The University of Tennessee men's basketball team is gearing up for the NCAA Tournament, proudly holding a spot in the top 25 of both major polls. With a record of 22-11 overall and 11-7 in the SEC, the Volunteers have climbed to No. 23 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and No. 25 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, marking a two-spot rise in each.
Since the 2020-21 preseason, Tennessee has been a consistent presence in the AP top 25, appearing in 109 of the last 116 polls. Head coach Rick Barnes, now in his 11th year, has been instrumental in this success, steering the Volunteers to 149 total rankings since the 2017-18 season. This impressive run includes 76 top-10 appearances, 38 top-five placements, and nine weeks at the coveted No. 1 spot.
In the recent SEC Tournament at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, Tennessee, seeded fifth, split their games 1-1. They kicked off with a thrilling 72-62 comeback victory over Auburn, thanks to freshman forward Nate Ament's standout 27-point performance, rallying from a 10-point deficit with under 11 minutes left.
However, they fell 75-68 to No. 22 Vanderbilt, despite senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie's 21-point effort.
The Volunteers garnered 112 points in the AP Poll, a significant 40-point boost from last week, tying with Louisville for the No. 23 spot and trailing No. 22 Saint Mary's by just one point.
In the Coaches Poll, Tennessee collected 76 points, a 54-point increase, placing them 20 points ahead of No. 24 Louisville.
Joining Tennessee in the top 25 from the SEC are Florida at No. 4, Arkansas at No. 14/15, Vanderbilt at No. 16, and Alabama at No. 18, with Kentucky also receiving votes in the AP Poll.
The Volunteers, seeded sixth, will begin their NCAA Tournament journey on Friday at 4:25 p.m., facing off at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, live on TBS. Their opponent will be the winner of the First Four matchup between No. 11-seeded Miami (OH) and No. 11-seeded SMU.
Stay connected with the Tennessee men's basketball team on social media by following @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, and /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.