NCAA Basketball: Purdue, Kentucky, Memphis rises, Baylor and Gonzaga falls in latest top-25 power rankings

7. Tennessee Volunteers - 8-3

Coming off a big win over Illinois in the week prior, Tennessee had the potential to be in a letdown situation against Georgia Southern. But the Vols made sure that wasn't the case, taking an early big lead and leading by 28 pts at halftime. They went on to win 74-56, led by a career-high 29 pts and 11 rebs from center Jonas Aidoo.

The next game was a neutral site battle against NC State in San Antonio for the Hall of Fame series. Tennessee tried to take control of the game multiple times but the Wolfpack managed to make some runs of its own to keep it close throughout. However, one last punch late from the Vols knocked NC State out for good, winning 79-70 in the end.

It was a rare bad game from Dalton Knecht, the star of the team. Finished with just 2 pts on 1/7 shooting from the field. The good news is that the veteran leaders stepped up in his place. Zakai Ziegler had a career-high 20 pts and 8 asts, while Josiah-Jordan James went for 23 pts on 5/7 shooting from deep. Tobe Awaka managed to pull down 12 rebs in 18 minutes off the bench.

The Vols have just one game between now and January 2nd when SEC play begins for them. It's against Tarleton State on Thursday, with a well-deserved break to follow afterward.