3. Tennessee Volunteers
Record: 11-1 (0-0 SEC)
Last Week: No. 3
Another high-powered offensive team, Tennessee has shown its guns on that end of the floor throughout the early portion of this season. The Volunteers, behind the elite duo of Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams, have been tremendous so far this year with one elite-level win over Gonzaga at a neutral site. They also hold a couple more top-100 wins over Louisville and Georgia Tech. Additionally, their only loss came at the hands of Kansas in overtime.
To put it simply, this Tennessee team is for real. With Auburn and Kentucky, two top-10 teams, struggling a bit to begin this season (even with UK rising as of late), the Volunteers have emerged as the clear favorite to win the SEC and that is no small compliment. Tennessee is currently a No. 1 seed in my most recent bracketology update and they have the potential to seriously bolster their resume during a challenging SEC slate that includes many high-quality opportunities.
Tennessee is one of the most experienced teams in the nation and that will definitely help them as the year continues. Rick Barnes’ has this team playing at a high level and their on-court chemistry is off the charts.