Tennessee basketball: Vols in great position to be No. 1 by Christmas
Tennessee basketball is in the top 5 of both polls right now after beating the Gonzaga Bulldogs. But the Volunteers could reach No. 1 by Christmas.
The only time Tennessee basketball ever reached a No. 1 ranking was in 2008 after beating the Memphis Tigers on the road. They lost to the Vanderbilt Commodores three days later, but it was still an exciting feeling for Rocky Top at the time.
Well, after beating the No. 1 ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs in what was basically a road game this past Sunday, the Vols ironically face Memphis on the road again this Saturday. And with a No. 3 ranking in the AP Poll and a No. 4 ranking in the Coaches Poll, the schedule sets up nicely for them to reach that top spot in just a couple of weeks.
Between now and the rankings that will come out on Monday, Dec. 24, Memphis is the toughest team the Vols play. They are rebuilding right now under new head coach Penny Hardaway. The Vols’ only other two opponents are the Samford Bulldogs and Wake Forest Demon Deacons, and both are at home.
Meanwhile, let’s look at the schedule of the teams ahead of them. Tennessee basketball would already be No. 1 if they had held onto their lead and not lost in overtime to the current No. 1 team in the country the Kansas Jayhawks. But Kansas has to face the Villanova Wildcats and the Arizona State Sun Devils, the latter of which is on the road, in two of their next three games. Both teams are in the Top 25. You could easily see them falling before Christmas.
Ahead of the Vols in the Coaches Poll are the Virginia Cavaliers, but their schedule is so easy coming up you have to figure that Tennessee basketball would jump them just out of respect. Then comes the Duke Blue Devils.
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Duke should already be behind the Vols. Both teams have a loss, and Duke’s loss is to the Gonzaga Bulldogs, the team UT beat. So how they are No. 2 right now makes no sense outside of emphasis on media love for them.
Anyway, Duke’s schedule isn’t a cakewalk. They have to host the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Dec. 20, and although it’s a likely win, a bad shooting game could cost them. Should they lose or even look ugly winning, you could definitely see the Vols vaulting to No. 1.
Getting that top spot is an uphill climb for Tennessee basketball, but it’s certainly possible given their upcoming schedule. Despite their brutal road to start the season, they don’t have anybody else in the Top 60 of the RPI coming up until February. So you could see this team reel off an insanely long winning streak.
And should they reach No. 1 at any point, especially by Christmas, they could become the first team in school history to actually win a game after being ranked No. 1. And they could become the first team to hold that spot for more than a week. That’s what could be on the horizon for this team after such a huge win last Saturday.