After Saturday’s win over No. 19 Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee Basketball is 20-7 on the season with a 10-4 record in SEC play. The Vols are nearing the end of the regular-season slate, with only four games left on the schedule. Tennessee will play at Missouri this upcoming Tuesday, against Alabama on Saturday, at South Carolina the following Tuesday, and against Vanderbilt in the regular season finale the following Saturday.
Tennessee is currently fourth in the SEC standings, but the Vols are one of three teams that have a 10-4 record in SEC play, alongside Alabama and Arkansas. All three teams are two games back of conference-leader Florida, who has a 12-2 record in SEC play with four games left on the schedule.
Here’s a snapshot of what the SEC rankings currently look like, via ESPN:
More From RTI: Kentucky Coach Mark Pope Blasts Officiating in Hot Mic Comments
Tennessee is perfectly alive for one of the coveted double-byes in the SEC tournament, which are handed out to the top four finishers in the conference. Still, though, the Vols will have to finish strong in their final four games with two ranked matchups (against No. 25 Alabama, against No. 19 Vanderbilt) still left on the slate.
According to ESPN Analytics, Tennessee has a 67.1% chance to win at Missouri, a 68.5% chance to win against Alabama, an 83.0% chance to win at South Carolina, and a 66.9% chance to win against Vanderbilt. Obviously, those numbers are to be taken with a grain of salt with the ever-changing nature (and the baked-in chaos) of SEC basketball. Still, though, the Vols are in a good position to close out the season with their two ranked matchups both taking place in Knoxville.
Tennessee’s win over Vanderbilt on Saturday was a glimpse of why the Vols can be a dangerous team near the close of the season and in the postseason. We’ve all seen the emergence of Nate Ament over the last month or so, and that’s clearly Tennessee’s biggest weapon here to close out the season. But with Ament struggling a bit more than usual against the Commodores on Saturday, Tennessee’s role players stepped up in a major way. It wasn’t necessarily any one player in particular, but it was the fact that multiple guys gave Tennessee some key plays throughout the game to ultimately get UT to the finish line.
Tennessee’s roster has grown into a complete unit over the back half of SEC play. Ament and Ja’Kobi Gillespie are clearly the leading scorers, while J.P. Estrella and Felix Okpara have the ability to give some big showings. Bishop Boswell and Amari Evans give Tennessee a physical defensive presence, Jaylen Carey is an enforcer, and even Ethan Burg has carved out a role with the team over the last few games.
Tennessee has won eight of its last nine games, but the Vols will need to keep that momentum going here over the final two weeks of the season. A double-bye is well within reach for the Vols’ program, but they’ll have to go out there and earn it with two ranked games on the horizon.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Basketball coverage.
