Tennessee Vols MBB rises in the new AP Top 25 poll and passes Kentucky

The Tennessee Volunteers athletic department is riding high right now. Why, you ask? It's because Tennessee men's basketball is No. 7 in the country, Tennessee football is No. 7 and the Lady Vols hoops team is 4-0.

Yeah, things sure are sweet. For Rick Barnes and Co., they're coming off a memorable trip to the Bahamas, highlighted by the dominant win over Baylor. It was supposed to be a close contest between the Vols and Bears, but Chaz Lanier was sensational in an 77-62 win.

Following that victory, coupled with Tennessee being 7-0 on the year, the team moved up quite a bit in the new AP Top 25 poll, with the squad indeed being No. 7 in the nation. To make things a bit sweeter, the No. 8 team is Kentucky. Boom:

Tennessee hoops is now ranked the No. 7 team in the country

In the win over Baylor, Lanier looked fantastic, scoring a game-high 25 points. He was on fire from 3-point land as well. With the way Barnes has his guys playing, plenty of people are already dreaming of a postseason to remember.

However, let's remember that it's still a long season and some thrilling SEC games are on the way soon. Plenty of fans can't wait for January to get here, as exciting meetings with Arkansas and Florida will start the new year off. Then in late January, the Vols will be ready to take on Auburn and Kentucky.

Both those games against the Tigers and Wildcats are sure to be thrillers. For now, though, Barnes and his guys can enjoy the early success they're having. A statement was made with the lopsided win against Baylor. Thanks to that performance, Tennessee is looking like one of the top teams in the country and this group will surely need to be taken seriously in March.