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Tennessee basketball ranked No. 5 in preseason publication

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 15: General view of the arena during the pregame introductions the game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 15, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 106-87. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 15: General view of the arena during the pregame introductions the game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 15, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 106-87. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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The Tennessee basketball Volunteers are ranked No. 5 in the Blue Ribbon college yearbook.

Despite returning a ton of talent and having a top five recruiting class, many analysts have had Tennessee basketball flirting with the top 10 or top 15 and just competing for the SEC title. Well, one official outlet is going all in on the Vols.

Rocky Top is fifth nationally in the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook for the 2020-2021 season. UT is also the highest ranked team in the SEC, which is different from many analysts who still have Rick Barnes’ team behind the Kentucky Wildcats.

Ahead of Tennessee basketball are the Gonzaga Bulldogs at No. 1, the Villanova Wildcats at No. 2, the Baylor Bears at No. 3 and the Virginia Cavaliers at No. 4. That’s pretty impressive company to be in for a team that finished last year with a 17-14 record.

What stands out about this schedule, though, is how potentially brutal it could be for the Vols. However, that all depends on what alterations are made given the NCAA ruling that seasons won’t start until Nov. 25 now due to the pandemic. Anyway, UT is set to face Gonzaga in the Jimmy V Classic in December.

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Ranked No. 7 are the Wisconsin Badgers, who were set to face the Vols on Nov. 11, so we’ll have to see if that game is still played. The same holds true for the Charleston Classic, an eight-team tournament, initially set for Nov. 19, 20 and 22, that includes UT, the Florida State Seminoles and the Houston Cougars, who are No. 18 and No. 25 respectively in those rankings.

Then there is the SEC slate, which includes Kentucky, who came in at No. 13, and the Alabama Crimson Tide, who came in at No. 14. Simply put, Tennessee basketball is a top five team with a top five schedule based on these rankings.

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However, it makes sense to put the Vols that high. They only lost guard Jordan Bowden and have brought in two five-star guards while another guard, Victor Bailey Jr., is added due to his eligibility. Then they returned all their post players, including SEC Defensive Player of the Year Yves Pons and leading scorer John Fulkerson, while adding Sacred Heart Pioneers transfer E.J. Anosike.

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