All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee Vols top 10 moments in athletics for 2018-2019 academic year

By Caleb Calhoun

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MARCH 16: Jordan Bone #0 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates after the 82-78 win over the Kentucky Wildcats during the semifinals of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MARCH 16: Jordan Bone #0 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates after the 82-78 win over the Kentucky Wildcats during the semifinals of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
11 of 11
Next
Tennessee basketball
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images /

1. Men’s basketball is No. 1 for a school-record four weeks

Again, the Tennessee Vols men’s basketball program had won the season series with the Kentucky Wildcats in years past. They had beaten the No. 1 team in the nation and reached 30 wins before. And they had also previously reached the Sweet 16. Oh, and they had been No. 1 once before.

More from All for Tennessee

But never did all of those things happen in the same season. They happened here. A month after beating the Gonzaga Bulldogs, a series of upsets got UT to No. 1. But that doesn’t make this moment at the top alone for Rick Barnes’s team.

What stood out was what happened afterward. First off, Grant Williams had a historically great performance in UT’s first game ranked No. 1. They had lost on the road to the Vanderbilt Commodores the only time ever before they were No. 1. In this season, they almost lost again. But Williams dropped 43 points and went 23-of-23 on free throws to secure an overtime win.

That set the Tennessee Vols in motion for an epic run, one that saw them reach No. 1 for four weeks. They won seven straight games with that ranking before it came crashing down in that road trip to the Kentucky Wildcats.

They got revenge on UK though by winning two more games. And they still made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed and reached the Sweet 16, tying a school-record for 31 wins. Those were all great accomplishments.

Vol football's top 10 seasons coming off losing record. dark. Next

But school records by themselves matter. And the Tennessee Vols men’s basketball program set a school record for its number of weeks at No. 1 this year. Williams, Admiral Schofield, Kyle Alexander and Jordan Bone used their veteran leadership to propel this program to epic heights. So this run is the top moment for the school in the 2018-2019 athletic year.

Home/Tennessee Volunteers