Where Will Tennessee Stand In AP Poll?

The AP Poll comes out on Monday, and the Tennessee Volunteers expect a bump in their national standing.

The college basketball landscape will see a shakeup on Monday. The top two teams in the sport suffered losses over the weekend, meaning the top of the AP Poll will look different.

As we sit currently, here is the top 10.

• 1. Houston
• 2. Kansas
• 3. Purdue
• 4. Alabama
• 5. UCLA
• 6. Gonzaga
• 7. Texas
• 8. Xavier
• 9. Tennessee
• 10. Virginia

Houston, Kansas, UCLA, Gonzaga, Texas, and Xavier have lost since the last AP Poll. It seems increasingly likely that the Volunteers will leapfrog some of these teams, especially after two consecutive SEC wins.

Tennessee bested Mississippi State and LSU over the past week. They continued to find new ways to win, which voters have historically placed high importance on.

Guards Santiago Vescovi and Tyreke Key missed the Mississippi State game, so Tennessee attacked the basket and abandoned their perimeter game for minutes at a time.

LSU did a better job crowding the lane and contesting shots close to the basket, not to mention the Volunteers were without starting center Uros Plavsic. Therefore, they pivoted back to their perimeter game, getting significant contributions from Josiah Jordan-James and Zakai Zeigler.

Jordan-James specifically has found his groove in the past week. He tallied 22 points and seven rebounds against the Tigers, hitting four threes and getting three steals. Tennessee turned to him in dire moments, especially to start the second half.

The Volunteers should expect to creep closer toward the top 5. They reached the No. 5 spot earlier in the year before losing to the Kentucky Wildcats. The team has a loaded week ahead, as they host Georgia (13-6) before squaring off against Texas in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

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