University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
Vols Sit #21/22 in First Polls of 2026
January 05, 2026 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men's basketball team is in the top 22 of both major polls in the first release of the calendar year.
Tennessee (10-4, 0-1 SEC) places No. 21 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and No. 22 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, as announced Monday afternoon.
After there was no poll last week, this is the 89th consecutive release with the Volunteers in the AP top 25, a streak that extends to the 2021-22 preseason poll. That is 52 weeks greater than the previous program high of 37 weeks, which came from March 1999 or Feb. 2001.
That mark is the second-longest active streak nationally, behind only Houston (115). No other program is at even 70-plus weeks, while the closest SEC school, Alabama, ranks sixth at 39 weeks, 50 fewer than Tennessee.
This is just the sixth time in the 89 weeks the Volunteers are not in the AP top 20, as their 66-week top-20 streak came to an end by just one position.
Overall, 11th-year head coach Rick Barnes has guided Tennessee to 143 total AP top-25 rankings. All of them are since the start of the 2017-18 campaign.
Tennessee split its two contests last week. It first posted a 51-point victory, 105-54, Tuesday night against South Carolina State at Food City Center in its non-conference finale, behind 21 points from senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie. Saturday, the team dropped an 86-75 decision at No. 18 Arkansas in the SEC opener, despite a career-best 16 points on 7-of-7 shooting from freshman guard Amari Evans.
The Volunteers collected 277 points in the AP Poll, 69 greater than No. 22 Kansas. In the Coaches Poll, they garnered 123 points, just eight shy of the Jayhawks.
A total of five SEC teams are ranked in the top 25 of both polls, as Tennessee is joined by No. 11/10 Vanderbilt, No. 13/12 Alabama, No. 15 Arkansas and No. 18/20 Georgia. Additionally, Florida and Kentucky are receiving votes in both polls, while Texas and Auburn earned votes in the AP Poll and Missouri did so in the Coaches Poll.
Tennessee continues competition Tuesday at 9 p.m. when it faces Texas in its SEC home opener, live on ESPN2 from Food City Center.
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 (10-4, 0-1 SEC) places No. 21 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and No. 22 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, as announced Monday afternoon.
After there was no poll last week, this is the 89th consecutive release with the Volunteers in the AP top 25, a streak that extends to the 2021-22 preseason poll. That is 52 weeks greater than the previous program high of 37 weeks, which came from March 1999 or Feb. 2001.
That mark is the second-longest active streak nationally, behind only Houston (115). No other program is at even 70-plus weeks, while the closest SEC school, Alabama, ranks sixth at 39 weeks, 50 fewer than Tennessee.
This is just the sixth time in the 89 weeks the Volunteers are not in the AP top 20, as their 66-week top-20 streak came to an end by just one position.
Overall, 11th-year head coach Rick Barnes has guided Tennessee to 143 total AP top-25 rankings. All of them are since the start of the 2017-18 campaign.
Tennessee split its two contests last week. It first posted a 51-point victory, 105-54, Tuesday night against South Carolina State at Food City Center in its non-conference finale, behind 21 points from senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie. Saturday, the team dropped an 86-75 decision at No. 18 Arkansas in the SEC opener, despite a career-best 16 points on 7-of-7 shooting from freshman guard Amari Evans.
The Volunteers collected 277 points in the AP Poll, 69 greater than No. 22 Kansas. In the Coaches Poll, they garnered 123 points, just eight shy of the Jayhawks.
A total of five SEC teams are ranked in the top 25 of both polls, as Tennessee is joined by No. 11/10 Vanderbilt, No. 13/12 Alabama, No. 15 Arkansas and No. 18/20 Georgia. Additionally, Florida and Kentucky are receiving votes in both polls, while Texas and Auburn earned votes in the AP Poll and Missouri did so in the Coaches Poll.
Tennessee continues competition Tuesday at 9 p.m. when it faces Texas in its SEC home opener, live on ESPN2 from Food City Center.
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.
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MBB | DeWayne Brown II & Ja'Kobi Gillespie Postgame vs. Texas (1.6.26)
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MBB | Texas Postgame (1.6.26)
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