Tennessee basketball dropped one spot from No. 11 to No. 12 in the Feb. 27 Associated Press poll after a second consecutive 1-1 week.
The Vols fell on the road at No. 25 Texas A&M in a tight game Tuesday night before returning home to dominate South Carolina 85-42 Saturday night.
Heading into the final week of the regular season, Tennessee is 21-8 and 10-6 in SEC play as they look to carry momentum from its blowout win over the Gamecocks.
Tennessee is one of four teams in this week’s AP Poll, joining No. 2 Alabama, No. 23 Kentucky and No. 24 Texas A&M.
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Rick Barnes’ eighth Tennessee team closes out the regular season with matchups against a pair of against NCAA Tournament teams. The Vols host Arkansas at Thompson-Boling Arena Tuesday night as they honor seniors Santiago Vescovi, Josiah-Jordan James, Olivier Nkamhoua and Uros Plavsic.
Tennessee caps off the regular season on the road with a matchup against Bruce Pearl and Auburn. The Vols defeated Auburn 46-43 at Thompson-Boling Arena earlier this month.
While there’s no SEC Championship repercussions for Tennessee this week, there’s still plenty to play for. The Vols likely need to go 2-0 this week to earn a top-four seed and a double-bye in next week’s SEC Tournament. Tennessee is currently projected to be a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament but could add to its resume this week.
Tip-off between the Vols and Razorbacks is at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday night. ESPN2 is broadcasting the game.
