Tennessee basketball fell four spots to No. 6 in this week’s Associated Press poll after a 1-1 week saw the Vols lose at Florida and defeat then-No. 25 Auburn at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Vols are one of just two SEC teams in this week’s AP Poll coming in behind No. 3 Alabama.
It was a poor week for Tennessee’s offense, combining to score just 100 points on 27% shooting from the field. Tennessee fell at Florida due in large part to defensive breakdowns in the final 11 minutes of the game as a six-point lead turned into a 13-point loss.
Tennessee learned from its mistakes against Florida in its win over Auburn, playing elite defense for 40 minutes on its way to a narrow victory.
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After a week facing the nation’s No. 10 and No. 12 defense according to KenPom, life gets easier for the Vols. Tennessee travels on the road to face Vanderbilt (185th in defensive efficiency) before returning home to host a strong Missouri offense but poor defense (175th).
Rick Barnes’ eighth Tennessee team enters the week 19-4 (8-2 SEC) and is looking for to earn wins as large favorites this week to set the stage for a showdown with No. 3 Alabama next Wednesday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tip-off between Tennessee and Vanderbilt is at 7 p.m. ET from Memorial Gymnasium. The SEC Network is broadcasting the game.
