Tennessee basketball emerges as one of college basketball’s most-watched teams

The Tennessee basketball program has been growing its national profile by scheduling high-level games. In the non-conference, Tennessee played Houston, Illinois, Syracuse, Kansas, and Louisville. Plus, the Vols play a grueling SEC schedule and have plenty of high-profile games coming up.

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The emergence of the Tennessee basketball program under Barnes has made it must-see television. The Nielsen report for college basketball was just released, and the Vols are among the most-watched teams in the sport. They came in at No. 9 in the nation, ahead of teams like Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, and UConn.

Tennessee being right there with the blue bloods like Michigan State, Duke, Kansas, and Kentucky is meaningful. The Vols have adopted a scheduling philosophy of high-stakes games, plus having freshman star Ament and one of the best point guards in the nation, Ja'Kobi Gillespie, helps.
Tennessee has been a part of many prime TV windows too, playing on Saturday night, ESPN matchups versus Illinois and Alabama.

Can Tennessee basketball grow its TV audience?

Tennessee is in a position to maintain its current momentum and potentially build on it. The Vols still have two matchups against Vanderbilt on the schedule, each one carrying added weight as a rivalry game. With the SEC emerging as one of the premier conferences in college basketball, there’s no shortage of high-level competition. Overall, the league’s depth and quality have taken a noticeable step forward in recent years.

Tennessee still has games versus Kentucky, Auburn, and Alabama, all on a Saturday evening, an ESPN matchup. If Tennessee can make a deep run in March, it will only boost its chances to stay on the most-watched list.

This is beneficial for the brand in the long term, too. If Tennessee is one of the consistent viewership drivers in the NCAA, it will most certainly benefit on the recruiting trail. It's a great tool to be able to sell the fact that Tennessee is one of the most-watched teams all year.

Rick Barnes has turned Tennessee into a must-watch program, and it’s been great to see.