2020–21 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team

The 2020–21 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Rick Barnes, and played their home games at Thompson–Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 18-9, 10-7 in SEC Play to finish in 4th place. They defeated Florida in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament before losing in the semifinals to Alabama. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they were upset in the first round by Oregon State.

2020–21 Tennessee Volunteers basketball
NCAA tournament, first round
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	18–9 (10–7 SEC)
Head coach	Rick Barnes (6th season)
Assistant coaches	Michael Schwartz Desmond Oliver Kim English
Home arena	Thompson–Boling Arena

2020–21 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 5 Alabama†	16	–	2		.889			26	–	7		.788
No. 10 Arkansas	13	–	4		.765			25	–	7		.781
LSU	11	–	6		.647			19	–	10		.655
Tennessee	10	–	7		.588			18	–	9		.667
Florida	9	–	7		.563			15	–	10		.600
Ole Miss	10	–	8		.556			16	–	12		.571
Missouri	8	–	8		.500			16	–	10		.615
Kentucky	8	–	9		.471			9	–	16		.360
Mississippi State	8	–	10		.444			18	–	15		.545
Georgia	7	–	11		.389			14	–	12		.538
Auburn*	7	–	11		.389			13	–	14		.481
South Carolina	4	–	12		.250			6	–	15		.286
Texas A&M	2	–	8		.200			8	–	10		.444
Vanderbilt	3	–	13		.188			9	–	16		.360
† 2021 SEC tournament winner * Ineligible for postseason due to self-imposed postseason ban.

Previous season

The Volunteers finished the 2019–20 season 17–14, 9–9 in SEC play to finish in eighth place. They were set to take on Alabama in the second round of the SEC tournament. However, the remainder of the SEC Tournament was canceled amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. All further postseason tournaments were likewise canceled.

Offseason

2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Keon Johnson SG	Bell Buckle, TN	The Webb School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Aug 6, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Corey Walker PF	Jacksonville, FL	Hargrave Military Academy	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Mar 3, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jaden Springer SG	Charlotte, NC	IMG Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Oct 23, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Rivals.com 2020 Tennessee Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Preseason

SEC media poll

The SEC media poll was released on November 12, 2020.

Media poll
Predicted finish	Team
1	Tennessee
2	Kentucky
3	LSU
4	Florida
5	Alabama
6	Arkansas
7	Auburn
8	South Carolina
9	Ole Miss
10	Missouri
11	Texas A&M
12	Mississippi State
13	Georgia
14	Vanderbilt

Preseason All-SEC teams

The Volunteers had two players selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

First Team

John Fulkerson

Second Team

Yves Pons

Roster

2020–21 Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Davonte Gaines 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 166 lb (75 kg) So Hargrave Military Academy Buffalo, NY F 3 Drew Pember 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 207 lb (94 kg) So Bearden HS Knoxville, TN G 5 Josiah-Jordan James 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 207 lb (94 kg) So Porter-Gaud School Charleston, SC F 10 John Fulkerson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Sr Christ School Kingsport, TN G 11 Jaden Springer 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 204 lb (93 kg) Fr IMG Academy Charlotte, NC G 12 Victor Bailey Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 179 lb (81 kg) RS Jr Oregon Austin, TX F 13 Olivier Nkamhoua 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 223 lb (101 kg) So Bishop Walsh School Helsinki, Finland F 15 Corey Walker Jr. 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 219 lb (99 kg) Fr Hargrave Military Academy Hastings, FL G 21 Kent Gilbert (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 164 lb (74 kg) Fr Conley HS Greenville, NC G 24 Isaiah Sulack 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS So Bossier Parish CC Knoxville, TN G 25 Santiago Véscovi 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 188 lb (85 kg) So NBA Global Academy Montevideo, Uruguay F 30 Brock Jancek (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 222 lb (101 kg) Jr Knoxville Catholic HS Knoxville, TN F 32 Cole Morris 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Fr Walton HS Marietta, GA F 34 Uroš Plavšić 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 262 lb (119 kg) RS So Arizona State Ivanjica, Serbia G/F 35 Yves Pons 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr INSEP Fuveau, France G 45 Keon Johnson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 186 lb (84 kg) Fr The Webb School Shelbyville, TN F 55 E. J. Anosike 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr Sacred Heart East Orange, NJ	Head coach Rick Barnes (Lenoir–Rhyne) Assistant coach(es) Michael Schwartz (Texas) Desmond Oliver (Dominican (NY)) Kim English (Missouri) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the season was pushed back from the scheduled start of November 10. On September 16, 2020, the NCAA announced that November 25 would be the new start date.

On November 23, it was announced that head coach Rick Barnes had tested positive for COVID-19 and that the school had paused all basketball activities while further tests were conducted within the program.

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
December 8, 2020* 6:00 pm, SECN+	No. 12	Colorado	W 56–47	1–0	11 – Tied	10 – Pons	5 – Vescovi	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
December 12, 2020* 12:30 pm, SECN Alt.	No. 12	Cincinnati	W 65–56	2–0	15 – Fulkerson	12 – Fulkerson	3 – Tied	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
December 15, 2020* 7:00 pm, SECN	No. 10	Appalachian State	W 79–38	3–0	13 – Bailey Jr.	8 – Bailey Jr.	4 – Vesocvi	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
December 19, 2020* 8:00 pm, SECN+	No. 10	Tennessee Tech	W 103–49	4–0	21 – Springer	6 – Tied	6 – Springer	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
December 21, 2020* 6:00 pm, SECN	No. 8	St. Joseph's	W 102–66	5–0	18 – Bailey Jr.	9 – Pons	5 – Tied	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
December 23, 2020* 7:00 pm, SECN	No. 8	USC Upstate	W 80–60	6–0	18 – Bailey Jr.	8 – James	8 – Vescovi	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
SEC regular season
December 30, 2020 9:00 pm, SECN	No. 7	at No. 12 Missouri	W 73–53	7–0 (1–0)	15 – Vescovi	6 – Tied	4 – James	Mizzou Arena (3,164) Columbia, MO
January 2, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 7	Alabama	L 63–71	7–1 (1–1)	16 – Bailey Jr.	8 – Tied	2 – Tied	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
January 6, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 9	Arkansas	W 79–74	8–1 (2–1)	17 – Tied	9 – James	3 – Tied	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
January 9, 2021 2:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 9	at Texas A&M	W 68–54	9–1 (3–1)	23 – Vescovi	5 – Tied	6 – Springer	Reed Arena (1,298) College Station, TX
January 12, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU	No. 9	at South Carolina	Postponed					Colonial Life Arena  Columbia, SC
January 16, 2021 6:00 pm, SECN	No. 10	Vanderbilt	W 81–61	10–1 (4–1)	16 – Johnson	8 – Fulkerson	5 – Springer	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
January 19, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN	No. 6	at Florida	L 49–75	10–2 (4–2)	8 – Fulkerson	5 – Tied	5 – Fulkerson	O'Connell Center (2,280) Gainesville, FL
January 23, 2021 8:30 pm, SECN	No. 6	No. 19 Missouri	L 64–73	10–3 (4–3)	20 – Pons	6 – Fulkerson	4 – Vescovi	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
January 26, 2021 7:00 pm, SECN	No. 18	Mississippi State	W 56–53	11–3 (5–3)	13 – Pons	7 – Vescovi	5 – Springer	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
January 30, 2021* 6:00 pm, ESPN	No. 18	No. 15 Kansas SEC/Big 12 Challenge	W 80–61	12–3	17 – Pons	11 – James	4 – Tied	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
February 2, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 11	at Ole Miss	L 50–52	12–4 (5–4)	13 – Pons	6 – James	4 – Tied	The Pavilion at Ole Miss (895) Oxford, MS
February 6, 2021 8:00 pm, ESPN	No. 11	at Kentucky	W 82–71	13–4 (6–4)	27 – Johnson	10 – James	5 – Vescovi	Rupp Arena (3,075) Lexington, KY
February 10, 2021 8:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 16	Georgia	W 89–81	14–4 (7–4)	30 – Springer	8 – Fulkerson	4 – Fulkerson	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
February 13, 2021 2:00 pm, ESPN	No. 16	at LSU	L 65–78	14–5 (7–5)	21 – Springer	6 – Tied	7 – Springer	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (2,224) Baton Rouge, LA
February 17, 2021 9:00 pm, SECN	No. 19	South Carolina	W 93–73	15–5 (8–5)	29 – Bailey Jr.	9 – Pons	5 – Tied	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
February 20, 2021 1:00 pm, CBS	No. 19	Kentucky	L 55–70	15–6 (8–6)	18 – Bailey Jr.	7 – Fulkerson	5 – Johnson	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
February 24, 2021 9:00 pm, SECN	No. 25	at Vanderbilt	W 70–58	16–6 (9–6)	21 – Bailey Jr.	10 – Pons	3 – Tied	Memorial Gymnasium (144) Nashville, TN
February 27, 2021 12:00 pm, ESPN	No. 25	at Auburn	L 72–77	16–7 (9–7)	23 – Johnson	8 – Pons	6 – Springer	Auburn Arena (1,824) Auburn, AL
March 7, 2021 12:00 pm, ESPNU		Florida	W 65–54	17–7 (10–7)	14 – Tied	10 – James	4 – Fulkerson	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
SEC Tournament
March 12, 2021 2:30 p.m., ESPN	(4)	vs. (5) Florida Quarterfinals	W 78–66	18–7	14 – Vescovi	9 – Tied	6 – Tied	Bridgestone Arena (2,186) Nashville, TN
March 13, 2021 1:00 p.m., ESPN	(4)	vs. (1) No. 6 Alabama Semifinals	L 68–73	18–8	20 – Johnson	9 – Johnson	4 – Vescovi	Bridgestone Arena (3,164) Nashville, TN
NCAA tournament
March 19, 2021* 4:30 p.m., TNT	(5 MW)	vs. (12 MW) Oregon State First Round	L 56–70	18–9	14 – Johnson	13 – James	3 – Springer	Bankers Life Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Source

Rankings

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Final
AP	12	12	13	12	10	8	7	9	10	6	18	11	16	19	25	RV	RV	RV	Not released
Coaches	14	14^	16	10	8	8	6	8	10	6	17	10	15	20	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV

^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.