After a two-week hiatus, Tennessee basketball is back in the AP Poll after three-straight wins. The Vols come in at No. 25 in the Feb. 2 AP Top 25 following a 2-0 week with a road win at Georgia and a home win against Auburn. Tennessee is still not ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll, earning the second most votes of a team not in the top 25.
The Vols were ranked for 90-straight weeks and over four years before falling out of the Jan. 19 poll following its home loss against Kentucky— their third in three games to begin SEC play. Before dropping out of the rankings, Tennessee had the nation’s second longest streak of AP Poll appearances.
Rick Barnes’ 11th Tennessee team received the most votes of anyone not in the poll last week after they upset then-No. 17 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Vols are back in the poll following a 2-0 week with a road win in overtime victory at Georgia and a home win against Auburn.
The Vols overcame a halftime deficit at Georgia with Nate Ament and JP Estrella each providing big scoring boosts in the second half and overtime. Against Auburn, Tennessee survived despite star point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie playing just 29 minutes due to foul trouble.
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Tennessee is one of four SEC teams in this week’s AP Poll, coming in behind No. 15 Vanderbilt, No. 17 Florida and No. 21 Arkansas. Texas A&M, Alabama, Kentucky, Auburn and Georgia also also received votes.
After an extremely challenging January schedule, things lighten up for Tennessee the first two weeks of February. This week, Tennessee hosts Ole Miss in Knoxville on Tuesday night before traveling to Rupp Arena on Saturday night to face rival Kentucky.
The Wildcats handed Tennessee its last loss and the Vols will have revenge on their mind as they look to stay hot. But first up is a shaky Ole Miss team that’s lost three straight ahead of its trip to Knoxville.
Tipoff between Tennessee and Ole Miss is at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. ESPN2 is broadcasting the game.
