NCAA Basketball: Way-too-early top-25 power rankings for 2021-22 season

The Vols had a young backcourt and an old frontcourt but it was the seniors inside that let them down. John Fulkerson and Yves Pons didn’t have the years we thought they would and it impacts the team down the stretch to an eventual first-round exit. Barring an unexpected return from the seniors, they’ll be returning Uroš Plavšić and Olivier Nkamhoua.

Tennessee will certainly be looking for additional frontcourt help in the portal but I have a feeling that they’ll be using a lot of four-guard lineups next season, thanks to a ton of depth in the backcourt. They won’t have either Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer back but they do have another five-star guard coming in Kennedy Chandler, a star scorer who could be the best player in the SEC next season.

Victor Bailey Jr. and Santiago Vescovi will also be back, along with Auburn transfer guard Justin Powell, who was very good in the six games he played this season before injuries took him out. And that doesn’t even including Josiah-Jordan James, who only averaged 8.0 ppg but led the Vols in rebounding at 6.5 rpg. The 6’6 guard could potentially play both forward positions in advantageous small-ball lineups if the frontcourt depth remains shallow, allowing the team to have its best players on the court.

If Tennessee can land a solid big man from the portal in the next few weeks, this could be a top-15 team for 2021-22.