The Tennessee men’s basketball program is ranked 19th nationally in kenpom.com‘s updated program ratingsup three places from last year.
KenPom explains the show’s ratings here, taking past success into account, using statistics during the KenPom era, dating back to 1997, along with what’s possible, conference affiliation, and recruiting ratings over the past decade. Tennessee’s highest single-season final rating during the KenPom era was No. 9 last season, and the lowest came in 1997, when the Vols ranked No. 158.
“Theoretically,” KenPom wrote, explaining the show’s rating system.“The rating should be an indicator of how successful we should expect each show to be for some kind of extended period in the future (like many years).
“But it can be more useful for trying to capture the perception of a program. Consider it a guide to how coaches and players might look at college basketball’s current hierarchy when considering job offers or scholarships.”
No. 1 on the list is Duke, ahead of No. 2 Kentucky, No. 3 Kansas, No. 4 North Carolina and No. 5 Michigan State. Gonzaga is No. 6, with No. 7 Arizona, No. 8 Villanova, No. 9 Texas and No. 10 Ohio State rounding out the top ten.
The other programs facing Tennessee are No. 11 Florida, No. 12 Louisville, No. 13 Michigan, No. 14 UCLA, No. 15 Illinois, No. 16 Virginia, No. 17 UConn and No. 18 Wisconsin.
Tennessee is the highest-rated program without a Final Four appearance, with No. 21 Purdue second on that list.
Alabama is the fourth-highest-rated SEC program, ranking 29th after rising 10 spots from last year. Arkansas is No. 32, LSU is No. 35 and Auburn is No. 47. Missouri was No. 51, two spots ahead of No. 53 Mississippi State. Vanderbilt is No. 55, ahead of No. 61 Ole Miss and No. 64 Texas A&M. South Carolina, ranked 72nd, and Georgia, ranked 73rd, are the two lowest-rated programs in the league.
The Vols finished at No. 9 overall in the kenpom.com ratings last season, after going 27-8. They won the SEC Tournament in Tampa and were seeded No. 3 in the NCAA Tournament, before losing to No. 11 Michigan in the second round.
Tennessee has a renewed roster for the 2022-23 season after another off-season personnel review.
Six players from last season’s roster left the program. First-year point guard Kennedy Chandler entered the NBA Draft while five others were transferred: senior guard Victor Bailey (GeorgeMason); freshman wing Quentin Diboundje (East Carolina); freshman power forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Louisville); freshman center Handje Tamba (Weber State); sophomore escort justin powell (Washington State).
Tennessee has added four players in its 2023 signing class, led by a five-star wing julian phillips. The Vols also added the four-star point guard from Knoxville. b.j. edwardsfour star wing dj jefferson and Indiana State Graduate Transfer Escort Tyreke Wrench.
While this season’s schedule has not been released, a few opponents have been confirmed so far. The Vols will play Colorado on November 13 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Tennessee will also play in Battle 4 Atlantis, November 23-25 in the Bahamas and will play Maryland in a neutral game at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on December 11. The Vols will host Texas on January 28 in a Big 12-SEC Challenge Game at Thompson-Boling Arena.
There will also be an away game in Arizona, although the date has not yet been announced.
Tennessee basketball’s SEC opponents for the 2022-23 basketball season were announced, with no dates, in June. The Vols will host Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. They will travel to Auburn Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.