NCAA Basketball: Preseason top 25 power rankings for 2023-24 season

Feb 4, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer (right) talks to center Kyle Filipowski(30) during the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils won 63-57. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports /

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Tennessee guard Santiago Vescovi NCAA Basketball Tennesseemissouri0211 1732 /

9. Tennessee Volunteers

2022-23 season record: 25-11 (11-7 SEC)

After another NCAA Tournament appearance, the Vols had one of the more impressive wins of the postseason (dominating Duke), as well as a poor defeat (losing to FAU) in the Sweet 16. They did suffer a few key losses, including the starting frontcourt duo of Olivier Nkamhoua and Uros Plavsic, as well as Tyreke Key and Julian Phillips.

But Tennessee does bring back its starting backcourt of Zakai Zeigler (who should be healthy by the start of the season), and returning leading scorer, Santiago Vescovi. And to try and shore up the past offensive woes are a pair of key transfers in Jordan Gainey and Dalton Knecht, who combined to average over 36 ppg at USC Upstate and Northern Colorado, respectively.

Bringing back double-digit scoring wing Josiah-Jordan James gives the Vols versatility once again and he can play the four-spot. The team also hopes for big things from Tobe Awaka, Cade Phillips, JP Estrella and breakout candidate, Jonas Aidoo. This frontcourt group is unproven but highly touted out of high school and will get the chance for big minutes.

The defense should remain strong once again for Tennessee and having Vescovi and Knecht on the court together will provide a lot of spacing for everyone. But they’ll need someone in the frontcourt to become a key contributor to take the pressure off of the guards to do everything.

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