The Tennessee Volunteers completed 4th within the Southeastern Convention within the 2025 March Insanity schedule.
They had been eradicated by Houston in a reasonably uncompetitive 69–50 closing rating. Whereas they had been absolutely disillusioned with the loss, it’s onerous to sneeze at a top-10 within the nation. However any faculty basketball fan is aware of {that a} group can change radically from one 12 months to the following.
The Tennessee squad definitely has. With few returning gamers, it will likely be a really completely different group of men heading out onto the courtroom this Winter.
What ought to we count on out of the Tennessee Volunteers going into the 2025–2026 season? Whereas they’ve certainly modified their lineup considerably, there are a number of explanation why followers must be optimistic.
Tennessee Volunteers Present State of Affairs
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Your greatest concern is that their roster has undergone vital modifications within the offseason.
They solely have one returning starter: senior heart Felix Akpara—the 21-year-old Nigerian stands at almost seven ft tall.
In Tennessee, he’s contributed steadily, although with little that essentially jumps off the stat sheet. He does shoot almost 60% from the sector, however collects, on common, 7 factors per sport and contributes 6 rebounds. Akpara could be anticipated to supply management and proceed making use of his abilities to the Tennessee Volunteers group.
Sometimes, this could fall into the class of a rebuilding 12 months for a high-performing group just like the Tennessee Titans. Nevertheless, there’s slightly bit extra to it than that.
The sport has modified fairly significantly with the heavier reliance on the switch portal. Now, gamers change schools—typically 5 instances—all through their collegiate careers, creating micro tremendous groups that final for under a season or two earlier than star gamers transfer on to greater and higher issues.
Sure, it’s onerous to construct the sort of dynamic that wins championships amongst strangers in a number of quick months. However underneath the skilled management of Rick Barnes, it’s attainable.
Is that what Tennessee has in its future?
Evidently they’re a minimum of attempting to develop some spectacular firepower within the kind of some switch portal additions.
In addition they have a reasonably promising crop of freshmen getting into the group. It’s very onerous to say how somebody whose most up-to-date aggressive expertise is primarily in a highschool gymnasium will carry out, however many groups have managed to attain nice outcomes with incoming freshmen prior to now.
Recruitment/Switch Portal
On the recruitment aspect of issues, Tennessee has made a proposal to heart Marcis Ponder, a seven-foot heart analysts check with as “Child Shaq”. Ponder is at the moment weighing presents from a handful of different high-profile colleges, so it stays to be seen if he’ll be carrying Tennessee orange.
The Switch Portal will virtually definitely additional inform their roster. They’re well-positioned to make a powerful attraction to good gamers.
They’re a possible three-seed within the Western Convention, which is a serious motivating issue for school athletes who need to make a deep run into the playoffs and presumably generate some buzz on the skilled stage.
Incoming Freshman
The Tennessee Volunteers’ most promising acquisition—significantly because it pertains to long-term potential—comes within the type of Nate Ament. Ament is a top-five-rated prospect and the highest-ranked participant the college has ever signed as a freshman.
Standing at 6’9″, he’s recognized for his versatility. He’s a very sturdy shooter, handles the ball effectively, and is a notably flashy passer.
Now, regardless of how good this incoming freshman out of Virginia is, he’ll nonetheless enter the NCAA on the very backside finish of what’s a steep studying curve for anybody. Tennessee performs a tricky schedule, and that may be onerous for even a really proficient highschool graduate to adapt to. Will Nate Ament be the key ingredient to an enormous 2026 win?
Tennessee would definitely like to see that, however this incoming freshman’s true worth continues to be doubtless forward of him. Within the subsequent few years, you must positively count on to listen to his title typically.
Whether or not it’s within the NCAA Finals subsequent March is difficult to say, however followers of the Tennessee Volunteers positively have a whole lot of nice basketball forward of them.
Don’t overlook that the NCAA playoffs are nonetheless ten months away. Tennessee—and all of its rivals have a whole lot of time to get the lay of the land. This far out, the group’s prospects might change and develop in lots of hard-to-predict methods.
In case you’re biting your nails ready for the following tip-off—effectively. Grasp tight. Will probably be right here earlier than you already know it.
