University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
Vols Jump to #22 in National Polls
February 23, 2026 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men's basketball team is back in the top 25 of both major polls this week.
Tennessee (20-7, 10-4 SEC) is now No. 22 in both the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, as released Monday afternoon.
The Volunteers ascended six spots in the AP Poll and seven places in the Coaches Poll, after sitting in the "receiving votes" section last week.
Tennessee is in the AP top 25 for the 106th time in the last 113 poll releases, a stretch that extends back to the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
Rick Barnes, now in his 11th season at Tennessee, has led the Volunteers to 146 total weeks in the AP poll. That includes 76 in the top 10, 38 in the top five and nine at No. 1. All of those rankings are since the beginning of the 2017-18 season.
Last week, Tennessee earned a 23-point home win and a top-20 road triumph. First, it picked up an 89-66 home victory against Oklahoma behind a career-high-tying 29 points from freshman forward Nate Ament and a program record eight steals from senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie. Saturday afternoon, the team registered a 69-65 decision at No. 19/18 Vanderbilt, with Gillespie scoring a game-high 17 points and Ament hitting the winning shot.
The Volunteers amassed 288 points in the AP Poll balloting, an increase of 252 from last week. They earned 141 in the Coaches Poll, a 122-point jump.
Barnes' team is one of five top-25 squads from the SEC, alongside seventh-ranked Florida, No. 17/18 Alabama, No. 20/17 Arkansas and No. 25/21 Vanderbilt. Meanwhile, Texas A&M is receiving votes in the AP Poll and Georgia is receiving votes in the Coaches Poll.
Tennessee returns to the hardwood Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo., where it squares off with Missouri, live on SEC Network.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men's basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
Tennessee (20-7, 10-4 SEC) is now No. 22 in both the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, as released Monday afternoon.
The Volunteers ascended six spots in the AP Poll and seven places in the Coaches Poll, after sitting in the "receiving votes" section last week.
Tennessee is in the AP top 25 for the 106th time in the last 113 poll releases, a stretch that extends back to the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
Rick Barnes, now in his 11th season at Tennessee, has led the Volunteers to 146 total weeks in the AP poll. That includes 76 in the top 10, 38 in the top five and nine at No. 1. All of those rankings are since the beginning of the 2017-18 season.
Last week, Tennessee earned a 23-point home win and a top-20 road triumph. First, it picked up an 89-66 home victory against Oklahoma behind a career-high-tying 29 points from freshman forward Nate Ament and a program record eight steals from senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie. Saturday afternoon, the team registered a 69-65 decision at No. 19/18 Vanderbilt, with Gillespie scoring a game-high 17 points and Ament hitting the winning shot.
The Volunteers amassed 288 points in the AP Poll balloting, an increase of 252 from last week. They earned 141 in the Coaches Poll, a 122-point jump.
Barnes' team is one of five top-25 squads from the SEC, alongside seventh-ranked Florida, No. 17/18 Alabama, No. 20/17 Arkansas and No. 25/21 Vanderbilt. Meanwhile, Texas A&M is receiving votes in the AP Poll and Georgia is receiving votes in the Coaches Poll.
Tennessee returns to the hardwood Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo., where it squares off with Missouri, live on SEC Network.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men's basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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Monday, February 23
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Saturday, February 21
MBB | Rick Barnes Postgame at Vanderbilt (2.21.26)
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