19. Tennessee
A senior-laden lineup did great work for the Volunteers last season and it’ll be strange not seeing Zakai Zeigler leading the charge for this team. Tennessee’s recent work has been impressive even with some less than stellar postseason results, though last year’s run to the Elite Eight was certainly a measured step forward. Rick Barnes and company aren’t going away even with a batch of new faces on the sidelines.
The Volunteers grabbed a few notable names from the transfer portal, with former Maryland point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie the clear highlight of the crew. He slides into a major role replacing Zeigler. Felix Okpara is the best returning player for Tennessee and he’ll be joined by former Vanderbilt forward Jaylen Carey and an elite 5-star prospect in Nate Ament.
There’s talent across the board for a program whose backbone has been built on defensive pressure and intensity. That entire equation will look different without Zeigler, though there’s hope that Gillespie’s presence will be a major boost this year. Life in the SEC is difficult and the moving parts here are significant, but Barnes has built another talented bunch that’ll look to take that next step.