KNOXVILLE, Tenn. \u2013 The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team is in the top 22 of both major polls in the first release of the calendar year.<\/p>\n
Tennessee (10-4, 0-1 SEC) places No. 21 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and No. 22 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, as announced Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n
After there was no poll last week, this is the 89th consecutive release with the Volunteers in the AP top 25, a streak that extends to the 2021-22 preseason poll. That is 52 weeks greater than the previous program high of 37 weeks, which came from March 1999 or Feb. 2001.<\/p>\n
That mark is the second-longest active streak nationally, behind only Houston (115). No other program is at even 70-plus weeks, while the closest SEC school, Alabama, ranks sixth at 39 weeks, 50 fewer than Tennessee.<\/p>\n
This is just the sixth time in the 89 weeks the Volunteers are not in the AP top 20, as their 66-week top-20 streak came to an end by just one position.<\/p>\n
Overall, 11th-year head coach Rick Barnes<\/a> has guided Tennessee to 143 total AP top-25 rankings. All of them are since the start of the 2017-18 campaign.<\/p>\n Tennessee split its two contests last week. It first posted a 51-point victory, 105-54, Tuesday night against South Carolina State at Food City Center in its non-conference finale, behind 21 points from senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie<\/a>. Saturday, the team dropped an 86-75 decision at No. 18 Arkansas in the SEC opener, despite a career-best 16 points on 7-of-7 shooting from freshman guard Amari Evans<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Volunteers collected 277 points in the AP Poll, 69 greater than No. 22 Kansas. In the Coaches Poll, they garnered 123 points, just eight shy of the Jayhawks.<\/p>\n A total of five SEC teams are ranked in the top 25 of both polls, as Tennessee is joined by No. 11\/10 Vanderbilt, No. 13\/12 Alabama, No. 15 Arkansas and No. 18\/20 Georgia. Additionally, Florida and Kentucky are receiving votes in both polls, while Texas and Auburn earned votes in the AP Poll and Missouri did so in the Coaches Poll.<\/p>\n Tennessee continues competition Tuesday at 9 p.m. when it faces Texas in its SEC home opener, live on ESPN2 from Food City Center.<\/p>\n To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram<\/a> and X\/Twitter<\/a>, as well as \/tennesseebasketball on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n