1. Tennessee Volunteers - 9-0
Tennesse is the No. 1 team in the latest AP poll. But are they the most likely to win a national championship? So far, they’ve faced five high-major opponents, beating all of them by 13+ points, with none being relatively competitive. The 77-62 win over Baylor was their most impressive result to date.
Last year, the Vols had the biggest impact transfer in Dalton Knecht. So far, they’ve struck gold again in former North Florida star Chaz Lanier, who leads the team with 19.1 ppg on 49% shooting from deep on eight attempts a game. Two other offseason transfers are starting, including Igor Milicic (12.9 ppg and 7.3 rpg) and Felix Okpara, who have been just as good as the previous frontcourt players for them.
He doesn’t get the same kind of national attention that Gonzaga’s Nembhard or Purdue’s Smith but Zakai Zeigler has been just as good as a pure point guard this season. He’s averaging 8.0 apg with better than a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Jordan Gainey and Jahmal Mashack may not out up gaudy stats but have played key roles in the team being once again an elite offensive unit.
Tennessee’s defense will keep it in every game this season, and with Lanier being an elite go-to option, they can also outscore most teams. They have a big neutral site matchup against Illinois this weekend and if they land another double-digit victory, the Vols can make the case of being the team to beat this year.