Skip to main content
Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14

Wiedmer: Vols appear to be SEC basketball’s best

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes directs his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Kentucky, Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/James Crisp)
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes directs his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Kentucky, Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/James Crisp)

How highly regarded is this year’s University of Tennessee men’s basketball team?

The Vols’ belated first game of the season is on tap for Tuesday night against Colorado at 6 p.m. (streaming on SEC Network+) in Thompson-Boling Arena, yet UT currently stands 12th in the latest Associated Press poll despite having been forced to cancel its first five games over COVID-19 issues.

Hopefully, as the school’s press release for the game noted: “The sixth time is the charm.”

But once the Big Orange does begin play, it should quickly become known as the Southeastern Conference’s best, light years ahead of the current train wreck known as Kentucky, and at least six to 10 points better than everyone else in the league, save perhaps Florida and Arkansas.

Then again, to quickly glance at that AP poll is to realize that the Vols are also the only SEC team in the Top 25. Yes, once again, the SEC is a football league, or at least viewed as such.