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Tennessee basketball: 5 keys for Vols in 2017-2018 SEC play

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 24: Tennessee Volunteers players react in the second half of the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 24, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 82-80. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 24: Tennessee Volunteers players react in the second half of the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 24, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 82-80. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images /

Tennessee basketball begins Southeastern Conference play on Saturday. Here are five keys for the Volunteers to have a successful league season in 2017-2018.

With a 9-2 record and a Top 10 RPI ranking, Tennessee basketball is sitting in great position as it begins SEC play. But the Vols have a brutal stretch ahead of them, one much tougher than usual. So Rick Barnes has to know his team is not playing with house money.

This year’s SEC is deeper than it has been in over a decade thanks to the collection of great coaches. In fact, it’s so deep that despite a Top 25 ranking, finishing No. 13 in the conference itself is still not a crazy prediction for Tennessee. That was the expectation for them among analysts not on Rocky Top at the beginning of the year.

As a result, Tennessee basketball is likely to finish with a Top 5 strength of schedule, which makes building an NCAA Tournament resume much easier. However, they are going to have to win some of these games.

After all, they have to play the Kentucky Wildcats and South Carolina Gamecocks twice. Add in games against the Texas A&M Aggies, Florida Gators, and then conference season-opening games against the Arkansas Razorbacks and Auburn Tigers, and this is clearly a brutal slate.

We mentioned in our Christmas wish list for the Vols that finishing with a winning record in the conference should be high on the priority list. If they are going to do that, there are key things they need to take care of.

Let’s break those details down here. These are the five keys for Tennessee basketball to be successful in SEC play for the 2017-2018 season.

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