The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team will begin SEC play ranked No. 1 in the country. If the Vols end SEC play in the same spot, they will have earned it.
The SEC is clearly the strongest conference in the nation in men’s basketball this season by nearly every metric. The SEC has 10 teams in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, including five – Tennessee (1), Auburn (2), Alabama (5), Florida (6), Kentucky (10) – in the top 10. All 16 teams in the expanded conference appear in the top 68 in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted-efficiency rankings.
Fifteen of the SEC teams are ranked No. 57 or higher in the NET, the evaluation tool used by the NCAA that takes into account game results, strength of schedule, game location, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses.
Tennessee, the defending SEC regular-season champion, opens the 18-game SEC regular-season schedule Saturday against a John Calipari-led Arkansas team at Food City Center. (1 p.m. EST/ESPN)
Although the teams will beat up each other during conference play, it may still result in a record number of teams in the postseason. Some projections have as many as 12 SEC teams currently in the NCAA tournament, which would break the record of 11 from the Big East Conference in 2011.
Carr departure a mystery
The Vols will be shorthanded for the start of the SEC grind. Sophomore guard Cameron Carr left the program before UT played Middle Tennessee State Dec. 23. UT head coach Rick Barnes says he was perplexed by the way Carr left.
“I have no idea. He just walked out,” Barnes says.
Carr suffered a left thumb injury in November and had played in just four games this season. He appeared in 18 games overall at UT, averaging 2.3 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.
Asked if there was any benefit for Carr entering the transfer portal and leaving midseason, Barnes says, “No, not really. I think they probably didn’t understand the rule. I don’t know that, but that is what I would assume. We were obviously counting on him being part of the team. Surprised his teammates. They were very disappointed. So, from here on, there is nothing to really talk about. He made his decision. No reason. It’s baffling to be quite honest with you.”
Carr’s departure leaves the Vols with only nine healthy scholarship players. Barnes says he doesn’t know if UT will consider adding a player to the roster once the team returns from the holiday break.
“We have pretty much played eight or nine guys all year, right? Pretty much,” Barnes says. “I tell everybody, back when I first got into coaching, you ask questions trying to learn all I could about this game and talking to some of the old legendary guys. They always told me, ‘you want to play six, maybe seven, eight only if you have to,’ to build that rotation.”
Given the current landscape of college athletics with the transfer portal being utilized more than ever and NIL deals dictating moves, coaches have to be prepared for roster changes throughout a season. Barnes is trying to remain focused on the players he has in the building.
“It’s like Jahmai Mashack and Zakai Zeigler said a year ago when we lost some guys. They said plain and clear, ‘if they don’t want to be here then we don’t want them here,’” Barnes says. “We want guys that want to be here and guys that really care about being part of the team. They said that. That’s how I think we all feel.”
Winning with tradition
Tennessee and Kansas are the only two teams to earn an AP top-five ranking in each of the last four seasons (2021-25).
The Vols have been winning with the traditional formula under Barnes. They rank fourth in the nation in scoring defense (56.6). Zeigler ranks fifth in the nation in assists per game (8.2) Transfer Chaz Lanier is averaging a team-leading 19.3 points. Jordan Gainey, Igor Milicic Jr. and Zeigler are all averaging 11 points per game.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello recently spoke with coaches anonymously about some of the top teams early in the season. Along with UT’s continued success in the transfer portal, the opposing coaches pointed to the program’s signature grit.
“Their identity is clearly on the defensive side,” one coach said about the Vols. “They have multiple-effort guys. Some of the plays they make, they’re scrambling, rotating, blocking shots. They’re not a one-effort team. They cover for mistakes.”