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Tennessee basketball: Trying to make sense of Vols fall in the AP Poll

By Billy Williford

KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 19: Head coach Rick Barnes of the Tennessee Volunteers talks with referee Pat Adams during the second half of the game between the Samford Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 19, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 83-70. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 19: Head coach Rick Barnes of the Tennessee Volunteers talks with referee Pat Adams during the second half of the game between the Samford Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 19, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 83-70. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee basketball drops four spots after their loss to 17-point loss to the Kentucky Wildcats. The Vols get punished unlike any other team in the country.

You could make the case the Tennessee basketball team doesn’t deserve the number one ranking after getting whipped by Kentucky on Saturday night. If you are one of the ones making that argument, you have a case.

The Vols schedule certainly doesn’t jump out at anyone as being overly difficult, but it’s not like they haven’t played anyone either. They lost to a healthy Kansas Jayhawks team in overtime and a top-five Kentucky Wildcats squad who has found their footing.

Yet, the Vols with just two losses on the season drops four spots in a weird week. Maybe you think four spots if justified based on their performance, again you have a case. But, it doesn’t take away the fact the voters punished Tennessee more than any other team all season.

The knock on the Vols is their schedule hasn’t been that ‘tough.’ But, shouldn’t the same line of thinking be applied to Gonzaga?

The Bulldogs have less Quad 1 wins, less Quad 3 wins, and more Quad 4 wins than Tennessee.

Basically, the quadrant system is broken down by the quality of win. You can see a basic description below. Or, here is a more in-depth look on ncaa.com.

Quad 1: Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75.

Quad 2: Home 31-75, Neutral 51-100, Away 76-135.

Quad 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240.

Quad 4: Home 161-353, Neutral 201-353, Away 241-353.

Gonzaga is ranked second in the AP Poll yet is only 3-2 in Quad 1.

Tennessee? 4-2. And, the Vols beat Gonzaga head-to-head.

Moreover, the Bulldogs have more Quad 4 wins with ten, that’s more than most teams projected in the NCAA Tournament by Jerry Palm. To be exact, Gonzaga has more Q4 wins than teams seeded 1-9 according to Palm’s projections.

Yet, since the poll voters have a recency bias, Gonzaga moves up and Tennessee drops four spots.

What about Kentucky? Apparently, their loss to LSU on Tuesday night didn’t matter as the Wildcats jump Tennessee after their win. Again, consistency is key here.

Why is LSU not ranked above Kentucky?

They have better losses than the Cats, and you could argue that they have better wins. Oh, and they just beat Kentucky head-to-head, although that is something that doesn’t matter to the voters.

LSU has played 17 Q1 + Q2 games with a record of 13-4. Kentucky has played 15 Q1 + Q2 games with a record of 11-4. And, again LSU just beat them head-to-head.

Furthermore, LSU has played fewer opponents in Q4 than Kentucky but can’t be rewarded with a top-ten ranking. Seems odd, right?

Switch the rosters between Kentucky and LSU and the Tigers are without a doubt a top-three team in the eyes of the AP voters

Then there is Duke who has played 16 Q1 + Q2 games with a record of 14-2. No one is faulting them for their loss in the Maui Invitational Championship Game to Gonzaga, but they lost at home to an unranked Syracuse team. Again, an unranked Syracuse team.

I bet you think they dropped four spots or maybe more since Syracuse was unranked, right?

Well, you’d be wrong, they only lost one spot and still managed to get 11 first-place votes over a 16-1 Tennessee team.

In the end, rankings don’t matter. No one remembers week 16 of the AP Poll. However, there is certainly a definite end game to make Tennessee look as bad as any team in the nation.

Next. Vols look to use Vanderbilt as a punching bag. dark

This plays well for guys that have been doubted their entire lives. If Tennessee is the team I think they are, they will run with this number five ranking with something to prove. Get ready nation; you may have just awakened a team that has been going through the motions and will be poised to make serious noise in March.

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