Tennessee basketball has locked in its trio for SEC Media Days, and the group heading to Birmingham gives Rick Barnes a pretty clear mix of continuity, experience, and a fresh face.
Brown will be one of the three representatives when Tennessee joins Barnes on Tuesday, October 13th. The Alabama native is heading back home for the event as he enters his sophomore season in Knoxville. He is one of just two players returning from last year’s team, and he put together a solid freshman campaign by averaging 4.8 points per game, 3.6 assists per game, and 0.4 blocks per game.
Joining him is Hill, a junior who is set for his first season with Tennessee after spending his first two years of college basketball at VCU. Hill Jr. made a huge leap last season, going from 6.2 minutes per game as a freshman to 25.1 minutes per game. In that expanded role, he averaged 15.0 points per game, 2.8 assists per game, and 2.7 rebounds per game.
The third player in the group is Tyler Lundblade, whose path to Knoxville has been anything but ordinary. He began as a walk-on at SMU, redshirted his true freshman season, transferred to TCU, and then moved on again to Belmont. Last season, he was the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year after averaging 15.6 points per game and shooting 40.6% from behind the arc.
Barnes’ selection of Brown, Hill Jr., and Lundblade is an interesting one because each player brings a different story with him. Brown is one of only two returners on the roster, Lundblade arrives after going from walk-on to MVC Player of the Year, and Hill Jr. comes in as a player trying to establish himself in one of the toughest conferences in the country.
Tennessee opens its 2026 season on November 3rd against Wofford.
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Tennessee's Quarterback Situation Just Got More Uncertain Before Arkansas
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Josh Heupel acknowledged Brandons injury status but stopped short of mapping out how Tennessee will handle the position this week. That leaves the Volunteers waiting on two fronts: whether Brandon can get healthy in time, and whether the staff chooses to lean back toward MacIntyre after his efficient relief work against Auburn. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee's Playoff Margin Could Shift Before The Alabama Game
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UCLAs trip to Oregon, Houstons matchup with Kansas State and, most notably, Alabama against Georgia all carry ripple effects for Tennessees playoff standing. The Vols do not play Georgia this season, so the Bulldogs remain part of the broader conversation only from a distance, but Alabama is still very much in front of them on the schedule and in the committee conversation. By the time Tennessee gets its shot at the Crimson Tide, the playoff margin could already look different. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Has A Clear Arkansas Opportunity If The Vols Can Deliver
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George MacIntyre is expected to make his first career start, which adds another layer to a game Tennessee already views as an opportunity. Arkansas still brings a defense coordinated by Jim Knowles, so the challenge is not hard to identify, even if the tape suggests some cracks to attack. For the Vols, the question is whether they can turn those areas into a real advantage on the road, and whether MacIntyres debut can stay steady enough to let the rest of the offense do its work. [Read more 🡒]