Tennessee Basketball Remains No. 1 in AP Poll After Surviving Illinois

Tennessee basketball is still No. 1 in the AP Poll after a 2-0 week with wins over Miami and Illinois.

Tanner Johnson | 2 Hours Ago

Dec 14, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Jordan Gainey (11) drives to the basket and scores as Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) defends in the final seconds at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

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Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee basketball is still No. 1 in the AP Poll after a 2-0 week with wins over Miami and Illinois.

It was a very exciting first week at No. 1 for Tennessee basketball, and it looks like the Vols will be sticking around at the top of the rankings.

The Vols defeated Miami on Tuesday night in a convincing 75-62 victory. Then, they survived on the road at Illinois on a buzzer-beating layup by Jordan Gainey to win 66-64. It was a stunning victory and kept the Vols at the top of the AP and Coaches Poll for Week 7.

The Vols now have a 10-2 record all-time as the AP No. 1 ranked team. They will have an easier week ahead of them as they only have one game on Tuesday night at home against Western Carolina. The Vols will be looking to improve to 11-0 with a victory over the Catamounts.

The SEC continues to dominate the polls, with five of the top ten teams in the poll. Auburn is No. 2, Kentucky is No. 4, Alabama is No. 6, and Florida is No. 7.