Tennessee basketball: 5 SEC players that could cause havoc for the Vols

You could make the argument that Keldon Johnson doesn’t deserve to make this list let alone the number one ranking. However, there are two reasons we gave Johnson the nod to make our list.

Number one it’s Kentucky who is Tennessee’s biggest rival. And, the Cats are one of the teams on the schedule twice. The Vols have the opportunity to sweep Kentucky for the second straight year which is something that hasn’t happened since the 1970s.

The second reason is, Kentucky gets better throughout the year. The first matchup isn’t until mid-February, so the Cats should be starting to play at peak performance.

Which tells me that the 16.4 points per game Keldon Johnson is averaging at the moment might not be his peak. Johnson is leading the team with 31.3 minutes per game and had taken the early role of the leader of the team.

Along with his offensive abilities, Johnson can guard multiple positions on the court and is really good at closing out on shooters.

Sports Illustrated has Johnson getting draft in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft as the 11th pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves. If Kentucky is clicking late in the season, it probably means Johnson is playing out of his mind, which isn’t a good thing for Tennessee.