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NCAA Basketball: Updated early top-25 power rankings for 2020-21 season

By Tristan Freeman

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 5: Killian Tillie #33 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs dribbles the ball against the Villanova Wildcats in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden on December 5, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 5: Killian Tillie #33 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs dribbles the ball against the Villanova Wildcats in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden on December 5, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images) /
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FAYETTEVILLE, AR – FEBRUARY 26: Tennessee Volunteers (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR – FEBRUARY 26: Tennessee Volunteers (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

team. 534. . . . Volunteers . 9

NCAA Basketball power rankings – Tennessee Volunteers

When senior point guard Lamonte Turner went down with season-ending shoulder surgery, the Vols looked as if they were going to free-fall. They didn’t in the end, finishing with a respectable .500 record in SEC play. And based on who’s coming in, this team plans on being around the top of the conference in 2021.

Turner is gone, along with guard Lamonte Bowden. The good news for Tennessee is that they literally have five-star replacements in Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer. They, along with Corey Walker and Malachi Wideman forms a top-5 incoming recruiting class to add to returning key pieces Josiah Jordan-James, Yves Pons and Santiago Vescovi. Oregon transfer guard Victor Bailey Jr. will add depth after coming off a redshirt year.

Leading scoring forward John Fulkerson is also coming back, along with grad transfer forward EJ Anosike, who at Sacred Heart was one of the best rebounders in the country this past season. With size, athletes, and five-star talent, the Vols check many boxes of a preseason contender. If both Johnson and Springer can be as good as advertised, there’s no reason why they can’t win the SEC and make it back to the NCAA Tournament.

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