Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler (5) disagrees with a foul called against him during a college basketball game between Tennessee and Syracuse held at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tennessee Basketball Ranked No. 1 in AP and Coaches Polls

Originally posted on Tennessee Volunteers on SI
By Tanner Johnson | Last updated Dec 9, 2024 1:04 PM ET

Tennessee basketball rises to No. 1 amidst a perfect 8-0 start to the season.

Tennessee is the new No. 1 team in the country in the AP and Coaches polls, thanks to a week full of chaos in college basketball.

Last week was a treacherous time to be a top-five team. Four of the top five all lost, with Tennessee being the only team to escape the week unscathed after it blew out Syracuse 96-70. Former No. 1 Kansas lost twice on the road last week, first to Creighton and then to Missouri. Auburn lost a battle at Duke and then blew out Richmond on Sunday. Kentucky lost on the road at Clemson before rebounding with a win over Gonzaga. Lastly, Marquette lost to Iowa State on the road by double figures.

All of that carnage paved the way for undefeated Tennessee to go from No. 3 to No. 1 in the latest edition of the AP Poll. It is the first time Tennessee has been at the top of the polls since the 2018-19 season. They were the top-ranked team that season for four weeks, the longest run in school history. The only other previous time that Tennessee had been No. 1 was in the 2007-08 season when they held the ranking for just one week after knocking off Memphis in a legendary battle of 1 vs. 2 in the rankings.

The newly minted top-ranked Vols will take on Miami in New York City on Tuesday night for a chance to start the season 9-0. The Hurricanes have struggled mightily this season, losing their last six games after starting the season 3-0. The Vols will then face Illinois for a tough road test on Saturday.