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

5 of 6

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images /

2. 1967-1968

20-6 (13-5 in SEC)

Highest ranking: No. 4

Ray Mears was in his sixth season as Tennessee basketball’s head coach and building something impressive. The year before, he had won the SEC Championship and going to the NCAA Tournament. So expectations were high.

More from Vols Basketball

Junior guard Bill Justus was the star along with senior center Tom Boerwinkle. Add in the supporting cast of Tom Hendrix, Bill Hann and Bobby Croft, and the Vols had a team heading into the start of this season.

After beginning the year unranked, a 4-0 start propelled them to No. 4 in the nation the day after Christmas. They lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes two days later, but then they reeled off a six-game winning streak highlighted by a win over the No. 4 ranked Vanderbilt Commodores to reach No .4 themselves again on Jan. 16.

However, again, the Vols lost, this time to the Florida Gators on the road, and it dropped them to No. 6. Then they reeled off a five-game winning streak, sparked by a win over the No. 8 ranked Kentucky Wildcats, to get back into the top 5 again.

Everything came crumbling down after that. The Vols lost four of five, including road losses to Kentucky and Vanderbilt. They were set to close the season on a four-game home stretch, but by the time that came around, they had already fallen out of the rankings with a 16-6 record and 9-5 SEC record.

5 things for Vols fans to watch for in 2019. light. Related Story

So even after they won their final four games, it wasn’t enough. Kentucky held onto the SEC Championship, knocking the Vols out of any postseason play. Nonetheless, this Mears team did what the Ernie and Bernie Show and even the Dale Ellis teams couldn’t do by reaching the top 5. For that, they deserve some respect.

Home/Vols Basketball