Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 8 teams for 40th Maui Invitational Tournament

By Tristan Freeman

Mar 23, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Anton Watson (22) reacts after a play against the UCLA Bruins during the second half at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 23, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Anton Watson (22) reacts after a play against the UCLA Bruins during the second half at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee guard Santiago Vescovi .Tennesseemissouri0211 1732 /

4. Tennessee Volunteers

The Vols had some recent roster turnover this offseason. They lost Harvard transfer Chris Ledlum, who averaged over 18 ppg and 7.0 apg this past season. He’s now at St. John’s but in a way, it solved the roster situation for the team. That’s because Josiah-Jordan James, a 6’7 veteran forward starter, elected to return from the NBA Draft process.

The frontcourt still took a hit, with Uros Plavsic, Olivier Nkamhoua, and Julian Phillips all gone. There’s some depth looking to get extra minutes, including Jona Aidoo, Tobe Awaka, and four-star big man, JP Estrella. Where the strength for Tennessee lies is in the backcourt.

Assuming starting point guard Zakai Zeigler returns from his season-ending injury at 100%, he and returning leading scorer Santiago Vescovi will be one of the top backcourts in NCAA Basketball. Joining them are a pair of top transfers in Dalton Knecht (20.2 ppg at Northern Colorado) and Jordan Gainey (15.2 ppg at USC Upstate), along with four-star freshman guard, Cameron Carr.

Tennessee always has great team defense but the offense has sometimes been a concern. But there’s as much offensive firepower as Coach Barnes has had with the program. The Maui Invitational will be a great showcase to show its potential.

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