Tennessee Vols: Top 10 years men’s basketball was way better than football

Honorable Mentions

1947-1948

Basketball: 20-5 (10-2)

Football: 5-5 (2-3)

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As we said, years before the Ray Mears era have to involve significant differences between men’s basketball and football. So that’s why this one could only be honorable mention, as there was no SEC title or undefeated season. It was still a 20-win season compared to a .500 year, though, as opposed to the 1948-1949 team, which still saw football go .500 but had men’s basketball only win 19 games. That 20-win milestone earns this honorable mention.

1964-1965

Basketball: 20-5 (12-4)

Football: 4-5-1 (1-5-1)

In a year, men’s basketball and football would be rolling in a golden age of athletics in general with Ray Mears and Doug Dickey. But this was Mears’s third year on campus and Dickey’s first. As a result, Mears had already done better then Tennessee football in 1962-1963 and 1963-1964, going 13-11 and 16-8 while football went 4-6 and 5-5 respectively. But this was another rebuilding year for UT football while Mears’s program took off, as he hit 20 wins and football finished with another losing record.

1975-1976

Basketball: 21-6 (14-4); NCAA Tournament 1st round

Football: 7-5 (3-3)

The second year of the Ernie and Bernie show for Tennessee basketball and the first year with out Condredge Holloway for Tennessee football meant that Ray Mears and Bill Battle were taking their programs in opposite direction. Men’s basketball spent all season in the top 25. Football missed a bowl for the first time in 11 years. This was the closest honorable mention to make the list, but no championship or tournament win and a winning record in football meant the disparity wasn’t as great as the others.

1982-1983

Basketball: 20-12 (9-9); NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

Football: 6-5-1 (3-2-1); L Peach Bowl

This would have made the list if football hadn’t scored the upset win over the Alabama Crimson Tide. That saved this season for Johnny Majors. Honestly, the regular season between the two sports was comparable this year. But football losing its bowl game and men’s basketball reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament earns this year a mention.

1988-1989

Basketball: 19-11 (11-7); NCAA Tournament 1st Round

Football: 5-6 (3-4)

Failing to reach 20 wins, the top 25, the second round of the NCAA Tournament or any championship in men’s basketball makes it hard to ever put such a year on this list. But Don DeVoe’s last NCAA Tournament team still came in a year in which the Vols went 5-6 in football, so it earned a mention. This would be the last time for 17 years that UT would miss a bowl game or be better in basketball than football.

2008-2009

Basketball: 21-13 (10-6); NCAA Tournament 1st Round

Football: 5-7 (3-5)

Bruce Pearl had two years in which he was bounced out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The other was 2010-2011, and while the Vols had a losing season that year in football, they were 6-7 and made a bowl while men’s basketball went 19-15 and then saw Pearl get fired. This team, however, did cross 20 wins, and football went 5-7 and missed a bowl while it resulted in Phillip Fulmer’s firing. There wasn’t enough of a disparity to put it on the list officially, but those things did warrant it a mention.