Where Tennessee basketball is ranked in the AP Top 25, Coaches Poll, NET
Tennessee basketball on Monday climbed four spots in the Associated Press Top 25 and is now ranked No. 8. The highest the Vols have been ranked in the AP Top 25 this season is No. 7, on both November 13 and No. 20. They dropped as low as No. 17 two weeks ago.
In the USA Today Coaches Poll, Tennessee moved up three spots to No. 7.
Tennessee (8-3), after the 79-70 win over North Carolina State Saturday night in San Antonio, hosts Tarleton State (8-2) on Thursday at Thompson-Boling Arena, a 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time start on SEC Network+.
Josiah-Jordan James scored a team-high and matched a career-high with 23 points against NC State, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 6:12 left, to lead Tennessee in the win. Zakai Zeigler added 18 points and seven assists and Jahmai Mashack scored 11, with five rebounds and four assists.
Santiago Vescovi scored all of his nine points in the second half while Dalton Knecht finished with just two points on 1-for-7 shooting. Jonas Aidoo had four points after scoring a career-high 29 on Tuesday against Georgia Southern.
Vols climb to No. 8 in NET ranking, No. 7 in KenPom ratings
Tennessee is now ranked No. 8 in the NET ranking, climbing four spots after the win over NC State. The NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) replaced the RPI five years ago and is used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee to help seed the 68-team NCAA Tournament.
The Vols are 2-3 in Quad 1 games and are now 3-0 in Quad 2 games after the win over the Wolfpack. They’re 3-0 in Quad 4 games and have not yet played a Quad 3 game.
Tennessee is up to No. 7 in the KenPom.com ratings, matching its highest raking of the season in the KenPom metrics.
The Vols are ranked No. 5 in adjusted defensive efficiency, giving up 91.1 points per 100 possessions, and are 30th in adjusted offensive efficiency, scoring 114.9 points per 100 possessions.
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Up Next: Tennessee vs. Tarleton State, Thursday, 6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+
Saturday night’s North Carolina State game in San Antonio was the last non-conference game against a power-conference team, with the Vols set to host Tarleton State and Norfolk State before starting SEC play against Ole Miss.
Tarleton State comes to Knoxville on Thursday, the final game before the Christmas break, and Tennessee hosts Norfolk State on January 2 in the final non-conference game on the regular-season schedule.
The Tarleton State game is a 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time start on SEC Network+ and the Norfolk State game is a 7 p.m. ET start on SEC Network.
Tennessee hosts Ole Miss at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 6 in a 6 p.m. ET start on SEC Network. The Rebels improved to 10-0 with an 88-78 win over Cal in the early game in San Antonio on Saturday.
The Vols go on the road in conference play for the first time on January 10 at Mississippi State, a 7 p.m. ET SEC Network game at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville.
