Tennessee Basketball’s offseason optimism continued on Wednesday as Jeff Borzello dropped the latest update to his way-too-early men’s college basketball rankings.
There are no massive changes to the rankings since last month, but there are a few notable moves. Michigan dropped a few spots in the Top 10 after losing head coach Dusty May to the Dallas Mavericks. St. John’s and Michigan State both dropped a spot in the Top 10, and Miami took a few steps up the ladder in the Top 20.
None of these changes impacted Tennessee, though. Borzello is high on the Vols, keeping their previous ranking as the No. 6 team in the country. Tennessee is the second-highest ranked team from the SEC, trailing only No. 1 Florida. The Vols sit above several conference teams and SEC rivals, including No. 7 Texas, No. 11 Arkansas, No. 15 Alabama, No. 17 Kentucky, No. 20 Vanderbilt, and No. 21 Missouri.
While there weren’t many changes to the rankings overall, this list did feature a new element as Borzello selected the most impactful newcomer to each squad. To no surprise, he listed Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris for the Vols. Harris was previously named the sixth-best transfer prospect in the class before signing with Tennessee.
“Tennessee landed a terrific transfer class, with Harris as the headliner,” Borzello writes. “He was one of the nation’s best scorers last season, averaging 21.4 points as a sophomore at Wake Forest. He went for 38 points against Boston College and had 30-plus points three times. Coach Rick Barnes clearly wanted an offensive upgrade from the transfer portal after some of the Vols’ issues at that end of the court, and Harris probably will have every chance to be the go-to guy.”
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Borzello’s ranking also comes with a projected lineup for the Vols, which features Terrence Hill Jr., Tyler Lundblade, Juke Harris, Jalen Haralson, and Miles Rubin – all transfer players.
There’s been a lot of optimism around the Vols’ incoming portal class, with Tennessee clearly addressing the need for offense with their transfers. Head coach Rick Barnes and his staff opted for portal production over retention this offseason, which is why the Vols’ roster as a whole will look so different. Tennessee only had two returners, DeWayne Brown and Troy Henderson, while six exited through the portal.
Tennessee’s eight-man class included six players in the Top 100 of 247Sports’ transfer portal rankings, including Juke Harris (No. 8), Terrence Hill Jr. (No. 19), Jalen Haralson (No. 25), Dai Dai Ames (No. 53), Tyler Lundblade (No. 59), and Miles Rubin (No. 95). Additionally, five of its eight newcomers having averaged 15.0 points or more per game for their previous schools.
VFL Mark Griffin believes that Tennessee’s depth will present a challenging situation for opposing teams’ scouting reports.
“The one thing that’s hurt Coach Barnes’ teams in the past is that guy that, at the end of the game, your go-to guy, like a Dalton Knecht. And have another Dalton Knecht right there next to him,” Griffin said on The RTI Low-Down. “Scouting reports? You can stop one shooter. You can. You can limit one shooter. You can’t limit three. And then you can’t limit two that come off the bench when the others are tired and you’re in foul trouble. You can look down that bench and go, I got options.”
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Basketball offseason news and notes.
