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Tennessee Basketball: Vols Move up to No. 41 in RPI After Beating Kansas State

By Caleb Calhoun

Jan 28, 2017; Knoxville, TN, USA; The Tennessee Volunteers bench reacts after a three pointer against the Kansas State Wildcats during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tennessee won 70 to 58. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2017; Knoxville, TN, USA; The Tennessee Volunteers bench reacts after a three pointer against the Kansas State Wildcats during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tennessee won 70 to 58. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee basketball took another jump Sunday in the RPI after beating the Kansas State Wildcats Saturday. The Volunteers moved up to No. 41.

Rick Barnes’s team continues to climb up the NCAA ladder with its ridiculously strong schedule. A week ago, Tennessee basketball was not even in the Top 60 in the RPI.

To be fair, they were 10-9 at the time and 9-9 by the RPI standards.

But with a Top 15 ranked strength of schedule and two Top 50 teams on the slate, including a Top 5 team at the time, the week gave them a huge opportunity to move up.

The Vols took advantage and won both games against the Kentucky and Kansas State Wildcats. And when the Realtime RPI rankings came out Sunday, they had moved up to No. 41.

At 12-9 and 11-9 by RPI standards, No. 41 puts them firmly in the NCAA Tournament hunt.

That’s up 21 spots from where they were a week ago. Currently, the Vols have the No. 3 ranked strength of schedule in the country.

Only the South Carolina Gamecocks, Arkansas Razorbacks, Florida Gators, and Kentucky Wildcats are ranked ahead of the now in the SEC.

What is helping Tennessee, though, is not just who it’s played recently. Teams they played earlier in the year have gone on runs to move up in the RPI as well…and beef up the Vols’ schedule strength and quality win numbers.

The most notable team to do that is Josh Pastner’s Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. They are now 13-8 on the year and spent last week shocking the Florida State Seminoles and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Both teams are in the Top 25 of both polls and in the Top 25 of the RPI, and Florida State was in the Top 10 in both polls and the RPI.

So all of a sudden, Georgia Tech is looking pretty good.

Tennessee’s strength of schedule is likely to take a hit this week with the Vols set to face the Auburn Tigers on the road and then the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

While Auburn is a Top 60 team, they are right at No. 60, and Mississippi State is No. 123 in the RPI. Still, their combined record is 27-14, so the Vols shouldn’t suffer too much.

After that, they have a chance to really move up the RPI with the Ole Miss Rebels and Georgia Bulldogs, two Top 60 teams, at home. Then they travel to Lexington to face the Wildcats again.

But before that, this team has a chance to go on an improbable run. And if they win each of the next four games, a strong possibility, they will be squarely in the NCAA Tournament.

With this RPI ranking, they’re already in the picture.

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