While there's been so much focus on the Tennessee football team and the College Football Playoff, it's easy to forget the Tennessee hoops for both the men and women are off to flying starts in 2024. Kim Caldwell and the Lady Vols are a perfect 6-0 (somehow unranked), while Rick Barnes and Co. are 8-0 and No. 3 in the nation.
Earlier this week, Tennessee hosted Syracuse for what many of us thought would be a close contest. However, the Vols posted a 96-70 victory, with guard Chaz Lanier turning heads with his 26 points. Yup, everything is going right for Barnes' team.
Oh, and they're also getting some outside help too. While Tennessee took care of business against the Orange, No. 1 Kansas suffered a surprising loss to Creighton, while No. 2 Auburn just got taken down by Duke. What does this tell us? Well, it tells us that Tennessee should be the new top team when the next AP rankings come out. Boom.
No. 1 Kansas loses at Creighton.
— Ben McKee (@benmckee14) December 5, 2024
No. 2 Auburn loses at Duke.
It appears Tennessee will be ranked No. 1 on Monday.
The Tennessee Vols should be ranked No. 1 in the next AP Top 25
Athletic director Danny White has to be over the moon right now. Josh Heupel has the football team looking incredible, with the College Football Playoff up next. On top of that, both of his basketball squads are undefeated. Oh, and the baseball team won the natty last season. Unreal!
Lanier has looked outstanding for the Vols on the hardwood thus far this season, but he's not the only one. There's balanced play on both sides of the floor, which has to make Barnes and the rest of his coaching staff quite pleased.
Tennessee will be off the hardwood until next Tuesday, as a matchup with Miami is next up on the schedule. After that, a Top 25 showdown against No. 19 Illinois will be on the way come Dec. 14. It will be a big test for Barnes and his playmakers, but barring a major surprise, they should be No. 1 entering that meeting.