NCAA Basketball: Top 25 frontcourts for 2020-21 season

The Vols are another program more likely excited by their incoming backcourt than they are about the current state of their frontcourt. However, Tennessee managed to keep their top frontcourt players and depth intact this offseason, while adding a key transfer piece to their productive group. Entering his 6th season coaching the program, Rick Barnes is hoping the continuity down low will help his squad return to the success found in 2018 and 2019.

Led by powerful forward Yves Pons, the Vols are entering 2020 with a lot of muscle. Pons scored nearly 11 points per game last season, but his versatility on the court is what makes him such a special player. His reliability to hit shots from the perimeter is an added bonus for the Vols and his athleticism makes him a constant presence on all possessions. Pons is tough to check on the fastbreak and his 2.4 blocks per game last season were within range of the nation’s top-10.

Senior John Fulkerson tied the team-lead in scoring last season, with 13.7 points per game, and he was the perfect compliment on the floor next to Pons. Fulkerson is a more traditional big and benefitted from the spacing Pons shooting provided on the floor. While he wasn’t the shot-blocker Pons, Fulkerson did average 1.1 steals per game and formed a formidable defensive duo for Tennessee.

Behind their star pairing, the Vols have young and un-utilized talent waiting in the wings. Freshman Uros Plavsic, Olivier Nkamhoua, and Drew Pember combined for 7.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, with only Plavsic seeing more than 10 minutes per game.

While each was a fairly efficient scoring option on the court, they will likely need to wait another season before seeing big increases in minutes with the team’s high guard usage and dominance of Pons/Fulkerson. The same can be said for freshman Corey Walker, who is ahead of the aforementioned trio but will be fighting for minutes on a very strong roster.

Although Sacred Heart transfer E.J. Anosike is likely to play a pivotal role this season for the Vols. Anosike has held a starting role with his previous team for the last two seasons and averaged 15.7 points and 11.6 rebounds as a junior in 2019. His proven track record and versatile production on the offensive end make him a particularly valuable addition.

Coach Barnes has plenty of options for deploying Anosike on the floor without hindering the play of either guards Jaden Springer or Keon Johnson, as well as Pons or Fulkerson.