Volunteer Country

Vols, Lady Vols Fall in Final January Top 25 Rankings

Tennessee's men's and women's basketball teams fall in the last January AP Top 25 rankings after going 1-2 collectively.

Jack Foster

Tennessee's men's and women's basketball programs fall a combined seven spots in the final edition of the AP Top 25 rankings of January 2022. After splitting games against Florida and Texas, the Vols drop from No. 18 to No. 22. As for the Big Orange Women, the Lady Vols drop out of the top five from No. 4 to No. 7 after their loss to unranked Auburn on Thursday night.

The full list of the AP Top 25 men's rankings are here and the AP Top 25 women's rankings are here.

On Wednesday night, the Vols knocked off Florida 78-71 in Thompson-Boling Arena in a gritty conference win but fell to Texas on the road in a defensive battle, losing 52-51 to the fellow UT and Rick Barnes' former stomping grounds.

The Lady Vols lost their lone matchup of the week to the unranked Auburn on Thursday, falling 71-61 on the road. The loss was surprising considering the Lady Vols' recent dominance and perfect conference record, and the Tigers are winless in conference play thus far.

The Vols are the third-best SEC team in the rankings behind No. 1 Auburn and No. 5 Kentucky. The Wildcats improved seven spots after their statement win over formerly No. 5 Kansas in the SEC/Big 12 challenge. LSU rounds out the SEC representation in the January 31 edition of the Top 25, capturing the final spot. Texas, who Tennessee lost to Saturday night, returns to the Top 25 at No. 23.

As for the women, the Lady Vols remain the second-best SEC team in the Top 25 behind No. 1 South Carolina. Like the men, the SEC has four teams in the women's Top 25, with Georgia and LSU rounding out the conference's representation at No. 14 and No. 15. Tennessee defeated Georgia two Sundays ago 63-55 in Athens, and the Lady Vols will take on LSU in the season's final game.

The Vols have a two-week break until they face their next opponent, as Rick Barnes squad will take on Kentucky in Thompson-Boling Arena on February 15 at 9:00 p.m. ET. Before that, the orange and white have Texas A&M and Vanderbilt at home with Arkansas and South Carolina on the road.

The Lady Vols next ranked opponent is this Sunday when UT travels to Hartford to take on UConn. However, a couple of tricky conference matchups precede the Top-10 matchup, as Kellie Harper's squad will face Arkansas on Monday night in Thompson-Boling Arena and Florida in Gainesville on Thursday. 

Photo Credit: Tennessee Athletics 

Did you know Volunteer Country on SI does Podcasts? Check out the staff's latest breakdowns here.

Volunteer Country on SI is also on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Check out any of the links to ensure you do not miss any of the coverage of your favorite Tennessee teams!

You can follow the staff, Matt, Jake, Dale and Jack on Twitter by clicking any of their names.

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Vols targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects

Sports Illustrated also offers insight, information and up to the minute details for gamblers. Check it out here.

Published
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.