‘This team is truly loaded’: The Athletic ranks Tennessee basketball in preseason top five
Tennessee basketball season is still months away but the Vols are already a preseason top-five team according to The Athletic. The Vols this week were ranked No. 5 by The Athletic’s CJ Moore and Sam Vecenie, behind Kansas, Marquette, Duke and Purdue, respectively.
“The Volunteers were a top-six team in most metrics a season ago because of stifling defense and a veteran group that bullied the opposition,” The Athletic wrote. “In 2023-24, that same level of experience and at least a similar level of defensive continuity should exist.
“Seven of the team’s top nine players figure to be juniors or seniors. But whereas last season was typically a dog fight, this season the Vols have substantially upgraded their offensive firepower.”
That offensive firepower came through the NCAA Transfer Portal, with the addition of Northern Colorado wing Dalton Knecht, and form the Tennessee bench, with guard Freddie Dilione coming off his redshirt season after enrolling early with the Vols in January.
Tennessee also added USC Upstate shooting guard Jordan Gainey, the son of associate head coach Justin Gainey.
Knecht led Tennessee in scoring during the team’s three exhibition games in Italy in early August, averaging 16.3 points per game. He also led the team in scoring in all three games and finished the trip 18-for-34 from the field, including 12-for-25 from the 3-point line.
Gainey led the team in playing time during the Italian tour, at 68 minutes, 14 seconds over the three exhibitions. Dilione had 33 points, 16 assists, eight rebounds and seven steals in just over 66 minutes during the Italy tour.
Sophomore Tobe Awaka also turned heads over the summer, averaging 11.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game in the FIBA U19 World Cup. He averaged 10.3 points and 13.6 rebounds per game in the Italian exhibitions.
Gainey by The Athletic as “an absolute sharpshooter”, while returning the bulk of the roster from last season. The outlet described Dilione as blending “scoring and passing at a terrific level for a young, 6-foot-5 guard.”
‘The backbone of this team is still upperclass returnees’
The Athletic listed depth, experience, defense and shooting upside as Tennessee’s strengths. Shot creation and the health of Zakai Zeigler were listed as question marks.
“The backbone of this team is still upperclass returnees Santiago Vescovi, Josiah-Jordan James, Zakai Zeigler, and Jonas Aidoo,” Moore and Vecenie wrote.
Tennessee was the highest-ranked SEC team in The Athletic’s top 25, coming in ahead of No. 16 Kentucky, No. 21 Texas A&M and No. 24 Auburn.
“If Zeigler can return from the torn ACL he suffered on Feb. 28, this team will have every piece necessary to cut down the nets,” The Athletic wrote. “But what Rick Barnes and company have done is build a roster that won’t be reliant upon that, either. This team is truly loaded.”
The post ‘This team is truly loaded’: The Athletic ranks Tennessee basketball in preseason top five appeared first on On3.
