20. Tennessee (11-5)
The schedule wasn’t overpowering, but Tennessee looked like a national contender after a 7-0 start to the season, though a three-game slide brought them back to reality. The Volunteers have always had a solid offense and capable defense and they’ll need both ends playing at a high level to navigate what should again be a very competitive SEC race.
Recovering from their loss last weekend, Tennessee bounced back nicely with an 85-71 home win against Texas. Ja’Kobi Gillespie had a career day with 34 points as the Volunteers got their first league win of the season. Saturday was another major setback, as the Volunteers’ lame performance led to a 91-67 loss at Florida. Nate Ament led with 17 points but Tennessee just couldn’t contain the Gators on the road.
While the Volunteers had double-digit losses to Illinois and Arkansas earlier in the season, this effort in Gainesville felt like their first major stinker of the season. It’s all about how this team responds after such a buckling effort, especially on a day when the defense relented time and time again to Florida’s bigs. Tennessee stays at home this week, gaining a pair of opportunities against Texas A&M and Kentucky.