Yves Pons is back, is Tennessee Basketball ready for a championship run?

Tennessee Basketball forward Yves Pons announced that he is returning for his senior season hoping for a championship run.

Monday was the last days for players to withdraw their name from the NBA Draft and Tennessee basketball forward Yves Pons made us sweat as he waited until there were only hours left before the deadline.

The expectation was Pons to return for his senior season, but the longer he waited, the more people began to doubt. Now with Pons returning for his senior year, he’s going to look to build off his breakout junior year and lead the Vols to a deep NCAA tournament run.

Last season, Pons was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year for his work on the defensive side of the ball. I expect Rick Barnes to use Pons in a similar way in 2020. Dominate the defensive side of the ball and have pons be used on offense where he’s needed.

With Pons returning, that adds a little extra pressure onto Barnes and the Vols’ shoulders when it comes to expectations this season. Without Pons, some fans thought that the Vols could compete for the SEC Championship still, but with Pons, the expectation is now that the Vols need to win the SEC Championship. I’m sure there won’t be any heartbreak there.

When it comes to the NCAA tournament, the Vols are expected to make it to at least the Sweet 16. With Barnes’ issues when it comes to getting past the Sweet 16, it would be nice to see the Vols make it to the Elite 8, but anything can happen in the tournament.

Pons should also add some credibility to the 2020 Vols. He’ll be returning with a lot of guys that he played with last year, so hopefully, the Vols will be able to get over the inconsistency issues last season and have a solid season.