Rick Barnes restocks No. 12 Tennessee looking for program’s 1st Final Four berth
Rick Barnes restocks No. 12 Tennessee looking for program’s 1st Final Four berth
FILE - Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler (5) drives as Creighton guard Steven Ashworth (1) defends during the first half of a Sweet 16 college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 29, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes gets a microphone for a television interview during the Southeastern Conference NCAA college basketball Media Day in Birmingham, Ala., Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Gary Cosby Jr., Tuscaloosa News)
FILE - Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler (5) drives as Creighton guard Steven Ashworth (1) defends during the first half of a Sweet 16 college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 29, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
FILE - Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler (5) drives as Creighton guard Steven Ashworth (1) defends during the first half of a Sweet 16 college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 29, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes gets a microphone for a television interview during the Southeastern Conference NCAA college basketball Media Day in Birmingham, Ala., Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Gary Cosby Jr., Tuscaloosa News)
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes gets a microphone for a television interview during the Southeastern Conference NCAA college basketball Media Day in Birmingham, Ala., Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Gary Cosby Jr., Tuscaloosa News)
Tennessee (27-9, 14-4 SEC)
Coach Rick Barnes is back for his 10th season with the 12th-ranked Volunteers, the defending SEC regular season champs after winning their first outright title since 2008. Tennessee finished last season in the Elite Eight, leaving Barnes still looking for the program’s first Final Four berth. The Vols finished fifth in the final AP Top 25 rankings. Barnes’ success turning SEC player of the year Dalton Knecht into the 17th overall NBA draft pick in one season helped the coach in both the portal and recruiting. The Vols needed that with only one returning starter.
Players to watch
Zakai Zeigler (senior, PG, 5-9, 11.8 ppg, 6.1 apg, 1.7 spg). The returning SEC Defensive Player of the Year will be counted on heavily to run both the offense and set the tone.
Jahmai Mashack (senior, G, 6-4, 4.5 ppg, 44.8% shooter). He averaged 17.9 minutes per game last season and still led or shared the lead for steals in a game seven times and six for blocks. His season debut will be his 100th game with Tennessee bringing much-needed experience.
Chaz Lanier (senior, G, 6-5, 19.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg). The Tennessee native transferred after four seasons at North Florida where he had a career-high 35 points in a game. He shot 51%, including 44% beyond the arc.
Departures and arrivals
Knecht is one of four starters gone, including Josiah-Jordan James and G Santiago Vescovi. Tobe Awaka and Freddy Dillone were among those who transferred out. Barnes restocked mostly through the portal with Lanier a graduate transfer. Others include 6-10 Igor Milicic, a Croatian who started at Virginia before spending two seasons at Charlotte, C Felix Okpara with much-needed size at 6-11 as a transfer from Ohio State and F Darlinstone Dubar from Hofstra.
Top games
The Vols open the season Nov. 4 against Gardner-Webb. They play Virginia and possibly Baylor in the Bahamas on Nov. 21 and 22. They meet Miami in the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 10. They visit Texas on Jan. 11 in Austin. They host preseason SEC favorite Alabama on March 1 with the league tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, starting March 12.
Facts and figures
Barnes, who turned 70 in July, is starting his 10th season at Tennessee and 38th as a head coach. ... The Vols have the SEC’s most total wins since the start of the 2017-18 season with 171. ... Tennessee has made six straight NCAA Tournaments seeded fifth or better in each. They have reached three Sweet 16s with one Elite Eight berth. ... The Vols have won three SEC championships with two regular season titles and one tournament crown.
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