From left, Tennessee basketball players Jordan Bone, Jordan Bowden, Kyle Alexander and Admiral Schofield celebrate during the Vols’ win at Memphis on Dec. 15. The Vols are 10-1 with their nonconference schedule nearly complete and could rise to No. 1 in the national rankings today.KNOXVILLE – At some point today, Tennessee could very well be the No. 1 men’s basketball team in the country. Probably no worse than No. 2.
If this were March or April, that would matter a lot more than it does on Christmas Eve, which is why the mindset for the Volunteers has been to remain grounded through the grind of the season.
The top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks’ 80-76 loss at No. 18 Arizona State late Saturday night opened the door for the third-ranked Vols to move to the top when the new polls come out today. Tennessee (10-1) has a neutral-site victory over previously top-ranked Gonzaga on its résumé, and the Vols’ only loss was in overtime to the Jayhawks in the NIT Season Tip-Off final Nov. 25 in Brooklyn, New York.
Only Duke remains ahead of the Vols, and the Blue Devils have a loss to Gonzaga. That’s caused some chatter and some clamoring for the Vols to at least gain some votes for the top spot, but as far as the added attention, Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said his players have done a good job of handling it.
“You know they’re hearing it and seeing it, but anything that (assistant athletic director for communications) Tom (Satkowiak) brings across to my coaches that we think needs to be addressed, then we address it,” Barnes said after the Vols’ 83-64 dismantling of Wake Forest on Saturday in Knoxville.