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Tennessee basketball: Looking at last 5 seasons Vols were in top 5

By Caleb Calhoun

MEMPHIS, TN - FEBRUARY 23: Chris Lofton #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers shoots a layup around Robert Dozier #2 of the Memphis Tigers at FedExForum on February 23, 2008 in Memphis, Tennessee. Volunteers beat the Tigers 66-62. (Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, TN - FEBRUARY 23: Chris Lofton #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers shoots a layup around Robert Dozier #2 of the Memphis Tigers at FedExForum on February 23, 2008 in Memphis, Tennessee. Volunteers beat the Tigers 66-62. (Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images /

5. 2007-2008

31-5 (14-2 in SEC); SEC Regular Season Championship; NCAA Sweet Sixteen

Highest ranking: No. 1

Yes, the last time Tennessee basketball reached the top 5 was the year they reached No. 1. From a regular season standpoint, it’s unquestionably the greatest season in school history. If you factor in the tournament, it’s no worse than the second best season.

Heading into the year, the Vols had blown a 21-point lead to reach the Elite Eight the year before. Bruce Pearl returned all but one player, led by Chris Lofton and Jauan Smith entering their senior seasons. The addition of Tyler Smith set the stage for a special team.

After an early loss, ironically, to Rick Barnes’s Texas Longhorns, these guys began to meet those expectations. An 11-game winning streak after that Texas loss got these guys to 16-1 and No. 3 in the nation on Jan. 21, which on its own was the school’s highest AP ranking ever.

However, as was the case many times, they were humbled by a trip to Rupp Arena, unable to beat even a poorly coached Billy Gillespie team. Still, after a six-point loss, they reeled off another winning streak. Five straight wins after that got them back to No. 3. Two more wins got them back to No. 2, and after an eighth straight win, they were set for a No. 2 vs. No. 1 in-state showdown against the Memphis Tigers on the other side of the state.

That was the biggest game in the history of the state of Tennessee overall and maybe the biggest college basketball regular season game ever. The Vols won 66-62 to reach their first No. 1 ranking ever. They lost three days later at the Vanderbilt Commodores, another in-state team, but still managed to finish 28-3 and win the SEC regular season championship.

After losing in the SEC Tournament semifinals, Pearl’s team got a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. A Sweet Sixteen loss to the Louisville Cardinals marked a bitter end to a great season, but that doesn’t negate the fact that these guys won 30 games, won the SEC, and reached No. 1. They also never fell out of the top 5, which could be a good omen for this year.

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