Through Oct. 31, Sports Illustrated will count down its preseason college basketball Top 25 with overviews of each team. Here are the full rankings so far.
Tennessee is still hunting for its elusive first Final Four, but even as he enters the twilight of his career Rick Barnes has the Volunteers operating at an unbelievably high level. The Vols have finished in KenPom’s top 10 in four straight years (only Houston can match that), with back-to-back Elite Eights to go with it. Things will look very different without Zakai Zeigler running the show in Knoxville, Tenn., but don’t expect the Vols to fall off too much.
The Vols are such a safe bet under Barnes because of their defense. They’ve ranked in the top five nationally in defensive efficiency per KenPom in five straight years, consistently doing an elite job protecting the paint and forcing foes into tough perimeter jumpers. With a strong defensive anchor in Felix Okpara back, expect the Vols defense to not miss much of a beat.
Offensively, two stud newcomers will anchor a unit that loses its entire backcourt rotation. If they hit, the Vols are a dark horse to win the loaded SEC.
Projected Starting Lineup
PG: Ja’Kobi Gillespie
SG: Amaree Abram
SF: Nate Ament
PF: Cade Phillips
C: Felix Okpara
Key Reserves: G Ethan Burg, F Jaylen Carey, F J.P. Estrella
Key Additions
Barnes, especially at this stage of his career, tends to be fairly hands-off in recruiting. The exception: five-star forward Nate Ament, who the Vols head coach built a close bond with. The Virginia native may have the highest ceiling in this high school class, having made significant strides over the last two years. The Kevin Durant comparisons given he’s also playing for Barnes will be natural (and unfair) but like KD, Ament is an elite shotmaker with a high release point. Expect him to play a huge role.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie fills Zeigler’s long-held spot at the point. On paper, this is one of the best portal additions anywhere. Gillespie was huge in Maryland’s outstanding campaign, averaging nearly 15 points and five assists per game after transferring in from Belmont. He’s a Tennessee native and comes home for his final season of eligibility. Offensively, he’s likely an upgrade from Zeigler, at least as a scorer.
The big question is how the Vols fill the spots around three clear starters in Gillespie, Ament and Okpara. Up front, the Vols added a bruiser in Jaylen Carey from Vanderbilt who’ll likely play some four and five, though returner Cade Phillips seems like the safest bet to start next to Okpara. The shooting guard spot is also up in the air. Amaree Abram transfers in from Louisiana Tech and is a capable catch-and-shoot guy, though 23-year-old Israeli Ethan Burg and rising sophomore Bishop Boswell will likely also factor in.
Causes for Concern
Where does the offense come from other than Gillespie and Ament? As outstanding as that duo has the potential to be, Okpara isn’t a major threat on the offensive end and there are more questions than answers in the other two spots in the lineup. The Vols’ best options at the four aren’t major threats from deep either, so the floor could get clogged especially if Abram can’t consistently knock down shots.
And for as talented as Ament is, he also may be the least game-ready of the five elite freshmen at the top of this year’s high school class. Even after putting on weight this summer, Ament is listed at just 190 pounds, and he has played less high-level basketball having stayed at a local private school instead of going to prep school. Tennessee needs him to be a star from Day 1 to reach its ceiling. How he deals with the physicality and attention from SEC defenses will be fascinating to watch.
The Bottom Line
Tennessee has one of the nation’s best coaches, an elite point guard and a projected top-five NBA draft pick. That alone gives the Vols a leg up on most of the rest of the sport, especially given you can trust them to be among the best defenses nationally. Things could get clunky offensively though at times, especially if Abram or Burg doesn’t emerge as a legitimate threat.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sports Illustrated’s Men’s College Basketball Preseason Top 25: No. 16 Tennessee.
