Rick Barnes has built some incredible teams at Tennessee, but he still hasn’t been able to break through to the Final Four. After three straight Elite Eight losses, the pressure feels bigger than ever heading into this season, especially with the Vols adding so much talent in the portal.
Pre-Combine NBA mock draft proves why Nate Ament had no choice but to leave Tennessee
The biggest difference from last season is how much scoring Rick Barnes added. Tennessee struggled at times offensively last year, especially when Ja'Kobi Gillespie or Nate Ament weren’t playing well. The Vols had to rely too much on offensive rebounds and hustle points. This year, Barnes clearly focused on adding guards who can create offense for themselves while still keeping strong rim protection on defense in the frontcourt.
How far can Tennessee go this year?
Realistically, it wouldn't be insane to say Tennessee can win the national title next year. The Vols have as much talent as anyone this year with Jalen Haralson, Juke Harris, Dai Dai Ames, Terrence Hill Jr., and Tylker Lundblade. Add that in with Miles Rubin, DeWayne Brown II, and Braedan Lue, three elite defenders down low, and the Vols have a championship-caliber roster.
The amount of shooting Barnes added is honestly wild. Tennessee’s newcomers combined for over 350 made threes, which is nearly double what the Vols had last year. At times, it felt like all the shooting came from Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament.
In this portal cycle Tennessee signed the leading scorers from Wake Forest, Loyola Chicago, Cal, VCU, & Belmont. The second leading scorer from Notre Dame.
— Jordan Moore (@jordanmoore_21) May 4, 2026
Last season Tennessee as a team made 214 threes. Their incoming portal class combined to make 364 threes last season.
When you combine all the scoring Barnes added with how good he is defensively as a coach, Tennessee has a roster that can compete with anybody in the country. I’m not saying the Vols are guaranteed to win it all, but with how much talent and money went into this team, missing the Final Four would feel disappointing. The good thing is Barnes still looks completely locked in and motivated despite being older. He wants nothing more than to win at Tennessee.
Tennessee has a big-time roster, but with that comes big-time expectations, and Vols fans will be disappointed if this team doesn't make it to Detroit next April.
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