8. Tennessee (17-3)
Great things have come from Tennessee in recent seasons and you can already lop this season in as well after that 14-0 start. The Volunteers have had a few results not go their way since SEC play began, but you can’t really blame them with the strength of that conference. Some solid wins already do this resume while Tennessee has shed a few tough games on the road, including last week’s challenging performance at rival Vanderbilt.
They were back in the winning column against a ranked team to begin this week, winning 68-56 over Mississippi State back on their home floor. Chaz Lanier scored 23 points in another nice performance while Felix Okpara grabbed 12 boards. Saturday was a thrilling matchup with top-ranked Auburn, though the Volunteers couldn’t quite get over the hump, falling 53-51. Zakai Zeigler stood out with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists but Tennessee fell short on the road.
Losing three true road games, including against a pair of Top 10 teams, isn’t horrible by any means and Tennessee just keeps putting together nice performances. Even with falling short, they gave Auburn quite the battle and could’ve had this game with one of their best defensive efforts of the season. This elite defense should be feared and should have Tennessee right there in most of their games. Going forward, the Volunteers are at home for three straight, starting with tough ones against Kentucky and Florida.