No. 14), Kentucky (No.
15), LSU (No. 19), Auburn (No.
30), Florida (No. 33), Georgia (No. 36), and Arkansas (No. 45) all landing in strong early positions.
On the other end, Ole Miss (No. 96), South Carolina (No. 99), and Mississippi State (No. 172) round out the conference’s lower tier in the debut rankings.
The NET rankings aren’t just for show - they’re the primary sorting tool the NCAA Tournament committee uses when evaluating teams for the Big Dance. Quad 1 and Quad 2 wins are especially critical, and Tennessee has a few key chances coming up to bolster their profile.
Next up is a true road test at Syracuse (No. 90) in the ACC-SEC Challenge - a Quad 2 opportunity that could pay dividends down the line. After that, the Vols face two more major tests: a neutral-site matchup against No.
24 Illinois and a home game against No. 9 Louisville, both of which qualify as Quad 1 games.
These are the kind of games that can define a season - and Tennessee knows it.
Individually, the Vols are getting strong production from their top trio. Ja’Kobi Gillespie has been the engine, averaging 18.5 points and 5.3 assists per game while consistently setting the tone on both ends.
Nate Ament is right there with him, putting up 17.9 points and 7.6 rebounds a night - a steady interior presence who’s been tough to handle in the paint. JP Estrella rounds out the double-digit scorers, chipping in 12 points and five boards per game.
It’s early, but there’s a lot to like about how this Tennessee team is coming together. They’ve shown they can hang with elite opponents, and with more high-level games on the horizon, they’ll have every opportunity to prove they belong in the national conversation. For now, they’re sitting in a strong spot at No. 12 - but if they keep building, there’s room to climb.