For Tennessee basketball, the offseason has not been kind. Of the Vols’ roster from the previous season, eight were gone. Superstar Dalton Knecht and extremely senior leaders Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi were among the four that graduated. Two starters and four more players from the Vols also entered the transfer portal. Rick Barnes nevertheless proceeded to enter the portal and put up a
In order to complete its roster for the 2024–25 campaign, Tennessee has opened the transfer portal; as a result, Barnes might have a top–ten squad the next year. Tennessee’s roster now ranks among the top ten for the upcoming season because to Barnes’ replacement of departing players with more productive .
Bart Torvik uses a lot of the same data as Kenpom to calculate rankings and team productivity. Efficiency, defense, and offensive adjustments are all implemented. Every new player that joins Tennessee’s roster is a plus at every position, at least in terms of offensive production, even though it’s difficult to anticipate how each squad will get along with incoming transfers.
With an adjusted offensive efficiency ranking of 63 and an adjusted defensive efficiency ranking of two, which is comparable to most teams coached by Barnes, Torvik’s Tennessee Vols are rated ninth in the country for the 2024–25 season.
Additionally, according to Torvik, Tennessee will end the season with a 22-9 record, good for second place in the SEC, one game behind Auburn.
Through the transfer portal, Barnes is attempting to replicate his performance from last year on a bigger scale by adding Darlinstone Dubar, Felix Okpara, and Igor Milicic Jr. All three are very effective players who have the ability to outperform their predecessors in their positions.
Tennessee’s offensive efficiency rating, which is currently under the top 60 in the nation, might benefit from this come football season. Tennessee could be positioned for a run beyond the Elite 8 next season if Barnes can address the offensive efficiency that was a major problem for the team this year and put a top-three defense on the court.
North Carolina, UCLA, UCONN, Gonzaga, Duke, Houston, Iowa State, and Kansas are the teams that are ranked higher than the Vols.
No. 1 on next year’s projections list. While the transfer portal is closed to players entering, Barnes could still look for another addition to the roster before next season.
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