The Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball team moved up to No. 6 in the AP Poll after finishing second in the SEC Tournament. According to WVLT, this rise followed victories over Florida in the SEC Quarterfinals and top-seeded Auburn in the Semifinals, but they lost to Florida 86-77 in the SEC Championship game.
With a season record of 27-7 and 12-6 in the SEC, Tennessee has had consistent performance under head coach Rick Barnes. UTSports reports that the Volunteers have now ranked in the AP Top 10 for the 75th time in Barnes' 10 seasons. Their 79-week streak in the AP Top 25 is the second-longest active streak, behind Houston's 105 weeks.
Key players include fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier, who scored 23 points against Texas, and senior guard Zakai Zeigler, who scored 20 points in the win over Auburn. Zeigler and senior guard Jordan Gainey were named to the SEC All-Tournament Team. As per the Rocky Top Insider, Zeigler averaged 20.7 points, six assists, 3.7 rebounds, and two steals in the tournament, while Gainey averaged 16 points.
Tennessee, as the No. 2 seed, will face 15-seed Wofford in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at 6:50 p.m. ET at Rupp Arena in Lexington. If they advance, they'll play the winner of the UCLA vs. Utah State game. Other top teams in their region include Houston, Kentucky, Purdue, Clemson, and Illinois.
