KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team is once again top-20 in the Associated Pres Top 25 Poll.
Tennessee (7-3) is No. 20 in the nation, as announced Monday afternoon. They took the No. 23 spot in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, a three-spot drop from last week, as also revealed Monday.
This is the 65th consecutive week the Volunteers are in the AP top 20, a mark that dates to Dec. 7, 2022. The program has been in the top 20 for over three full years.
In addition, Tennessee is in the AP top 25 for the 87th week in a row, a tally that extends to the 2021-22 preseason poll. That number is 50 greater than the prior program record of 37 weeks, from March 1999 to Feb. 2001.
The Volunteers’ 87-week streak is the second-longest active ledger in the nation, behind just Houston (113). No other program is at even 70-plus weeks, while the nearest SEC team, Auburn, is at 41 weeks, 46 shy of the Volunteers’ number.
Throughout that 87-week count, Tennessee has amassed 82 spots in the AP top 20, including the current 65-week streak. Rick Barnes, now in his 11th year as the head coach on Rocky Top, has led the Volunteers to 141 total placements in the AP Poll in his tenure, all since 2018-19.
Tennessee was off last week, as it has not taken the court since Dec. 6 and is in the midst of a nine-day hiatus from action.
The Volunteers collected 286 points in the AP Poll voting for the second week in a row. They received 129 points in the Coaches Poll balloting.
Six SEC teams are in the top 25 of both polls, while a seventh is featured in one. Tennessee is joined on both lists by No. 13/12 Vanderbilt, No. 14 Arkansas, No. 16 Alabama, No. 21/24 Auburn and No. 23/21 Florida. Georgia is No. 25 in the AP Poll and atop the receiving votes category of the Coaches Poll. LSU and Kentucky garnered points from both voting bodies, while Missouri did so in the Coaches Poll.
Tennessee resumes play Tuesday at 7 p.m. against No. 11 Louisville, live on ESPN from Food City Center.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
