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Tennessee basketball: How have Vols previously fared after beating No. 1 teams?

By Caleb Calhoun

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 09: Admiral Schofield #5 and Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate on the court after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs 76-73. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 09: Admiral Schofield #5 and Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate on the court after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs 76-73. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images /

Tennessee basketball’s win over the Gonzaga Bulldogs was its fifth victory over a No. 1 team. Here’s how the Volunteers fared after the last four wins.

When Tennessee basketball takes the court Saturday against the Memphis Tigers on the road, it’ll be the Vols’ first game since knocking off the No. 1 team in the country. UT beat the Gonzaga Bulldogs last Sunday 76-73 in Phoenix for a huge victory.

However, Memphis won’t be a cakewalk. The game is at the FedEx Forum, and although the Tigers are rebuilding under Penny Hardaway, they do have talent. And they will be completely focused on this game as well, desperately wanting to win.

The good news for Tennessee basketball is the schedule starts to get significantly easier after the Memphis game. Their next four opponents are at home against teams outside of the Top 100 of the RPI, so Rick Barnes’s team has a great chance to make a run.

Already in the top 5 of both polls, that’s great news for Rocky Top. But can they avoid a hangover from beating a No. 1 team? We don’t know how Barnes will handle it since it was his first win over a top-ranked team. And it’s hard to say if a six-day layoff will help or hurt these guys.

What we can do, however, is look back at some history. Before last Sunday, the Vols had scored four wins over No. 1 ranked teams in their history. Two different coaches each enjoyed two of those wins, and it doesn’t take a genius UT historian to know which two coaches they were.

But how those coaches and teams handled the win are all vastly different. And how the Vols handle their win this year is going to be more important than the win itself. So let’s go back into history to see if we can predict the future. This is how Tennessee basketball fared after its previous four wins over a No. 1 ranked team.

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