NCAA Basketball: North Carolina, Kentucky, Auburn rise in latest top 25 power rankings
By Joey Loose
5. Tennessee (24-7)
There has been plenty to like about this Tennessee program in recent years, and this year’s squad seems to be perhaps the best that Rick Barnes has had in his time in Knoxville. They have a strong, dependable offense to pair with that very talented defense, and it’s led to some incredible wins this season. The Volunteers swept Alabama, won at Kentucky, and beat Illinois, but could they keep their hot streak going in the final regular season week?
The early answer was yes, as the Volunteers a second consecutive impressive road win, triumphing 66-59 at South Carolina. It was another fantastic performance from Dalton Knecht with 26 points while Jonas Aidoo added 14 points and 9 rebounds in the win. Unfortunately, their seven-game winning streak was snapped on Senior Day, as the Volunteers lost 85-81 at home to Kentucky. The Wildcats avenged an earlier loss to this great Tennessee squad while Knecht was otherworldly with 40 points in defeat.
The moral of the story is that Tennessee is one of the nation’s best teams this season. The Volunteers played a rigorous nonconference slate that prepared them for the SEC, and they showed up night in and night out. The SEC Tournament will be must-see television next weekend, and it’ll be interesting to see if Tennessee can finagle themselves into that final 1-seed in the Big Dance.