NCAA Basketball: Most overhyped power conference teams for 2020-21

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 22: A view of the NCAA logo during a game between the Albany Great Danes and the Duke Blue Devils during the second round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the Wells Fargo Center on March 22, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

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ATHENS, GA – JANUARY 15: Head coach Rick Barnes speaks with Santiago Vescovi #25 of the Tennessee Volunteers (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /

Tennessee Vols

Just like the PAC 12, the SEC probably has the best talents it’s had in years. There are up to 10 teams with what looks like realistic chances to go to the NCAA Tournament and many of them are relying on new player’s contributions to get them there. With that, there are bound to be teams who are heading into the 2020-21 campaign with overblown expectations and Tennessee of one of many that fit that bill in the league. This conference is going to be really good, so this is less of a knock on these Vols as it is a praise for the SEC as a whole, but Tennessee is definitely a squad with maybe too high of expectations.

Rick Barnes has done an unbelievable job in making Tennessee one of the top programs in this conference after taking over a mess that Donnie Tyndall left for him in 2015. He has also stockpiled his 2020-21 roster with highly-rated newcomers that on paper when added next to expected returnees John Fulkerson (13.7 Pts, 5.9 Reb, 1.3 Ast) and Yves Pons (10.8 Pts, 5.4 Reb, 1.1 Ast), make Tennessee look like the best team in the SEC.

It’s not out of the question, but the Vols are coming off of a 17-14 season and lose Jordan Bowden (13.7 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 2.7 Ast) and Lamonte Turner (12.3 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 7.1 Ast), guys who were a big part in Tennessee’s return to basketball prominence. Losing 26 points per game from a team that ranked 291st in scoring a year ago is scary. Even scarier is that this is a team expected by many to win the SEC and be top-10 nationally.

The reason for the lofty expectations is the previously mentioned newcomers. Victor Bailey (Oregon) and EJ Anosike (Sacred Heart) are big pickups off the transfer portal and Jayden Springer and Keon Johnson are a dynamic 5-star freshman duo, but going from 17-14 and 9-9 in the SEC to a final four contender is a tall task even if the scoring numbers jump into the top 200.

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This is absolutely going to be a better team than it was a season ago, don’t get me wrong. I love the way Barnes has assembled his roster and a Sweet 16 is within reach. However, the offense is going to need to perform at the level that we’ve been accustomed to seeing in Knoxville and the newcomers are going to have to be ready to carry a lot of the load to make that a reality. Tennessee seems over-hyped to me, heading into 2020-21.

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