Tennessee Basketball: Vols head to Vanderbilt with No. 1 ranking… again

The Tennessee Volunteers basketball team earned the No. 1 spot in the country on Monday for the second time in school history after winning their 12th straight game.

The No. 1 ranked Tennessee Volunteers head to Nashville on Wednesday to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores in Memorial Gymnasium. Yes, you’ve heard of this situation before.

Hopefully, Tennessee can flip the script from the last time they were the No. 1 team in the nation heading into Memorial Gym. The last time the Volunteers earned the No. 1 spot in the nation was in 2008. They were fresh off a win against the No. 1 Memphis Tigers the week before but headed into Memorial Gym against a ranked Vanderbilt squad where they ultimately lost, losing the top spot.

Now, 11 years later, the Tennessee Volunteers are ranked No. 1 in the nation heading into their matchup with Vanderbilt. The Volunteers earned the No. 1 spot in the nation on Monday, boasting a 16-1, including a 5-0 record in the SEC. Tennessee slid into the top spot after top teams in Duke, Michigan, and Virginia lost this past week.  The Volunteers earned 48 of the 64 first-place votes in the AP poll.

The Volunteers will have two chances this week to defend their No. 1 ranking as they head to Vanderbilt on Wednesday, before coming home on Saturday to face off against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

Different Situation than 2008

Many things are different from the matchup in 2008 in Memorial Gym though. Tennessee headed into that matchup with a 25-2 record, while No. 18 Vanderbilt held a 23-4 record.

Now, the Volunteers have a 16-1 record, while the Commodores have struggled this year, holding a 9-8 record and a 0-5 record in the SEC.

That 2008 Vanderbilt squad had stars in Shan Foster and A.J. Ogilvy. While Simisola Shittu and Saben Lee are good basketball players, it’s obvious this squad is missing star PG Darius Garland, hence is why they have a 9-8 record.

These teams are polar opposites currently in league play. Tennessee boasts an undefeated record in league play while Vanderbilt has yet to win a game in the SEC. Vanderbilt has had a few opportunities to grab a league win but watched the game slip away late. Tennessee, on the other hand, has run away in four of their five SEC wins.

This game really shouldn’t be close, but you never know in a rivalry game. Despite the three-point win against Alabama on Saturday, the Volunteers still have a 20.6 margin of victory in SEC play.

Looking Ahead

While this team has the No. 1 ranking beside their name, I still feel like they have a chip on the shoulder. Not only are they wanting to avenge their early defeat in the NCAA Tournament last season, but they are now wanting to prove why they deserve to be ranked as the best team in the nation.

Despite Tennessee being one of the best teams in the nation all season long, most of the media coverage has been about Zion Williamson and Duke.

I’m sure Rick Barnes will have this team ready to play on Wednesday night, especially after a fairly bad performance against Alabama on Saturday.

Grant Williams has been very successful against the Commodores during his time as a Volunteer. Last year, he finished with a career-high 37 points on the road in Nashville. Look for him to be a big difference in Wednesday night’s game.

The matchup between the Commodores and the Volunteers is on Wednesday night at 7:00 PM Eastern/6:00 PM Central. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN2.