Volunteer Country

Vols Fall, Lady Vols Rise in Latest AP Poll

Rick Barnes' BasketVols fell five spots in the latest AP Top 25, and Kellie Harper's Lady Vols moved up a couple of spots after remaining undefeated.

Jack Foster

Vols- No. 18 ( ⬇️ 5)

The Tennessee Vols men's basketball team went 1-1 in week five of college basketball play, beating UNC Greensboro by 40 points after falling to Texas Tech in a disappointing overtime loss last Tuesday.

Last Monday, Tennessee was ranked No. 13 for the second week in a row, but after the loss to the Red Raiders, the Vols have a new ranking of 18th overall in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.

Tennessee entered the game in Madison Square Garden against Texas Tech on a four-game winning streak, but a poor shooting percentage (27%)  led to a 57-52 loss in overtime. The Vols rebounded upon return to Knoxville, though, demolishing UNC Greensboro 76-36 led by a balanced effort that saw Josiah-Jordan James net four threes. 

While shooting woes have been scattered across Tennessee's season, the Vols' defense has been lights out. Led by John Fulkerson and Josiah-Jordan James, the Vols held UNC Greensboro to the fewest points an opponent has ever scored in Thompson-Boling Arena history (36).

Five-star freshman point guard Kennedy Chandler leads the Vols with 14.6 points per game, and fellow guard Santiago Vescovi is second with 13.9. 

John Fulkerson has been the most effective presence for Tennessee's frontcourt, as 'Fulky' is averaging a co-team-leading 6.3 rebounds per game. The Kingsport native also leads the Big Orange with nearly two blocks per game after a performance in which he had three against UNCG. 

Lady Vols- No. 7 (tie) ( ⬆️ 2)

As for the women, Kellie Harper's best start on Rocky Top continued with a dominant win over Georgia State on Sunday, and the Big Orange Women have a new and improved ranking in the AP Top 25 Poll as a result.

Tennessee is tied for 7th in the poll with Big East powerhouse UConn, and they remain second in the SEC behind No. 1 South Carolina.

No. 7 overall is the best ranking the Lady Vols have had under Kellie Harper, and it is the best ranking since Tennessee was No. 6 in January of 2018 in the 2017-2018 season under former head coach Holly Warlick. 

Tamari Key has been a machine for the orange and white this season, and the North Carolina native recorded her sixth double-double of the season against the Panthers. Key currently ranks second on the team in points after scoring a season-high 16 points against Georgia State. TK is averaging over 11 points per game, 11 rebounds per game and nearly five blocks per game in the last month for the Lady Vols. The junior center is having a career year and has allowed the Lady Vols to remain in games in which their offense struggled this season, and the junior is showing no signs of slowing down.

Jordan Horston still leads the Lady Vols with 125 total points but has slowed down recently. The junior forward averaged 19.4 points per game through her first five games of the season, and since her return from Las Vegas to start December, No. 25 has averaged 9.33 points per game. 

However, the Lady Vols have not missed a beat with Tamari Key's dominance and big games from Tess Darby against Tennessee Tech and Sara Puckett against Virginia Tech and Georgia State (15 and 12 points). 

Saturday presents the most formidable challenge yet for Kellie Harper and co. The Big Orange Women will go toe-to-toe with the reigning national champions in No. 3 Stanford. 

On Tuesday, Rick Barnes and the men will look to win two consecutive games when USC Upstate comes to Knoxville. A marquee matchup with in-state rival Memphis is right around the corner when the two squads face-off Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Saturday. 

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Jack Foster
JACK FOSTER

Jack is a sophomore at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville majoring in Journalism/Electronic Media. Jack grew up in Paris, Tennessee, but now spends the majority of his time in Knoxville doubling as a student and sports journalist for Volunteer Country. Jack has been a sports junkie since he was a young kid and always watched NFL football with his dad on Sundays. Jack still follows the NFL religiously, as he is an avid fantasy football player. Jack started with Volunteer Country in May of 2021 and has since helped provide full coverage of football, baseball and men's and women's basketball. Jack also works as a recurring member of WUTK's Rock Solid Sports show on Wednesdays and Fridays, and he also serves as head sports producer of The Volunteer Channel's Vol News, a student-run show at the University. When Jack is not watching or covering sports, find him on the golf course or back home spending time with his parents, younger sister and friends. Follow Jack on Twitter and Instagram by clicking "Twitter" and "Instagram" to see all of his work with Volunteer Country as well as student media.