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SEC Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2022-23 season

By Joey Loose

Mar 12, 2022; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Uros Plavsic (33) defends Kentucky Wildcats forward Oscar Tshiebwe (34) during the second half at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 12, 2022; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Uros Plavsic (33) defends Kentucky Wildcats forward Oscar Tshiebwe (34) during the second half at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee guard Santiago Vescovi SEC Basketball Kns Ncaa Vols Michigan Bp
Tennessee guard Santiago Vescovi SEC Basketball Kns Ncaa Vols Michigan Bp /

3. Tennessee

In recent years, Tennessee has been a great program, competing for SEC titles with some elite defenses and talented offenses. Rick Barnes has been as dynamic as always on the sidelines and as a recruiter. However, this team has stumbled time and time again in the postseason, this time falling in the second round as a 3-seed, a four defeat at the hands of a lower seed in the last four Tournaments.

Kennedy Chandler is off to the NBA Draft, but Santiago Vescovi (13.3 ppg last year) is back and projects to be one of the SEC’s best all-around players. Double-digit scorer Josiah-Jordan James also returns, along with young guard Zakai Zeigler. The Volunteers also landed a prize in the Transfer Portal, nabbing wing guard Tyreke Key, who starred for four seasons at Indiana State.

Regardless of that lack of postseason success, Tennessee is in fantastic shape, boasting one of the best players in the country and a rotation built around his success. Tennessee will compete for the SEC crown this season and should once again be in the NCAA Tournament. The Volunteers have boasted top defenses each of the last two seasons; it’ll all depend on how that offense develops as well.

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