Could this be the year that Tennessee basketball breaks through to the program’s first-ever Final Four? According to analytics from Evan Miyakawa, it’s at least a potential.
Miyakawa sorted his ratings into multiple tiers. The top group was named ‘Title Favorites’ and featured Michigan, Duke, Arizona, Florida, Houston and Illinois.
Then, the second group was titled ‘Final Four Potential’ and featured Purdue, UConn, Iowa State, Gonzaga, St. John’s, Michigan State, Nebraska, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Virginia.
Those top-two tiers feature a combined 17 teams. The Vols check in in his analytical rankings as the No. 14 team in the country. They have the 28th-best offense and 14th defense according to the rankings, as well.
EFFICIENCY LANDSCAPE
Here is the current predicted team efficiency landscape for college basketball, based on ratings from https://t.co/cegyfz96ax, split into tiers 👇 pic.twitter.com/mML16SFb7i
— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) February 23, 2026
More From RTI: What Tennessee Basketball Said To Put Bow On Vanderbilt Win, Preview Missouri
Tennessee is one of the hottest teams in the country at this point. Coming off a win over Vanderbilt, the Vols have won four-straight and eight of their last nine.
“I think our guys are starting to understand what it takes to be a really good championship-level team,” assistant coach Amorrow Morgan said. “They’re understanding the focus that you have to have over the course of the game. I think we’ve been really good in moments all season, but obviously moments, as you’ve seen, it can actually go the other way when you talk about the Kentucky games. We were one of the best teams in the country for probably 25 minutes of the game, and then there was a ten-minute stretch where we couldn’t score, or we didn’t want to defend.
“But they’re understanding the focus. And we’re starting to have some guys emerge as leaders, and I think it’s kind of helped us remain locked in over the course of the game. So I think that was a huge piece and a huge reason why we were able to stay engaged and defend at that level. But I also want to credit our guards. Our guards have really been guarding.”
Next, Tennessee will travel to play at Missouri on Tuesday. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET and will air on SEC Network.
