While the football season is still going strong as it nears the midway point, the college basketball season is quickly approaching on the radar. Rick Barnes’ Tennessee Volunteers will host Duke in an exciting preseason exhibition game on Sunday, Oct. 26, before tipping off the regular season slate on Nov. 3 against Mercer.
We’ve talked about it all offseason, but it’s obviously a new-look roster for Barnes’ Volunteers. Household names and impact players such as Jahmai Mashack, Zakai Zeigler, and Chaz Lanier are out the door, but the Vols’ staff worked hard through the portal and the recruiting scene to reload the roster heading into the 2025-2026 season.
As we get closer to the start of the season, it appears as though Tennessee’s stock has slightly risen after seeing the new pieces in action this summer and during training camp. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello released his updated preseason power rankings on Tuesday, with Tennessee rising up from No. 23 to No. 18 on the list.
“Rick Barnes loses five of his top six scorers from last season, but he does bring in two of the country’s most impactful newcomers: Maryland transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie and top-five recruit Nate Ament,” Borzello wrote in Tennessee’s evaluation. “Gillespie is an incredibly efficient point guard, and Ament is an ubertalented lottery pick on the wing. Returnees Felix Okpara and Cade Phillips plus Vanderbilt transfer Jaylen Carey are solid up front. Now the question is whether Barnes and the Vols produce a top-five defense for the sixth straight season.”
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The other question is how well and, more importantly, how quickly can the Vols’ new players mesh together. Tennessee has a routine schedule of five-straight lower-level teams to kick off the season, but then it’ll hit a slate that includes six-straight NCAA tournament contenders and hopefuls through the Christmas break. It’s a massive stretch for the Vols, but one that will shape Tennessee’s roster into what it needs to be for the SEC slate.
Tennessee is the fifth highest-ranked SEC team on Borzello’s list, behind No. 2 Florida, No. 9 Kentucky, No. 12 Arkansas, and No. 17 Auburn. The Tigers’ spot one above Tennessee is interesting, considering the retirement of head coach Bruce Pearl during training camp. Pearl’s son, Steven Pearl, will take over the coaching duties, but the team still dropped three spots from No. 14 to No. 17 in Borzello’s rankings.
Tennessee also sits one spot higher than No. 19 Alabama as the final SEC team on the list. For all the parity that the SEC has seen on the gridiron this football season, the same could be true on the hardwood. The conference has several teams that’ll consistently be throwing heavyweight punches throughout the season, which could lead to plenty of unpredictability.
Going back to Tennessee’s non-conference slate for a minute, though. Three of the Vols’ opponents land in ESPN’s Top 25 preseason rankings, including No. 3 Houston, No. 16 Illinois, and No. 6 Louisville. That’s not including Syracuse and Rutgers, either. Tennessee will also see preseason No. 10 Duke in an exhibition contest before the season.
Borzello mentioned freshman wing Nate Ament in his evaluation for the Volunteers, who projects to be one of Tennessee’s key impact players. For more on the hype surrounding the former five-star prospect heading into his first season, click here.
