Tennessee men’s basketball’s five week run atop the AP Poll came to an end on Monday when the Vols dropped five-spots to No. 6 in the rankings.
The Vols dropped their first game of the season on Tuesday night when then-No. 8 Florida blitzed Tennessee 73-43 in Gainesville. It was by far Tennessee’s worst performance of the season as they shot just 21% from the field and 14% from three-point range.
Three of the four teams that jumped Tennessee in the rankings were SEC teams including No. 1 Auburn, No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Florida. The Vols are one of nine SEC teams in this week’s AP Poll, coming in ahead of No. 8 Kentucky, No. 11 Texas A&M, No. 15 Mississippi State, No. 21 Ole Miss and No. 23 Georgia.
Tennessee bounced back from its first loss of the season by earning a gritty win on the road at Texas on Saturday. The game was back-and-forth and Tennessee trailed for much of the second half before taking control of the game late and icing the matchup at the foul line.
Seven Tennessee players scored between six and 16 points while Darlinstone Dubar came up huge for the Vols off the bench, totaling 12 points and six rebounds.
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It was a quiet week for star shooting guard Chaz Lanier who totaled just 10 points in both games while combining to shoot three-of-15 from three-point range. Tennessee finding a way to earn a road win with its top player struggling was a great sign for the Vols.
Life doesn’t get much easier for Tennessee this week as conference play rolls on. The Vols host No. 23 Georgia in Knoxville on Wednesday night before heading on the road to face Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldogs are one of the SEC’s most improved teams and are coming off a big week where they defeated ranked Kentucky and Oklahoma teams at home. Vanderbilt is also improved this season under first year head coach Mark Byington and has the makings of a NCAA Tournament bubble team.
Tipoff between Tennessee and Georgia is at 8 p.m. ET at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center on Wednesday night. The SEC Network is broadcasting the game.
