As with all faculty sports activities nowadays, Tennessee basketball has utterly reloaded going into the 2025-26 season. Rick Barnes stiff-armed retirement rumors this spring regardless of dropping the core of his program as Zakai Zeigler, Jahmai Mashack, Chaz Lanier and others hit the exits.
Barnes reshaped his roster by touchdown a dynamic senior level guard in Ja’Kobi Gillespie, together with five-star, potential top-five total NBA choice, Nate Ament. And but, in accordance with any energy rankings or preseason polls, Tennessee seems like an overthought as soon as once more.
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ESPN has them at twenty third. CBS Sports has them at twenty second. Joe Lunardi has them as a No. 3 seed, nevertheless.
The bracketologist tasks Tennessee to return to Houston’s Midwest Region, the place the Cougars are as soon as once more a projected No. 1 seed. No. 2 seed UConn, No. 4 seed Illinois and No. 5 seed Alabama be a part of Tennessee in the mock run. Tennessee was slated to play 14-seed UNC Wilmington, probably pairing up with No. 6 seed Texas Tech.
Duke, Purdue and Florida joined Houston because the projected No. 1 seeds. St. John’s, BYU, UConn and Michigan had been all in the group forward of Tennessee as projected No. 2 seeds.
Tennessee will definitely have an opportunity to blow up onto the scene early this season.
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The new-look Volunteers will scrimmage Duke earlier than issues even begin to rely, then run a non-conference gauntlet that features Houston, Louisville, Rutgers, Syracuse and Illinois. Beyond that awaits a frightening convention slate that features a utterly loaded month of January.
The SEC put 14 groups in the NCAA Tournament one season in the past. Can Rick Barnes and Tennessee survive and safe one other top-16 total seed in March after operating the gauntlet as soon as once more? It’s going to be mighty attention-grabbing to see with out Zeigler and Mashack operating the present.