Tennessee Basketball’s upcoming roster will look completely different from what it did last season. The Vols revamped their team through the transfer portal, adding ESPN’s top-ranked transfer class throughout the offseason. This 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).
CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein released an update to his college basketball offseason rankings this week, bumping Tennessee up one spot to No. 11 from No. 12. The Vols’ movement comes after St. John’s was moved from No. 10 to No. 13 on the list.
Rothstein projects a four-guard starting lineup for the Vols, with Terrence Hill, Dai Dai Ames, Juke Harris, and Jalen Haralson, along with Miles Rubin at the center position.
His projected Volunteer bench includes freshman Marquis Clark, DeWayne Brown II, freshman Manny Green, freshman Chris Washington Jr., Tyler Lundblade, Braedan Lue, Christian Fermin, Troy Henderson, and freshman Ralph Scott.
Other notable SEC teams in his Top 25 include No.1 Florida, No. 10 Texas, No. 15 Arkansas, No. 16 Kentucky, No. 21 Vanderbilt, No. 22 Alabama, and No. 24 Missouri.
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After three straight trips to the Elite Eight without a Final Four appearance, Rick Barnes and his staff are hoping that this newly assembled roster can be the one to break through the glass ceiling. The Vols clearly targeted offensive production in the portal this season, with five of its eight newcomers having averaged 15.0 points or more per game for their previous schools.
ESPN also released an offseason basketball rankings this week, with Jeff Borzello tagging Tennessee as the No. 6 team in the country. Borzello picked out Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris as the Vols’ most impactful newcomer to the roster.
“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.”
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.
