Tennessee basketball eyes AP Poll bounce-back in pivotal SEC showdown week

The latest AP Poll is out, and Tennessee basketball has not made the cut for the second week in a row. Tennessee comes in this week at third in the others receiving votes catagory esentially making them No. 28 in the country.

It is a bit surprising that the Vols didn't bounce back into the polls this week after going 2-0. Tennessee picked up a road win over Mississippi State last week, though it was shaky, but they got it done. Tennessee then picked up a huge win over LSU, a game in which it controlled it for pretty much all 40 minutes.

If Tennessee can go 2-0 this week, they will for sure be in next weeks poll.

Big week ahead for Tennenesse

This week could end up being the defining stretch of the Vols’ season, as Tennessee faces two extremely tough matchups ahead. On Wednesday they Vols host Okalhoma, who is just 3-9 in SEC play, but don;t sleep on the Sonners. They still can cause havoc, as they are also on a two-game winning streak, beating Vanderbilt on the road and knocking off a really good Georgia team. Rick Barnes team will need to come in prepared, or they will get upset. This game is huge for the NCAA sending purposes, as the Vols can't afford to lose to a team that is much lower than them on KenPom.

Beyond that, the Vols have their biggest game of the year on Saturday in Nashville. Tennessee will take on Vanderbilt who is 8-4 in the SEC, so not only would a rivalry win on the road be huge, but they can make up some ground on Florida at the top of the SEC standings. The Commodores have a really good team, and it should be an amazing game. Tennessee will have to bring its A game, no doubt.

With two important games ahead of Rick Banres, they can set themselves up for a run at the SEC title and a top-four seed in the NCAA tournament. If the Vols fall apart, it could be bad news. Get ready, Tennessee fans, this week is going to be a fun one.