NCAA Basketball: Preseason Top-25 power rankings for 2020-21 season
11. team. 534. . . . Volunteers
The Vols were always going to take a step back after losing three players to the NBA and another starter. However, they had to persevere even more after losing star point guard Lamonte Turner to a season-ending injury last season. Jordan Bowden led the way to keep them competitive, along with some positive contributions from underclassmen.
Even with guards Bowden and Turner gone, Tennessee has the perfect replacement plan with five-star guards Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer. Both of them are combo guards so expect them to share the playmaking duties, along with sophomore guard and another former five-star prospect in Josiah Jordan-James.
Santiago Véscovi quietly averaged double figures in scoring with 10.7 ppg as a freshman, while also shooting 36% from three-point range. He, along with Oregon transfer guard Victor Bailey, Jr. provides even more depth in this talented backcourt.
As for the frontcourt, the Vols will be led by seniors John Fulkerson and Yves Pons, two double-digit scorers, and great defenders. Pons in particular may be the best pure athlete in all of college basketball and defines “versatility”.
To add some size down low, Tennessee added Sacred Heart grad transfer EJ Anoskie, who averaged 15.7 ppg and a whopping 11.6 rpg. At just 6’6, he may have some trouble in the SEC adjusting to the much bigger competition but will still provide depth off the bench, as will Arizona State transfer Uroš Plavšić.
The ceiling and depth for the Vols will come down to the five-star freshmen. If Johnson and Springer and produce at a high level, this team can absolutely win the SEC. Otherwise, they may have their ups and downs throughout the season.