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Tennessee basketball: Ranking Vols finish to every season in 2010s decade

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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10. 2015-2016

15-19 (6-12)

*No postseason

It was the start of a rebuilding project that was trending in the right direction. And nobody blames Rick Barnes for this season given the mess he inherited. But the fact of the matter is the 2015-2016 year was Tennessee basketball’s only losing season this decade, and as a result, it has to be the worst finish to any season by nature.

This season wasn’t without positives. Barnes continually touted how Kevin Punter, despite undergoing major attrition he didn’t expect to undergo from Donnie Tyndall to Barnes, set the standard for the program early on by buying in. He helped UT score some solid wins over the South Carolina Gamecocks and Kentucky Wildcats when both teams weree in the top 25.

In addition to those major wins, the Vols made a surprise run in the SEC Tournament, beating the Auburn Tigers and Vanderbilt Commodores, who made the NCAA Tournament, to make it to Friday against the LSU Tigers. And they did give LSU a fight for a while before losing. There just wasn’t enough talent on this team to be able to go anywhere.

As a result, the Vols finished the year 15-19 with no eligibility for any sort of postseason. But again, it wasn’t a season without a loss, as it helped set the stage for what Barnes was beginning to rebuild in Knoxville. He and UT were both in reset mode this year, with him coming off being fired by the Texas Longhorns and the Vols coming off another fire due to NCAA infractions.

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