Where Tennessee Basketball Finished In Final AP Poll Of The 2025-26 Season

The 2025-26 college basketball season officially ended Monday night when Michigan defeated UConnn to claim the program’s first national championship since 1989. With the season officially over, both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches released their final polls of the season.

Tennessee basketball came in at No. 12 in the AP Poll, moving up 11-spots from the pre NCAA Tournament poll. The Vols also came in at No. 12 in the final USA Today Coaches Poll, moving up 12-spots from their pre tournament ranking.

Rick Barnes’ 11th Tennessee team made a third straight run to the Elite Eight but this time doing it as a six-seed. The Vols took care of business against 11-seed Miami (Ohio) in its opening game of the tournament. Tennessee then outlasted three-seed Virginia 79-72 in the Round of 32 to advance to the Elite Eight for a fourth straight season.

Tennessee used a massive second half to take down two-seed Iowa State 76-62 in the Sweet 16 before its season came to a close in Chicago with a lopsided 95-62 loss against the eventual national champion Michigan.

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The Vols ended the 2025-26 season with a 25-12 (11-7 SEC) record. It marked the fifth straight season that Tennessee has won 25 games. This Tennessee team struggled more over the course of the regular season than the past four Volunteer teams but played their best basketball at the right time of the season.

Tennessee finished the season ranked a tad lower in analytic rankings— No. 14 in KenPom, No. 12 in BartTorvik and No. 15 in EvanMiya.

Barnes and his staff are entering what again looks like a chaotic offseason. Tennessee has lost seven players to the transfer portal to date including Troy Henderson, Bishop Boswell, Clarence Massamba, Amari Evans, Cade Phillips, Jaylen Carey and J.P. Estrella.

The Vols have four incoming players at this point including three prep signees and Belmont transfer sharpshooter Tyler Lundblade. Tennessee currently has eight scholarships to work with as they put together their roster for next season.