Tennessee basketball tops insider’s preseason SEC rankings

A CBS Sports insider is high on the Tennessee basketball Volunteers.

Throughout this preseason, Tennessee basketball has been in competition with the Kentucky Wildcats in terms of the debate over which team would win the SEC. Ever since Yves Pons announced his return, recent signs trended toward the Vols.

That continued on Monday, as CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein placed UT atop his preseason SEC Power Rankings in his preview for the league on College Hoops Today. He also had six different Vols on a variety of rankings he had.

The Kentucky Wildcats did come in at No. 2 in his power rankings. Rothstein’s second biggest question was about the most underrated part of Tennessee basketball this year, proving how high he is on Rocky Top. His answer was perimeter depth. Here is his reasons.

"Tennessee brings in two five-star freshmen in Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson, who stand at 6-4 and 6-5 respectively to go along with a pair of returning guards who boast good size in Santiago Vescovi (6-3) and Josiah-Jordan James (6-6). Oregon transfer Victor Bailey is also a capable college veteran at 6-4 who will have a significant impact while Sacred Heart grad transfer E.J. Anosike brings experience and grit at 6-7. That’s six different players who stand between 6-3 and 6-7, not including the 6-6 Pons who heavily debated entering the 2020 NBA Draft before returning to school. The Vols have the makings of an elite defensive team with interchangeable pieces who can guard multiple positions."

Senior forward John Fulkerson made Rothstein’s first-team All-SEC. Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson were listed among the top 15 impact freshmen. Junior guard Victor Bailey Jr. and senior forward E.J. Anosike were listed among the top 15 impact transfers. Sophomore guard Josiah-Jordan James was listed among the top 10 breakout players.

When you look at all of those guys and remember that Pons, the defensive player of the year in he league last year, is back along with Santiago Vescovi, last year’s starting point guard, and it’s easy to see why there’s so much hype behind Rick Barne’s sixth team in Knoxville. This team is loaded.

It’s also worth pointing out that forward Olivier Nkamhoua developed a lot as a freshman, and center Uros Plavsic is still a seven-footer who should be more ready to go this year. Add in four-star freshman forward Corey Walker Jr. along with sophomore forward Drew Pember, and Barnes can turn to a lot of places this year.

Taking all this into account, it’s easy to see why Tennessee basketball is generating tons of hype. Four players who didn’t play last year are expected to be major contributors, and all but one major contributor are back. As a result, it would be a disappointment if they didn’t win the SEC.