Where Tennessee Basketball falls in CBS Sports' pre-season top 25
CBS Sports' Garry Parrish is one of the most influential media voices in college basketball, which is why his annual preseason top 25 is one that I tend to take seriously. Parrish revealed his most recent top 25 on Wednesday and he has a favorable view of the Tennessee Vols. Tennessee comes in at No. […]
CBS Sports' Garry Parrish is one of the most influential media voices in college basketball, which is why his annual preseason top 25 is one that I tend to take seriously.
Parrish revealed his most recent top 25 on Wednesday and he has a favorable view of the Tennessee Vols.
Tennessee comes in at No. 10 in Parrish's rankings.
The Volunteers' ranking is based on Tennessee returning four of its top five scorers – among them Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James. Tennessee will miss one-and-done point guard Kennedy Chandler but should still be a factor near the top of the SEC thanks in part to the addition of five-star forward Julian Phillips.
I'm sure some folks might feel like this ranking is a bit ambitious, but I think it's more than fair.
Tennessee is returning a significant amount of production. And they added quite a bit of talent during the offseason. Julian Phillips, a five-star forward, and BJ Edwards, a four-star point guard, should be immediate contributors for the Vols this upcoming season. UT also brought in four-star forward DJ Jefferson. And they added Indiana State transfer point guard Tyreke Key.
The Vols have the talent to atone for last season's disappointing exit from the NCAA Tournament in the second round. Rick Barnes will once again have a shot at proving that he can win in the postseason. He won't have too many more of these opportunities.
Featured image via Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
