Five New Year's resolutions for No. 1-ranked and undefeated Tennessee Basketball

Tennessee Basketball is ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 and the Coaches Poll for a fourth straight week. The Vols are 13-0 and off to their second best start in program history, eying a 14th straight win on Saturday against Arkansas, which would match a 102-year-old mark. 

Still, though, there are some New Year’s resolutions that this Tennessee team needs to hit as both the SEC schedule and the countdown to March Madness begins:

Stay Healthy

The injury bug was already biting Tennessee back in the summer, when sophomore forward JP Estrella was sidelined off and on as a precautionary measure with a lingering foot issue. The injury later required season-ending surgery in late November, significantly hurting Tennessee’s post depth.

That’s not all, though. Sophomore wing Cam Carr had thumb surgery in late November, too, missing a month and then walking out on the Vols just before Christmas with plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal. 

Transfer wing Darlinstone Dubar and freshman guard Bishop Boswell have both missed games while in concussion protocol and Boswell is now dealing with a right shoulder injury that sidelined him last week and limited him to just three minutes against Norfolk State Tuesday night. 

The Vols entered the season with 11 scholarship players, out of a possible 13, and are now down to nine available. Rick Barnes usually doesn’t have a rotation of more than nine players, but Tennessee’s roster can’t afford anymore injuries from here. 

Shot Makers

Igor Milicic went 0-for-3 from the 3-point line against Norfolk State, dropping him to 0-for-13 from three over his last four games, including 0-for-8 at Illinois on December 14. The Charlotte transfer is shooting just 22.5% from the 3-point line after shooting 37.6% on 149 attempts with the 49ers last season. 

Zakai Zeigler hasn’t fared much better, going 5-for-26 from the 3-point line over his last five games. He was 10-for-21 from three over the first four games of the season, but has gone just 12-for-55 since then. 

Both players are still finding ways to produce, though. Milicic is averaging 10.7 points per game and leads the Vols in rebounding at 8.2 per game. He has 41 rebounds over his last four games. Zeigler is averaging 11.7 points and a career-high 8.1 assists per game. He has 30 assists over his last three games. 

Point Guard Depth 

The second half at Illinois helped ease any concerns over point guard depth for Tennessee. Zakai Zeigler was on the bench after the first two minutes of the second half after picking up his third and fourth fouls on the same possession. Jordan Gainey took over at the point and starred, scoring 18 points — including the game-winning layup in traffic as time expired — in 18 minutes without a single turnover.

Boswell has proven to hold his own, too, in limited minutes off the bench when healthy. Having those two options behind Zeigler should help Rick Barnes and his staff sleep better at night. 

Player Development

Another development in the road win at Illinois was Darlinstone Dubar. He hit a long three, blocked a shot and scored a runner in the lane — three possessions that proved pivotal in the tightest and biggest game of the season. 

As the season continues, the Vols will need more of it from Dubar, who averaged 17.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists at Hofstra last season while shooting 39.9% from three and 53.9% from the field. He’s shown he can play. Now he just has to keep developing his role with the Vols. 

The same goes for Felix Okpara, the 6-foot-11, 235-pound center and replacement for Jonas Aidoo. Okpara, known more for his defensive presence around the rim, is averaging 6.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Tennessee will need more from the big man on the offensive end, to go with his defense, as the season continues. 

Road Wins 

After opening SEC play at home against No. 23 Arkansas on Saturday afternoon (1 Eastern Time, ESPN) at Food City Center, Tennessee goes on the road to No. 6 Florida on Tuesday. The Vols go to Texas next Saturday and have other road games at No. 2 Auburn, at No. 10 Kentucky, at No. 12 Oklahoma, at No. 13 Texas A&M and at No. 24 Ole Miss. 

Winning on the road in college basketball is hard enough. Winning on the road in SEC play will be extremely difficult, with a staggering 14 SEC teams ranked No. 50 or higher in the NET, including four in the top 10 and seven in the top 25.