NCAA Basketball: Top 25 early winners from 2023 offseason moves
By Joey Loose
6. Tennessee
Last season was another solid effort from the Volunteers, with Rick Barnes leading this squad to the Sweet Sixteen after a 4th place finish in a tough SEC. Point guard Zakai Zeigler was lost late in the season, but Tennessee still came together when the games mattered most and got a couple of wins in the Big Dance. A few names like Olivier Nkamhoua and Tyreke Key won’t be back next season, but Barnes has worked hard to build another dominant roster.
The biggest win came when leading scorer Santiago Vescovi announced earlier this month that he’d return to Tennessee for one final season. The Volunteers have also been active in the Transfer Portal, adding forwards Dalton Knecht, who averaged more than 20 points a game at Northern Colorado, and Chris Ledlum, who was good for 18 a game to lead Harvard last year. Four-star prospects Cameron Carr and JP Estrella add much-needed depth as well.
Things will look different in Knoxville last year, but Tennessee is one of the biggest winners because of these transfer additions and the return of Vescovi. Their starting lineup will be very potent, especially if Zeigler doesn’t miss a beat after returning from injury. Their adding some serious offensive weapons to one of the best defensive squads in the nation and it could have incredible results for the Volunteers next season.