Tennessee last defeated a No. 1 football team on Sept. 28, 1985.
It’s only been hours since the Volunteers last defeated a No. 1 basketball team.
Taking down a top-ranked program through the years has occurred with more frequency for the Vols on the hardwood, as Wednesday night’s 68-59 downing of Alabama inside Thompson-Boling Arena marked Tennessee’s sixth triumph over a No. 1 team. The Vols are 6-14 all-time in hoops against top-ranked programs, having previously defeated Kentucky in March 1966, South Carolina in December 1969, Memphis in February 2008, Kansas in January 2010 and Gonzaga in December 2018.
The wins over Memphis and Gonzaga resulted in the Vols ascending to No. 1 for the only seasons (2007-08 and 2018-19) in school history.
It’s been a tougher task in football, with Tennessee just 2-16 against top-ranked teams since the inception of the Associated Press poll in 1936. Both of the wins occurred in Neyland Stadium, as the 1959 Vols upset LSU 14-13 and the 1985 Vols whipped Auburn 38-20.