3. All Aboard the Basketball Hype Train
Tennessee’s men’s basketball team has never had a more hyped up season than this current 2018-19 season. And that was proven true before the season even started.
The Vols began this current college basketball season ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll, giving the program its highest preseason ranking in school history. And so far, they’ve lived up to and even somewhat surpassed that hype.
Tennessee has started out this season with an 11-1 record — their best start since the 2007-08 season — and defeated then-No. 1 Gonzaga to move up to No. 3 in the AP Poll. That’s where they sit now as 2018 comes to a close and they prepare for SEC play in January.
Not only has Tennessee’s team experienced a lot of success, but individual UT players have too. Grant Williams was voted the preseason SEC Player of the Year after winning the SEC Player of the Year after the 2017-18 season, and Admiral Schofield has won two SEC Player of the Week awards already this season.
The Vols’ only loss this season is to then-No. 2 Kansas, and that came in overtime and after Grant Williams fouled out late in the second half. Except for their 76-73 win over Gonzaga, every one of Tennessee’s victories has come by double digits this season.
Vol fans have shown out for this basketball team, too. Thompson-Boling Arena has seen well over 16,000 fans in attendance for most of UT’s non-conference home match-ups, and that includes crowds of over 19,000 and 21,000 for the Vols’ last two home games.
Tennessee’s basketball program has a ton of hype and momentum right now, and they’re easily the most positive story from this past year and heading into 2019.
