Tennessee basketball: Vols should’ve lost No. 1 ranking for now

Tennessee basketball is No. 1 for a third straight week. However, the Volunteers should have dropped to No. 2 behind the Virginia Cavaliers this week.

Last week, I called for Tennessee basketball to be a unanimous No. 1 team. In fact, my post called it robbery that anybody else would be considered for a vote. There was no reason to put the Virginia Cavaliers or the Duke Blue Devils ahead of them. This week, however, things have changed.

The Vols did get that unanimous No. 1 spot in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, and they still had 48 of 64 first place votes in the AP Poll. Using the eye test, it made sense that they would increase their vote totals. After all, they held that No. 1 ranking last Monday despite needing overtime to put away the Vanderbilt Commodores.

With three straight blowout victories since then and two straight on the road this past week over the South Carolina Gamecocks and Texas A&M Aggies, voters were likely more impressed. But while the Vols were more impressive, Virginia did more overall, and it was enough for them to surpass UT in both polls.

When it comes to rankings, voters should value these specific things: number of losses, schedule strength, head to head and common opponent comparisons, quality wins, road vs. home performances, and eye test. Anecdotally, injuries and when they occurred should also be a factor.

Taking all of that into account, it’s very simple. Virginia is 20-1, just like the Vols. And now, if you look at the RealTime RPI rankings, their schedule strength is much higher than Tennessee basketball’s.

I called for the Vols to be No. 1 up until this point because they had clearly played a tougher schedule. But while they were navigating through the easy stretch of their SEC schedule, Virginia has had to face the Virginia Tech Hokies, the Florida State Seminoles and the Duke Blue Devils. That has pushed their schedule strength ranking ahead of UT, whose SOS has fallen out of the top 60.

Combine that with other Top 25 victories like the Maryland Terrapins on the road and the Wisconsin Badgers at a neutral site, and Virginia is beating Tennessee on the quality wins front as well. They even have lesser but still solid wins like the VCU Rams and Clemson Tigers on the road.

Right now, the Vols’ only quality wins are Gonzaga in December and the Louisville Cardinals in November. They haven’t faced any of the toughest teams in the SEC yet. In fact, their two best wins since that Gonzaga win are the Arkansas Razorbacks and Alabama Crimson Tide, both of which were at home. If you want to prop up some road wins, the Florida Gators and Memphis Tigers are decent. But they don’t top Clemson and Maryland.

Sure, UVA lost more recently. But that was to Duke, and it was on the road by two points. That’s their only loss of the season. The Vols, meanwhile, lost to the Kansas Jayhawks, albeit in overtime, on a neutral court. Kansas is clearly not better than Duke at this moment.

Now, Duke could complain about UVA being No. 1 since they beat UVA, but at this point, the Cavaliers have played a tough enough schedule to justify their better record propping them above the Blue Devils. They lost to Duke at Cameron. Duke, meanwhile, lost to the Syracuse Orange at home and Gonzaga on a neutral court. So, yes, UVA has the better resume than both the Devils and the Vols.

Right now, Virginia has the same record as UT with a tougher strength of schedule, more quality wins and a better loss. There is no way you could justify Rick Barnes’s team being ranked ahead of them at this moment.

More from All for Tennessee

• How to Win a GUARANTEED $200 Bonus Betting Just $5 on the Vols vs. Florida!
• Tennessee Football at Florida: Five Keys to a Vols Victory
• Week 3 SEC Power Rankings: Did Tennessee Football’s Win Help At All?
• Week 3 AP Polls: Why Did Tennessee Football Drop in the Polls?
• Tennessee Football: Top Five Performers in 30-13 Win vs. Austin Peay

This weekend, though, UVA will have a chance to clearly usurp the Vols. Provided Tennessee wins both games, the Cavs only face Duke this week, and it’s at home on Saturday. A win will be more than enough evidence to put them over the Vols next Monday.

However, Vol Nation shouldn’t fret. Tennessee basketball is about to have plenty of chances to prove itself. Their first order of business is to win their next three home games, first over the Missouri Tigers and then over Florida and South Carolina. Then comes their SEC gauntlet, and it begins a week from Saturday. That’s when the Vols travel to Rupp Arena to face the Kentucky Wildcats, which will likely be a battle of Top 5 teams at that point.

A week later, the Vols face the LSU Tigers on the road, another Top 25 team. In between, they host a likely win over Vanderbilt. But should they keep winning all the way through LSU, I’ll come back here and say they clearly belong at No. 1 again. By the way, after LSU is a road trip to the Ole Miss Rebels and then Kentucky and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at home before a road trip to the Auburn Tigers.

So beginning with the battle at Rupp, the Vols will play five of seven games against Top 25 teams to close out the regular season. At that point, they’ll have plenty of chances to prove who they are. And, to be honest, all that matters is who’s No. 1 at the end of the season anyway, so this is all for show and confidence.

Vols fans should still celebrate their school record-setting three straight weeks atop the polls. They should also celebrate it being a personal best for Rick Barnes and the fact that they beat a top-ranked team this year. Barnes may indeed have the best team in the nation. But based on the body of work to this point, Tennessee basketball should not be No. 1 anymore.