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Tennessee basketball: Vols make history with No. 1 ranking in both polls

By Caleb Calhoun

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 09: Jordan Bowden #23 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates 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: Jordan Bowden #23 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates 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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Tennessee basketball made it back to No. 1 in both polls for the first time in nearly 11 years. Here’s why the Volunteers made history doing so.

It was a shocking day for Tennessee basketball as they achieved a rarity in their history. The Vols made it to No. 1 in both polls on Monday following a close win Saturday over the Alabama Crimson Tide at home.

After the Duke Blue Devils lost to the Syracuse Orange, the Michigan Wolverines lost to the Wisconsin Badgers and then Duke beat the Virginia Cavaliers, there was no doubt that UT would get that No. 1 spot. Although it wasn’t unanimous, it was still exciting to see.

Tennessee basketball got 48 of 64 first place votes in the AP Poll, ahead of Duke at No. 2 and UVA at No. 3. In the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, they got 30 of 32 first place votes. Again, they were ahead of Duke and UVA.

This No. 1 ranking isn’t a first on its own. But it’s still a bit of history. For starters, this is only the second No. 1 ranking for a Rick Barnes-led team. Barnes’s first No. 1 ranked team ever was his 2009-2010 Texas Longhorns team. But he also got his first victory over a No. 1 ranked opponent earlier this year as well, so his accomplishments continue to grow.

Also, it’s worth noting that the Vols are No. 1 in January for the first time ever. That may not mean much, but it means something if you look at the history of this program. Years of abject failure make this worth celebrating.

Finally, though, Tennessee basketball has a chance to sustain its No. 1 ranking this time around. The and only time the Vols ever made it to No. 1 was back in February of 2008. They were No. 2 the Saturday before and upset the No. 1 ranked Memphis Tigers 66-62 in arguably the biggest game in the history of basketball in the state of Tennessee. That was under Bruce Pearl.

But it only lasted for a week, as they lost three days later to the Vanderbilt Commodores, another ranked team, on the road. Ironically, one of the teams to beat them that year early on was Rick Barnes’s Texas Longhorns, but that’s a different story.

Anyway, this time the Vols should hold their ranking for a bit longer. Once again, they will face Vanderbilt on the road with that ranking. But this Vanderbilt team is only 9-8, and it’s after a three-day rest, not a two-day rest. In fact, of the Vols’ next seven opponents, nobody is above the Top 80 in the RPI, and four are at home. All of their road opponents are outside of the Top 100.

So the Vols should maintain this No. 1 ranking up until Feb. 16. That’s when they have a road trip to Rupp Arena to take on the Kentucky Wildcats. At that point, if they do what they should, they could be 22-1 and 11-0 in the SEC. That’s pretty impressive and would make for an epic showdown in Lexington.

Now, Kentucky is just the start of a brutal close to the season in which six of their final seven opponents are Top 30 RPI teams, and three are on the road. That will be where they really get tested. But until then, Tennessee basketball has a chance to enjoy a No. 1 ranking for a while, and that’s a first in school history.

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