Tennessee basketball has had some success since Rick Barnes left Texas to return home to Rocky Top.
Barnes has now been at Tennessee for ten years and holds a 232-109 record with the Vols, including two Elite Eight appearances and a couple of SEC Championships.
That success, paired with its success under former head coach Bruce Pearl, has helped the Vols earn a spot in the top 15 of best college basketball programs since 1997.
Tennessee is No. 13 in KenPom's rankings. Duke holds the top spot, followed by Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, and Arizona in the top five.
The rest of the teams ahead of the Vols are Florida, Michigan State, UCLA, Texas, Connecticut, Villanova, and Gonzaga. Tennessee is just ahead of Baylor, Ohio State, Louisville, Indiana, Alabama, Maryland, and Michigan rounds out the top 20.
Tennessee has a 606-320 record and a 285-186 conference record since 1997. As a result, the Vols hold a .654 overall record and a .652 conference record over that period.
The Vols also hold a winning record in the NCAA Tournament over the same period, although Tennessee has seen a lot of its success in the Rick Barnes era. Tennessee holds a 26-18 NCAA Tournament record, with nine wins since the 2021 tournament.
Tennessee struggled during that time, though, including the Buzz Peterson era from 2001 to 2005, the Cuonzo Martin era from 2011 to 2014, when the Vols struggled to win the NIT, and Donnie Tyndall's lone season at Tennessee during the 2014-2015 season.
Despite those low points, Tennessee has had some successful years since 1997, including the current era with Barnes leading the Vols. Tennessee will hope to break through and add more success to its resume with a Final Four appearance in the coming years.