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2020–21 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team

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The 2020–21 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Rick Barnes, and played their home games at Thompson–Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 18–9, 10–7 in SEC Play to finish in 4th place. They defeated Florida in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament before losing in the semifinals to Alabama. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they were upset in the first round by Oregon State.

ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record18–9 (10–7 SEC)
Headcoach
Assistant coaches
Quick facts Tennessee Volunteers basketball, NCAA tournament, first round ...
2020–21 Tennessee Volunteers basketball
NCAA tournament, first round
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record18–9 (10–7 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaThompson–Boling Arena
Seasons
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More information Conf., Overall ...
2020–21 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 5 Alabama†16–2 .88926–7  .788
No. 10 Arkansas13–4 .76525–7  .781
LSU11–6 .64719–10  .655
Tennessee10–7 .58818–9  .667
Florida9–7 .56315–10  .600
Ole Miss10–8 .55616–12  .571
Missouri8–8 .50016–10  .615
Kentucky8–9 .4719–16  .360
Mississippi State8–10 .44418–15  .545
Georgia7–11 .38914–12  .538
Auburn*7–11 .38913–14  .481
South Carolina4–12 .2506–15  .286
Texas A&M2–8 .2008–10  .444
Vanderbilt3–13 .1889–16  .360
† 2021 SEC tournament winner
* Ineligible for postseason due to self-imposed postseason ban.
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Previous season

The Volunteers finished the 2019–20 season 17–14, 9–9 in SEC play to finish in eighth place. They were set to take on Alabama in the second round of the SEC tournament. However, the remainder of the SEC Tournament was canceled amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. All further postseason tournaments were likewise canceled.

Offseason

2020 recruiting class

More information Name, Hometown ...
College recruiting
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Keon Johnson
SG		 Bell Buckle, TN The Webb School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Aug 6, 2018 
Recruit ratings: Scout: 5/5 stars   Rivals: 5/5 stars   247Sports: 5/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   
Corey Walker Jr.
PF		 Jacksonville, FL Hargrave Military Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Mar 3, 2019 
Recruit ratings: Scout: 5/5 stars   Rivals: 4/5 stars   247Sports: 4/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   
Jaden Springer
SG		 Charlotte, NC IMG Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Oct 23, 2019 
Recruit ratings: Scout: 5/5 stars   Rivals: 5/5 stars   247Sports: 5/5 stars   ESPN: 5/5 stars   
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Rivals.com 2020 Tennessee Basketball Commitments". Rivals.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.
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Preseason

SEC media poll

The SEC media poll was released on November 12, 2020.[1]

More information Predicted finish, Team ...
Media poll
Predicted finish Team
1Tennessee
2Kentucky
3LSU
4Florida
5Alabama
6Arkansas
7Auburn
8South Carolina
9Ole Miss
10Missouri
11Texas A&M
12Mississippi State
13Georgia
14Vanderbilt
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Preseason All-SEC teams

The Volunteers had two players selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

Roster

More information Players, Coaches ...
2020–21 Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 0 Davonte Gaines 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)181 lb (82 kg) SoHargrave Military Academy Buffalo, NY
F 3 Drew Pember 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)190 lb (86 kg) SoBearden HS Knoxville, TN
G 5 Josiah-Jordan James 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)207 lb (94 kg) SoPorter-Gaud School Charleston, SC
F 10 John Fulkerson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)215 lb (98 kg) RS SrChrist School Kingsport, TN
G 11 Jaden Springer 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)204 lb (93 kg) FrIMG Academy Charlotte, NC
G 12 Victor Bailey Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)179 lb (81 kg) RS JrOregon Austin, TX
F 13 Olivier Nkamhoua 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)223 lb (101 kg) SoBishop Walsh School Helsinki, Finland
F 15 Corey Walker Jr. 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)219 lb (99 kg) FrHargrave Military Academy Hastings, FL
G 21 Kent Gilbert (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)164 lb (74 kg) FrConley HS Greenville, NC
G 24 Isaiah Sulack 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)170 lb (77 kg) RS SoBossier Parish CC Knoxville, TN
G 25 Santiago Véscovi 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)188 lb (85 kg) SoNBA Global Academy Montevideo, Uruguay
F 30 Brock Jancek (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)222 lb (101 kg) JrKnoxville Catholic HS Knoxville, TN
F 32 Cole Morris 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)192 lb (87 kg) FrWalton HS Marietta, GA
F 33 Uroš Plavšić 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)262 lb (119 kg) RS SoArizona State Ivanjica, Serbia
G/F 35 Yves Pons 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)215 lb (98 kg) SrINSEP Fuveau, France
G 45 Keon Johnson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)186 lb (84 kg) FrThe Webb School Shelbyville, TN
F 55 E. J. Anosike 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)245 lb (111 kg) SrSacred Heart East Orange, NJ
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

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Schedule and results

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the season was pushed back from the scheduled start of November 10.[2] On September 16, 2020, the NCAA announced that November 25 would be the new start date.[3]

On November 23, it was announced that head coach Rick Barnes had tested positive for COVID-19 and that the school had paused all basketball activities while further tests were conducted within the program.[4]

More information Date time, TV, Rank# ...
Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
December 8, 2020*
6:00 pm, SECN+		 No. 12 Colorado W 56–47  1–0
  11 – Tied  10 – Pons  5 – Vescovi  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
December 12, 2020*
12:30 pm, SECN Alt.		 No. 12 Cincinnati W 65–56  2–0
  15 – Fulkerson  12 – Fulkerson  3 – Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
December 15, 2020*
7:00 pm, SECN		 No. 10 Appalachian State W 79–38  3–0
  13 – Bailey Jr.  8 – Bailey Jr.  4 – Vesocvi  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
December 19, 2020*
8:00 pm, SECN+		 No. 10 Tennessee Tech W 103–49  4–0
  21 – Springer  6 – Tied  6 – Springer  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
December 21, 2020*
6:00 pm, SECN		 No. 8 St. Joseph's W 102–66  5–0
  18 – Bailey Jr.  9 – Pons  5 – Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
December 23, 2020*
7:00 pm, SECN		 No. 8 USC Upstate W 80–60  6–0
  18 – Bailey Jr.  8 – James  8 – Vescovi  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
SEC regular season
December 30, 2020
9:00 pm, SECN		 No. 7 at No. 12 Missouri W 73–53  7–0
(1–0)		  15 – Vescovi  6 – Tied  4 – James  Mizzou Arena (3,164)
Columbia, MO
January 2, 2021
6:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 7 Alabama L 63–71  7–1
(1–1)		  16 – Bailey Jr.  8 – Tied  2 – Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
January 6, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 9 Arkansas W 79–74  8–1
(2–1)		  17 – Tied  9 – James  3 – Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
January 9, 2021
2:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 9 at Texas A&M W 68–54  9–1
(3–1)		  23 – Vescovi  5 – Tied  6 – Springer  Reed Arena (1,298)
College Station, TX
January 12, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU		 No. 9 at South Carolina Postponed Colonial Life Arena 
Columbia, SC
January 16, 2021
6:00 pm, SECN		 No. 10 Vanderbilt W 81–61  10–1
(4–1)		  16 – Johnson  8 – Fulkerson  5 – Springer  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
January 19, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 6 at Florida L 49–75  10–2
(4–2)		  8 – Fulkerson  5 – Tied  5 – Fulkerson  O'Connell Center (2,280)
Gainesville, FL
January 23, 2021
8:30 pm, SECN		 No. 6 No. 19 Missouri L 64–73  10–3
(4–3)		  20 – Pons  6 – Fulkerson  4 – Vescovi  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
January 26, 2021
7:00 pm, SECN		 No. 18 Mississippi State W 56–53  11–3
(5–3)		  13 – Pons  7 – Vescovi  5 – Springer  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
January 30, 2021*
6:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 18 No. 15 Kansas
SEC/Big 12 Challenge		 W 80–61  12–3
  17 – Pons  11 – James  4 – Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
February 2, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 11 at Ole Miss L 50–52  12–4
(5–4)		  13 – Pons  6 – James  4 – Tied  The Pavilion at Ole Miss (895)
Oxford, MS
February 6, 2021
8:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 11 at Kentucky W 82–71  13–4
(6–4)		  27 – Johnson  10 – James  5 – Vescovi  Rupp Arena (3,075)
Lexington, KY
February 10, 2021
8:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 16 Georgia W 89–81  14–4
(7–4)		  30 – Springer  8 – Fulkerson  4 – Fulkerson  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
February 13, 2021
2:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 16 at LSU L 65–78  14–5
(7–5)		  21 – Springer  6 – Tied  7 – Springer  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (2,224)
Baton Rouge, LA
February 17, 2021
9:00 pm, SECN		 No. 19 South Carolina W 93–73  15–5
(8–5)		  29 – Bailey Jr.  9 – Pons  5 – Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
February 20, 2021
1:00 pm, CBS		 No. 19 Kentucky L 55–70  15–6
(8–6)		  18 – Bailey Jr.  7 – Fulkerson  5 – Johnson  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
February 24, 2021
9:00 pm, SECN		 No. 25 at Vanderbilt W 70–58  16–6
(9–6)		  21 – Bailey Jr.  10 – Pons  3 – Tied  Memorial Gymnasium (144)
Nashville, TN
February 27, 2021
12:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 25 at Auburn L 72–77  16–7
(9–7)		  23 – Johnson  8 – Pons  6 – Springer  Auburn Arena (1,824)
Auburn, AL
March 7, 2021
12:00 pm, ESPNU		 Florida W 65–54  17–7
(10–7)		  14 – Tied  10 – James  4 – Fulkerson  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
SEC Tournament
March 12, 2021
2:30 p.m., ESPN		 (4) vs. (5) Florida
Quarterfinals		 W 78–66  18–7
  14 – Vescovi  9 – Tied  6 – Tied  Bridgestone Arena (2,186)
Nashville, TN
March 13, 2021
1:00 p.m., ESPN		 (4) vs. (1) No. 6 Alabama
Semifinals		 L 68–73  18–8
  20 – Johnson  9 – Johnson  4 – Vescovi  Bridgestone Arena (3,164)
Nashville, TN
NCAA tournament
March 19, 2021*
4:30 p.m., TNT		 (5 MW) vs. (12 MW) Oregon State
First Round		 L 56–70  18–9
  14 – Johnson  13 – James  3 – Springer  Bankers Life Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.
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Source[5][6]

Rankings

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
More information Week, Poll ...
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314151617Final
AP12121312108791061811161925RVRVRVNot released
Coaches1414^1610886810617101520RVRVRVRVRV
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^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

References

Related Articles

Timelines

Top Qs

Fact Checks