University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
Vols Earn Third Straight AP Top-Five Ranking for Third Time Ever
March 04, 2024 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men's basketball team is ranked fourth in the country in both major polls for the second consecutive week, as announced Monday afternoon.
Tennessee (23-6, 13-3 SEC) held steady in both the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll.
This is the third week in a row the Volunteers are ranked in the top five. It is the third time in program history Tennessee has been ranked top-five for three-plus consecutive weeks, joining an 11-week run in 2018-19 and a six-week stretch in 2007-08, that has happened. Two of the three occurrences have come in the past six seasons under Rick Barnes.
Tennessee is in the AP top 25 for the 56th straight week, good for the third-longest streak in the country behind only Houston (82) and Kansas (61), while the lone other school at 40-plus is Arizona (54). That number is 19 weeks longer than the previous program high of 37. The Volunteers have claimed a top-10 position in well over half of those weeks, 29 of 56, with a top-five spot 10 times.
This is the 12th consecutive week Tennessee is in the AP top 10, equaling a run in 2007-08 for the third-longest mark in school history. Of the five program's five all-time double-digit streaks, three are under Barnes' guidance. He has led the Volunteers to a total of 54 AP top-10 spots over the last seven seasons, 36.5 percent of its all-time total.
In addition, this is the seventh time Tennessee has earned an AP top-five ranking in 2023-24, tying the 2007-08 season for the second-most in program history. The only campaign with a higher total was 2018-19, when it had 14 in Barnes' fourth season at the helm. In total, 25 of the Volunteers' 42 all-time AP top-five rankings have come in the past six years with Barnes directing the program.
Last week, Tennessee defeated a pair of AP top-15 teams, becoming the first SEC team to do that back-to-back in league play since Ole Miss in Jan. 2019. First, buoyed a co-career-high 39 points from fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht, the Volunteers defeated No. 11 Auburn, 92-84, Wednesday at Food City Center. Saturday, they won at No. 14/13 Alabama, 81-74, behind 18 points from junior guard Zakai Zeigler and an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double from fifth-year guard Josiah-Jordan James.
The Volunteers received 1,364 points in the AP Poll voting, an increase of 26 from last week. They amassed 705 points, a seven-point increase, in the Coaches Poll to move within 40 of third-place Purdue.
Tennessee is yet again the highest-ranked team in the SEC, which has five teams in the top 20 of both polls and six in the top 25 of the Coaches Poll. It is joined by No. 13/14 Auburn, No. 15/13 Kentucky, No. 16/17 Alabama and No. 17/16 South Carolina, while Florida is No. 25 in the Coaches Poll and receiving votes in the AP Poll.
The Volunteers are back in action Wednesday when they play No. 17/16 South Carolina, their third of our straight top-20 foes, at 7 p.m., live on ESPN2 from Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men's basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
Tennessee (23-6, 13-3 SEC) held steady in both the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll.
This is the third week in a row the Volunteers are ranked in the top five. It is the third time in program history Tennessee has been ranked top-five for three-plus consecutive weeks, joining an 11-week run in 2018-19 and a six-week stretch in 2007-08, that has happened. Two of the three occurrences have come in the past six seasons under Rick Barnes.
Tennessee is in the AP top 25 for the 56th straight week, good for the third-longest streak in the country behind only Houston (82) and Kansas (61), while the lone other school at 40-plus is Arizona (54). That number is 19 weeks longer than the previous program high of 37. The Volunteers have claimed a top-10 position in well over half of those weeks, 29 of 56, with a top-five spot 10 times.
This is the 12th consecutive week Tennessee is in the AP top 10, equaling a run in 2007-08 for the third-longest mark in school history. Of the five program's five all-time double-digit streaks, three are under Barnes' guidance. He has led the Volunteers to a total of 54 AP top-10 spots over the last seven seasons, 36.5 percent of its all-time total.
In addition, this is the seventh time Tennessee has earned an AP top-five ranking in 2023-24, tying the 2007-08 season for the second-most in program history. The only campaign with a higher total was 2018-19, when it had 14 in Barnes' fourth season at the helm. In total, 25 of the Volunteers' 42 all-time AP top-five rankings have come in the past six years with Barnes directing the program.
Last week, Tennessee defeated a pair of AP top-15 teams, becoming the first SEC team to do that back-to-back in league play since Ole Miss in Jan. 2019. First, buoyed a co-career-high 39 points from fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht, the Volunteers defeated No. 11 Auburn, 92-84, Wednesday at Food City Center. Saturday, they won at No. 14/13 Alabama, 81-74, behind 18 points from junior guard Zakai Zeigler and an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double from fifth-year guard Josiah-Jordan James.
The Volunteers received 1,364 points in the AP Poll voting, an increase of 26 from last week. They amassed 705 points, a seven-point increase, in the Coaches Poll to move within 40 of third-place Purdue.
Tennessee is yet again the highest-ranked team in the SEC, which has five teams in the top 20 of both polls and six in the top 25 of the Coaches Poll. It is joined by No. 13/14 Auburn, No. 15/13 Kentucky, No. 16/17 Alabama and No. 17/16 South Carolina, while Florida is No. 25 in the Coaches Poll and receiving votes in the AP Poll.
The Volunteers are back in action Wednesday when they play No. 17/16 South Carolina, their third of our straight top-20 foes, at 7 p.m., live on ESPN2 from Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men's basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballMBB | Nate Ament Media Availability (8.20.25)
Wednesday, August 20
MBB | Clarence Massamba Media Availability (8.20.25)
Wednesday, August 20
MBB | Justin Gainey Media Availability (8.20.25)
Wednesday, August 20
MBB | DeWayne Brown II Media Availability (7.31.25)
Thursday, July 31
