For the first time in 4.5 years, Tennessee basketball is not ranked in this week’s AP Poll. The Vols fell out of the Jan. 19 AP Poll, ending a 90-week streak of being ranked in the top 25. Tennessee is also unranked in this week’s USA Today Coaches Poll for the second straight week.
Tennessee basketball’s streak of 90 weeks ranked in the AP Poll was the nation’s second longest behind only Houston. The Vols have been ranked since the preseason poll ahead of the 2021-22 season. The streak is over four years long, seeing Tennessee win a SEC Regular-Season and Tournament Championship, make the Elite Eight twice and another trip to the Sweet 16.
Tennessee fell out of the AP Top 25 after a 1-1 week that saw the Vols knock off Texas A&M at home before falling to Kentucky in Knoxville.
The two games had largely opposite vibes. Tennessee trailed 8-0 to start the Texas A&M game and trailed for nearly the entire first 35 minutes. Tennessee eventually pushed the game to overtime before winning 87-82 in double overtime.
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Then against Kentucky, Tennessee built a 17-point first half lead before falling to the Wildcats 80-78. The Vols collapsed defensively in the second half when Kentucky scored 49 points thanks in large part to 13 offensive rebounds and 17 second chance points.
Still, Tennessee led 77-76 with the ball and 40 seconds late when Ja’Kobi Gillespie threw a pick six before fouling Otega Oweh on the and-one. Oweh missed the free throw but Kentucky got the rebound and Denzel Aberdeen scored late in the shot clock.
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Tennessee has to wait before getting the taste of the Kentucky game out of its mouth. The Vols have a midweek open date before traveling to Alabama on Saturday night. Tipoff from Coleman Coliseum is at 8:30 p.m. ET. ESPN is broadcasting the matchup.
