5. Tennessee Volunteers
2025-26 record: 25-12 (11-7 SEC)
Roster departures
- Ja’Kobi Gillespie (18.4 ppg and 5.4 apg)
- Nate Ament (16.7 ppg and 6.3 rpg)
- JP Estrella (10 ppg and 5.4 rpg)
- Felix Okpara (8.0 ppg and 6.3 rpg)
- Jaylen Carey (7.4 ppg and 6.0 rpg)
- Bishop Boswell (6.2 ppg and 4.4 rpg)
- Amari Evans (4.1 ppg and 3.2 rpg)
- Amaree Abram (3.2 ppg and 1.4 rpg)
- Cade Phillips (3.8 ppg and 4.0 rpg)
Roster returnees
- DeWayne Brown (4.8 ppg and 3.6 rpg)
Roster additions
- Dai Dai Ames (16.9 ppg and 2.2 apg at Cal)
- Juke Harris (21.4 ppg and 6.5 rpg at Wake Forest)
- Tyler Lundblade (15.6 ppg and 2.7 rpg at Belmont)
- Terrence Hill Jr. (15 ppg and 2.8 apg at VCU)
- Jalen Haralson (16.2 ppg and 4.0 rpg at Notre Dame)
- Miles Rubin (11.3 ppg and 7.1 rpg at Loyola Chicago)
- Braedan Lue (10.9 ppg and 5.3 rpg at Kennesaw State)
- Christian Fermin (0.8 ppg and 0.5 rpg in 4 games at VCU)
Last year, Tennessee had just two viable scorers on the roster, so it needed its defense to lead it to the Elite 8. It’s been the complete opposite for the last two months, landing several quality scorers from the top conferences. Harris, who came from the NBA Draft, picked the Vols over UNC and Michigan, while Haralason had a productive freshman campaign at Notre Dame and is an all-around playmaker.
The interior defense should remain strong, as Rubin earned all-defensive honors in the A-10 for two years. Fermin and Lue add to the frontcourt depth, while both Harris and Haralson can play the four-spot, giving the Vols a number of potent offensive lineups. It could be the best group of scorers in the Coach Rick Barnes era, one good enough to get them over the hump into the Final Four.
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