Tennessee’s men’s basketball team has cracked the top 11 in both major polls after the opening week of the season, landing at No. 11 in the AP Poll and No. 9 in the Coaches Poll on Monday afternoon.
The Volunteers are the only AP top-25 team that has played just one game so far, and that showed up in the new rankings. Tennessee slid three spots in the AP Poll, but held steady in the Coaches Poll.
The early-season respect keeps piling up under Rick Barnes. This marks the 152nd AP top-25 appearance for Tennessee during his tenure, all of them coming over the last 10 seasons from 2017-27. It is also the 99th time the program has been ranked in the top 15 under Barnes.
The Vols have now been included in the AP top 25 in 112 of the past 119 releases, a run that stretches back to the 2020-21 preseason poll and covers seven seasons. During that span, Tennessee has been in the top 15 77 times.
Tennessee opened the 2026-27 season with a 90-59 win over Wofford on Tuesday night at Food City Center. Sophomore forward DeWayne Brown II turned in a huge night, finishing with a career-high 17 points and a career-best 17 rebounds while leading all players in both categories. Junior guard Terrence Hill Jr. matched Brown’s 17 points to pace the Vols’ scoring.
In the AP Poll, Tennessee collected 887 points, leaving it 14 behind No. 10 Louisville and 73 ahead of No.
12 Arizona. In the Coaches Poll, the Vols picked up 452 points, which was a 16-point jump from the previous week.
The SEC continues to dominate the rankings, with six league teams in the top 25 of both polls: No. 1 Florida, No.
7 Texas, No. 18/16 Alabama, No.
19/20 Arkansas and No. 22/19 Vanderbilt.
Kentucky sits at No. 24 in the AP Poll and received votes from the coaches, while Texas A&M received votes from both voting groups and Missouri picked up coaches’ votes.
Tennessee returns to action Monday at 7 p.m. against Radford at Food City Center, with the game set for SEC Network+.
In Other News...
Josh Heupels DaSaahn Brame Update Gives Vols Fans Some Relief
DaSaahn Brames exit against Kentucky briefly added another uneasy moment to Tennessees night, especially after the tight end went down following the controversial incomplete-pass ruling in the end zone. Anytime a player leaves with a head injury, the immediate concern is bigger than the result on the field, and for the Volunteers it was another reminder of how quickly a game can turn.
Josh Heupel eased some of that worry after the game, saying Brame is doing well and is expected to be in good condition for the upcoming matchup with Texas A&M. Tennessee still has to get through the first availability report, which comes Wednesday night, but for now the update gives Vols fans a little relief heading into a game week that already has plenty of attention on it. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee's Playoff Standing Suddenly Looks Less Comfortable Than It Seems
Tennessees spot in the latest College Football Playoff conversation looks secure on paper, but the broader SEC picture is starting to feel crowded. In ESPNs latest round of predictions, 11 of the networks 12 writers projected four SEC teams into the 2026 bracket, with Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas showing up most often as the leagues presumed heavyweights.
For the Volunteers, the takeaway is less about being in the mix and more about how little margin there may be if the conference keeps stacking contenders around them. Kentucky, despite sitting No. 6 in the initial CFP rankings, did not appear in any of the new projections, a reminder that early positioning can shift quickly once the selection debate starts to narrow. The full set of ESPN picks only reinforces how tightly the race is being judged at the top. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee's Defense Just Sent Texas A&M A Brutal Message
Tennessees defense kept rolling in a 34-6 win over Kentucky, and Arion Carter was at the center of it with 13 tackles, four for loss and two sacks. The Volunteers smothered the Wildcats from start to finish, forcing three turnovers and shutting down fourth-down chances as the game tilted decisively in Tennessees favor.
That kind of performance lands with extra force this week because Texas A&M is next on the schedule, and the Aggies are already in a precarious spot after a loss to South Carolina. They need to win two of their final three games to become bowl eligible, and now they have to do it against a Tennessee defense that just spent an afternoon sending a very clear message. [Read more 🡒]