SEC Basketball: 10 questions looming for the 2021-22 season

SEC Basketball: 10 key questions looming for the 2021-22 season

Mar 2, 2021; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats talks to Alabama Crimson Tide guard Jahvon Quinerly (13) and Alabama Crimson Tide guard John Petty Jr. (23) during the second half against Auburn Tigers at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /

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Tennessee Volunteers Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Can the Tennessee newcomers mesh quickly?

The Tennessee Volunteers were an interesting group this past season as they went 18-9 on the season and 10-7 (4th in SEC action) before losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to 12-seed Oregon State as the No. 5 seed.

They’ll be in search of a new identity with their top two scorers in Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson off to the NBA and a slew of new faces in 2021-22. Rick Barnes will have his hands full building the team chemistry this season.

Tennessee will have seven newcomers on the roster in 2021-22, six of them members of their 2021 recruiting class. Two highly-rated five-star prospects in Kennedy Chandler and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield headline a freshmen class that also features 7-foot versatile threat Jonas Aidoo, 7-footer Handje Tamba as well as Jahmai Mashack and Quentin Eyobo.

Their seventh newcomer, transfer Justin Powell (Auburn) is the wildcard of the group. He’s a 6-foot-6 guard with a knack for filling up the stat sheet. He put up 11.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game across 10 appearances for the Tigers in 2020-21 before heading into the transfer portal. He’ll look for a fresh start running things with the Volunteers.

Depth shouldn’t be an issue for the Volunteers in 2021-22, that’s for sure., but the Volunteers will need to find their roles quickly. Barnes will have some size and versatility to work with, which given his experience, should be a good thing.

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