Tennessee basketball: 5 Vols poised for breakout years in 2018-19

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DALLAS, TX – MARCH 17: Members of the Tennessee Volunteers team huddle before the game against the Loyola Ramblers during the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at the American Airlines Center on March 17, 2018, in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Tennessee basketball has an excellent opportunity to make some noise with the help of this five players poised for a breakout year.

Tennessee basketball starts the season ranked number six in the nation. The ranking happens to be the highest preseason ranking in the history of the program. Can the Vols live up to the hype?

They have the star power and experience to do it. Rick Barnes returns all five starters from last year’s 26-9 SEC Regular Season Co-Champs, along with several role players that will prove vital to the success of the team.

Speaking of the Vols’ experience, the projected starters should be the same as last season. And, they have a lot of starts under their belts. I would bet it has to be somewhere in the top-20 in the nation. Finding that information would take me days but here is how the Vols shape up in that category.

Jordan Bone – 50 starts

Jordan Bowden – 63 starts

Admiral Schofield – 57 starts

Grant Williams – 64 starts

Kyle Alexander – 68 starts

Tennessee also has a lot of players that received valuable playing time off the bench last season. Players like Lamonte Turner, Derrick Walker, and Yves Pons will be counted on to carry a lot of the load in giving the starters rest.

In this post, we are going to break down a few players that are poised for breakout seasons. In all honesty, it’s hard to limit the number to only five; Rick Barnes has proved he is a great coach that can get the most out of his players.

We wouldn’t be surprised if every player on the team steps up in a big way this season. However, here are the top five players poised for a big year.

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