9. Tennessee (2-0)
The Volunteers reached the Elite Eight last season, a major breakthrough for a team that’s had its share of disappointment at the end of seasons. Regardless of that success, Rick Barnes has built quite the program in Knoxville, leaning heavily on elite defense against these strong SEC programs. Last year’s success hinged heavily on Dalton Knecht, but there are plenty of other faces set to make waves this season for Tennessee.
Opening night may have been a little closer than expected, but the Volunteers still secured an 80-64 win against Gardner-Webb without much trouble. New transfer Chaz Lanier showed his worth on offense with 18 points in the win. The weekend posed the Volunteers’ first road test and they shined, winning 77-55 at Louisville. Both Lanier and Zakai Zeigler scored 19 points in the victory, setting Tennessee up well after one week of play.
After working out some kinks on opening night, Tennessee did what they normally do and put on a defensive clinic against the Cardinals. The Volunteers are going to win games with their defense more often than not but also have to be thrilled with what Lanier has offered already on offense. Can he be this year’s version of Knecht and be the key offensive weapon? A few easy tune ups at home await next week as the Volunteers finalize and figure out their rotation.