2020–21 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team

The 2020–21 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Rick Barnes, and played their home games at Thompson–Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 18-9, 10-7 in SEC Play to finish in 4th place. They defeated Florida in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament before losing in the semifinals to Alabama. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they were upset in the first round by Oregon State.

2020–21 Tennessee Volunteers basketball
NCAA tournament, first round
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record18–9 (10–7 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaThompson–Boling Arena
Seasons
2020–21 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 5 Alabama 16 2   .889 26 7   .788
No. 10 Arkansas 13 4   .765 25 7   .781
LSU 11 6   .647 19 10   .655
Tennessee 10 7   .588 18 9   .667
Florida 9 7   .563 15 10   .600
Ole Miss 10 8   .556 16 12   .571
Missouri 8 8   .500 16 10   .615
Kentucky 8 9   .471 9 16   .360
Mississippi State 8 10   .444 18 15   .545
Georgia 7 11   .389 14 12   .538
Auburn* 7 11   .389 13 14   .481
South Carolina 4 12   .250 6 15   .286
Texas A&M 2 8   .200 8 10   .444
Vanderbilt 3 13   .188 9 16   .360
2021 SEC tournament winner
* Ineligible for postseason due to self-imposed postseason ban.

Previous season

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The Volunteers finished the 2019–20 season 17–14, 9–9 in SEC play to finish in eighth place. They were set to take on Alabama in the second round of the SEC tournament. However, the remainder of the SEC Tournament was canceled amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. All further postseason tournaments were likewise canceled.

Offseason

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2020 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Keon Johnson
SG
Bell Buckle, TN The Webb School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Aug 6, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Corey Walker
PF
Jacksonville, FL Hargrave Military Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Mar 3, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Jaden Springer
SG
Charlotte, NC IMG Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Oct 23, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 


Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Rivals.com 2020 Tennessee Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Preseason

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SEC media poll

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The SEC media poll was released on November 12, 2020.[1]

Media poll
Predicted finish Team
1 Tennessee
2 Kentucky
3 LSU
4 Florida
5 Alabama
6 Arkansas
7 Auburn
8 South Carolina
9 Ole Miss
10 Missouri
11 Texas A&M
12 Mississippi State
13 Georgia
14 Vanderbilt

Preseason All-SEC teams

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The Volunteers had two players selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

Roster

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2020–21 Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Davonte Gaines 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 166 lb (75 kg) So Hargrave Military Academy Buffalo, NY
F 3 Drew Pember 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 207 lb (94 kg) So Bearden HS Knoxville, TN
G 5 Josiah-Jordan James 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 207 lb (94 kg) So Porter-Gaud School Charleston, SC
F 10 John Fulkerson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Sr Christ School Kingsport, TN
G 11 Jaden Springer 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 204 lb (93 kg) Fr IMG Academy Charlotte, NC
G 12 Victor Bailey Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 179 lb (81 kg) RS Jr Oregon Austin, TX
F 13 Olivier Nkamhoua 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 223 lb (101 kg) So Bishop Walsh School Helsinki, Finland
F 15 Corey Walker Jr. 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 219 lb (99 kg) Fr Hargrave Military Academy Hastings, FL
G 21 Kent Gilbert (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 164 lb (74 kg) Fr Conley HS Greenville, NC
G 24 Isaiah Sulack 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS So Bossier Parish CC Knoxville, TN
G 25 Santiago Véscovi 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 188 lb (85 kg) So NBA Global Academy Montevideo, Uruguay
F 30 Brock Jancek (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 222 lb (101 kg) Jr Knoxville Catholic HS Knoxville, TN
F 32 Cole Morris 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Fr Walton HS Marietta, GA
F 34 Uroš Plavšić 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 262 lb (119 kg) RS So Arizona State Ivanjica, Serbia
G/F 35 Yves Pons 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr INSEP Fuveau, France
G 45 Keon Johnson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 186 lb (84 kg) Fr The Webb School Shelbyville, TN
F 55 E. J. Anosike 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr Sacred Heart East Orange, NJ
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the season was pushed back from the scheduled start of November 10.[2] On September 16, 2020, the NCAA announced that November 25 would be the new start date.[3]

On November 23, it was announced that head coach Rick Barnes had tested positive for COVID-19 and that the school had paused all basketball activities while further tests were conducted within the program.[4]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
December 8, 2020*
6:00 pm, SECN+
No. 12 Colorado W 56–47  1–0
 11  Tied   10  Pons   5  Vescovi  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
December 12, 2020*
12:30 pm, SECN Alt.
No. 12 Cincinnati W 65–56  2–0
 15  Fulkerson   12  Fulkerson   3  Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
December 15, 2020*
7:00 pm, SECN
No. 10 Appalachian State W 79–38  3–0
 13  Bailey Jr.   8  Bailey Jr.   4  Vesocvi  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
December 19, 2020*
8:00 pm, SECN+
No. 10 Tennessee Tech W 103–49  4–0
 21  Springer   6  Tied   6  Springer  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
December 21, 2020*
6:00 pm, SECN
No. 8 St. Joseph's W 102–66  5–0
 18  Bailey Jr.   9  Pons   5  Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
December 23, 2020*
7:00 pm, SECN
No. 8 USC Upstate W 80–60  6–0
 18  Bailey Jr.   8  James   8  Vescovi  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
SEC regular season
December 30, 2020
9:00 pm, SECN
No. 7 at No. 12 Missouri W 73–53  7–0
(1–0)
 15  Vescovi   6  Tied   4  James  Mizzou Arena (3,164)
Columbia, MO
January 2, 2021
6:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 7 Alabama L 63–71  7–1
(1–1)
 16  Bailey Jr.   8  Tied   2  Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
January 6, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 9 Arkansas W 79–74  8–1
(2–1)
 17  Tied   9  James   3  Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
January 9, 2021
2:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 9 at Texas A&M W 68–54  9–1
(3–1)
 23  Vescovi   5  Tied   6  Springer  Reed Arena (1,298)
College Station, TX
January 12, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU
No. 9 at South Carolina Postponed Colonial Life Arena 
Columbia, SC
January 16, 2021
6:00 pm, SECN
No. 10 Vanderbilt W 81–61  10–1
(4–1)
 16  Johnson   8  Fulkerson   5  Springer  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
January 19, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 6 at Florida L 49–75  10–2
(4–2)
 8  Fulkerson   5  Tied   5  Fulkerson  O'Connell Center (2,280)
Gainesville, FL
January 23, 2021
8:30 pm, SECN
No. 6 No. 19 Missouri L 64–73  10–3
(4–3)
 20  Pons   6  Fulkerson   4  Vescovi  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
January 26, 2021
7:00 pm, SECN
No. 18 Mississippi State W 56–53  11–3
(5–3)
 13  Pons   7  Vescovi   5  Springer  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
January 30, 2021*
6:00 pm, ESPN
No. 18 No. 15 Kansas
SEC/Big 12 Challenge
W 80–61  12–3
 17  Pons   11  James   4  Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
February 2, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 11 at Ole Miss L 50–52  12–4
(5–4)
 13  Pons   6  James   4  Tied  The Pavilion at Ole Miss (895)
Oxford, MS
February 6, 2021
8:00 pm, ESPN
No. 11 at Kentucky W 82–71  13–4
(6–4)
 27  Johnson   10  James   5  Vescovi  Rupp Arena (3,075)
Lexington, KY
February 10, 2021
8:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 16 Georgia W 89–81  14–4
(7–4)
 30  Springer   8  Fulkerson   4  Fulkerson  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
February 13, 2021
2:00 pm, ESPN
No. 16 at LSU L 65–78  14–5
(7–5)
 21  Springer   6  Tied   7  Springer  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (2,224)
Baton Rouge, LA
February 17, 2021
9:00 pm, SECN
No. 19 South Carolina W 93–73  15–5
(8–5)
 29  Bailey Jr.   9  Pons   5  Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
February 20, 2021
1:00 pm, CBS
No. 19 Kentucky L 55–70  15–6
(8–6)
 18  Bailey Jr.   7  Fulkerson   5  Johnson  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
February 24, 2021
9:00 pm, SECN
No. 25 at Vanderbilt W 70–58  16–6
(9–6)
 21  Bailey Jr.   10  Pons   3  Tied  Memorial Gymnasium (144)
Nashville, TN
February 27, 2021
12:00 pm, ESPN
No. 25 at Auburn L 72–77  16–7
(9–7)
 23  Johnson   8  Pons   6  Springer  Auburn Arena (1,824)
Auburn, AL
March 7, 2021
12:00 pm, ESPNU
Florida W 65–54  17–7
(10–7)
 14  Tied   10  James   4  Fulkerson  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
SEC Tournament
March 12, 2021
2:30 p.m., ESPN
(4) vs. (5) Florida
Quarterfinals
W 78–66  18–7
 14  Vescovi   9  Tied   6  Tied  Bridgestone Arena (2,186)
Nashville, TN
March 13, 2021
1:00 p.m., ESPN
(4) vs. (1) No. 6 Alabama
Semifinals
L 68–73  18–8
 20  Johnson   9  Johnson   4  Vescovi  Bridgestone Arena (3,164)
Nashville, TN
NCAA tournament
March 19, 2021*
4:30 p.m., TNT
(5 MW) vs. (12 MW) Oregon State
First Round
L 56–70  18–9
 14  Johnson   13  James   3  Springer  Bankers Life Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[5][6]

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314151617Final
AP12121312108791061811161925RVRVRVNot released
Coaches1414^1610886810617101520RVRVRVRVRV

^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

References

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  1. ^ "Media picks Vols to win 2021 SEC Men's Basketball title". SEC Sports. November 12, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  2. ^ "NCAA committees pushing for Nov. 25 as the start date for the 2020-21 college basketball season". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  3. ^ "NCAA: Men's, women's hoops can start Nov. 25". ESPN.com. September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  4. ^ "Tennessee pauses activities, Barnes tests positive". ESPN.com. November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  5. ^ "2020-21 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  6. ^ "2020-21 Tennessee Volunteers Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 23, 2020.