Tennessee Basketball: Vols surprisingly ranked No. 13 in SEC preseason media poll

Tennessee Basketball was ranked next-to-last in the 2017-18 SEC preseason media poll and players (and fans), should feel slighted.

The Tennessee Volunteers were ranked No. 13 in the 2017-18 preseason media poll in what could be the only real head-scratching decision coming out of the SEC’s 2017-18 media days.

The Volunteers are coming off a season in which they played one of the strongest schedules in college basketball, playing all four of the teams that would eventually make the Final Four. Not only did the Vols do that, but they lost to the Oregon Ducks in overtime, the North Carolina Tar Heels by two, the Gonzaga Bulldogs by 10, and the South Carolina Gamecocks by 10 (and 27).

And this team beat the then No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats.

Oh, and another thing — they lose just one key player in Robert Hubbs III.

So, tell me again how Tennessee is the No. 13 team in the SEC?

I personally agree with the top five teams that were picked in the media poll. Kentucky, Florida, Texas A&M, Alabama, and Missouri all have rosters that point towards at least a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

However, 6-14 is anyone’s guess, and I have a feeling that, when ranking teams, they just got to the end and thought “oh no, where do we put Tennessee” and shoved them in at the end.

The Vols are not one of the best teams in the SEC, but they are an NCAA Tournament team led by one of the most consistent coaches in college basketball, Rick Barnes, and are much better than a few of the teams ranked ahead of them.

Next: Who is the Vols' most important player next season?

Expect them to finish somewhere between 7-10 next season, in a far better position than they have been ranked during preseason – especially now that the team will have a chip on their shoulder.