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Tennessee basketball picked to win SEC by most CBS analysts

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 21: Detailed view of the Tennessee Volunteers logo which is seen on a cheerleader megaphone during a game against the Florida Gators at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 21, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 62-57. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
KNOXVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 21: Detailed view of the Tennessee Volunteers logo which is seen on a cheerleader megaphone during a game against the Florida Gators at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 21, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 62-57. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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Most experts picked the Tennessee basketball Volunteers with Rick Barnes as Coach of the Year.

Another outlet is high on Tennessee basketball, and this time it wasn’t just one person. Their top five recruiting class, new transfers and returning talent have made this sports network very high on them.

Three of five analysts picked the Vols to win the SEC in the CBS Sports conference predictions for the 2020-2021 season. They just edged out the Kentucky Wildcats, who came in second and were the only other team to receive votes to win the league. All five had those teams in the top two.

Gary Parrish, Jerry Palm and David Cobb all picked Tennessee basketball to win. Matt Norlander and Kyle Boone picked Kentucky. Here is what was written about the reasoning for the Vols to be the favorite.

"The Vols unsurprisingly slipped last season after the departures of Grant Williams, Admiral Schofield and Jordan Bone. They finished 9-9 in the SEC and 68th at KenPom, meaning the only way they would’ve made the NCAA Tournament would’ve been by winning an SEC Tournament that was never played. So why is Tennessee picked first in the SEC this season? It’s because Rick Barnes is returning four of his top five scorers and enrolling a top-five recruiting class featuring two five-star prospects — namely Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson, both of whom project as possible one-and-done first-round picks in the 2021 NBA Draft. In other words, Tennessee has a perfect balance of experience and high-end talent, which has proven to be a recipe for success in college basketball."

In addition to the Vols being picked to win the SEC, Rick Barnes was named the preseason coach of the year. That would be the second time he won the award, as he won it again in 2018. Here is what was written about Barnes.

"It took a few years for Rick Barnes to get things going at Tennessee. But now that he has things going, he really has things going, and there’s a chance this season’s team could be his best at UT yet, and I write that knowing full well that his 2017-18 team won the SEC and 2018-19 team made the Sweet 16. These Vols have three former five-star prospects, two of whom project as possible one-and-done players, and enough experience to compete at the top of the sport. So while I’m not necessarily predicting that Barnes is about to take Tennessee to its first Final Four in school history, I’m definitely not ruling it out."

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Keyontae Johnson of the Florida Gators was picked to be SEC Player of the Year, and B.J. Boston of the Kentucky Wildcats was picked to be SEC Freshman of the Year. However, the Vols have players who could be candidates for both of those awards as well.

The return of everybody except Jordan Bowden, including leading scorer John Fulkerson at center and reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year Yves Pons at forward, would be more than enough to believe in this team. Adding two five-star guards and a four-star forward in their 2020 recruiting class only makes it more impressive.

Transfers are just icing on the cake with graduate transfer power forward E.J. Anosike, who averaged a double-double last year with the Sacred Heart Pioneers, joining the team and Oregon Ducks transfer Victor Bailey Jr., who sat out last year, now being eligible. Simply put this team is loaded in every way.

Next. Ranking Vols likeliest to leave early for NBA Draft in 2021. dark

At this point, it would be a disappointment if Tennessee basketball doesn’t win the SEC. Analysts being so high on them makes sense. This is just another group of experts who clearly have the conference coming down to the Vols and Kentucky.

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