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Tennessee basketball cracks another way-too-early preseason top 20

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 4: General view of the exterior of Thompson-Boling Arena prior to the football game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 4, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida defeated Tennessee 10-9. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 4: General view of the exterior of Thompson-Boling Arena prior to the football game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 4, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida defeated Tennessee 10-9. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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All the way-too-early top 25 rankings across services are coming out right now, and the men’s Tennessee basketball program continues to find itself somewhere in them. Honestly, given the roster overhaul of recent weeks, the question is actually whether or not they should be higher.

Rick Barnes’ team came in at No. 16 in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early preseason top 25 rankings for 2021-2022 by Jeff Borzello. That’s one spot below the top 25 rankings by Gary Parrish of CBS, which we wrote about here the day before.

Similar to Parrish’s rankings, the Alabama Crimson Tide and Arkansas Razorbacks were the only two teams ahead of Tennessee basketball in the ESPN ranking. Here’s a bit of what Borzello wrote about the Vols and the reason for their rise.

"Another big riser from Way-Too-Early Top 25 version 1.0, the Volunteers were close the first time around and then landed Auburn transfer Justin Powell, former Marquette commit and ESPN 100 big man Jonas Aidoo and five-star forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield. Also, senior John Fulkerson opted to return to Knoxville for another season. Perhaps the biggest reason for optimism, however, comes in the form of elite point guard recruit Kennedy Chandler."

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Honestly, the most interesting part about Borzello’s rankings is what he projected the starting lineup would be. His only had one true big men, returning sixth-year senior forward John Fulkerson. It also only had one freshman despite the Vols’ elite recruiting class, five-star point guard Kennedy Chandler.

Auburn Tigers transfer Justin Powell was also in the starting lineup along with returning guards Victor Bailey Jr. and Josiah-Jordan James. That would mean that barnes is going to run four guards next year, although Powell provides some length with his 6’6″ frame.

Of course, if that is the lineup, then there will be size on the second team. Five-star power forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, four-star center Jonas Aidoo and returning forward Olivier Nkamhoua could all be backups, making for a huge four, five and three respectively. Uros Plavsic could be in competition for playing time there as well.

Santiago Vescovi would be the one returning guard in that scenario, but coming off the bench, he’d be another elite point guard and provide necessary scoring. Add in four-star forward Jahmai Mashack and three-star French sharpshooter Quentin Diboundje Eyobo, and Barnes should have the depth that he needs regardless of the lineup he runs.

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This collection of guys allows Barnes to run 12-deep, although only six of them have proven they can play at this level so far. Assuming the two five-stars also can, Tennessee basketball is certainly able to go eight-deep. Barnes having options with how he puts together his lineup is clearly enough for ESPN to move him up its list.

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