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Sweet 16 or disappointment for Vols?

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Sweet 16 or disappointment for Vols?

Tennessee basketball had a great season in 2023-24 and is looking to have another one under coach Rick Barnes.

The no. 12 Vols open the regular season against Gardner-Webb on Monday (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.

Here are four bold predictions for Tennessee's season:

Tennessee will make program history in the NCAA Tournament

Tennessee reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons for the second time in program history. Reaching the Sweet 16 will mark the first time in UT's history that it will reach three straight points.

The Vols reached the Sweet 16 in 2023 before advancing to the Elite Eight for a second time last season.

UT reached the Sweet 16 in 2007 and 2008, the first time it reached the second weekend in two consecutive seasons. UT lost in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, missing its third straight trip to the second weekend.

Zakai Zeigler joins the 4,000 minute club in Tennessee

Four players have played more than 4,000 career minutes at Tennessee. Zakai Zeigler finishes fifth in his final season.

The senior guard has played 2,769 minutes in three seasons, putting him 1,231 minutes shy of the 4,000 minute mark. He played 1,135 minutes last season, averaging 31.5 minutes per game. He played 34.1 minutes per game in SEC play.

It's easy to imagine Zeigler achieving these goals again and likely eclipsing them. He's the only point guard on Tennessee's roster and the Vols don't have Dalton Knecht to bring the ball up in some situations like they did last season.

Zeigler could finish third behind Allan Houston with 4,606 and Santiago Vescovi with 4,432 minutes.

LESSON: The message Rick Barnes sent to Chaz Lanier after Tennessee basketball's loss to Indiana

Tennessee basketball will fall out of the AP Top 25

Tennessee has been ranked in the Associated Press poll for the third straight year, including No. 12 in the preseason poll.

The Vols will be out of the poll this season, either because they suffer a few early non-conference losses while putting together the new roster or because they find themselves in SEC contention.

Tennessee has been ranked in the AP Poll for 60 consecutive weeks, breaking the previous program record of 37. Its 60-week ranking streak is the third-longest active streak in the country. UT has been consistently ranked since the start of the 2021-22 season.

Felix Okpara is named SEC Defensive Player of the Year

Tennessee has three of the best defensive players in the SEC – and all of college basketball – in Zeigler, Jahmai Mashack and Felix Okpara.

Okpara is the SEC Defensive Player of the Year choice, edging out Zeigler in his bid to win the award as the conference's top defender again. The 6-foot-11 forward is an elite shot blocker, which he demonstrated last season at Ohio State with 82 blocks. He is surrounded by top-notch defensive players who will help him excel even more.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @By Mike Wilson. If you like Mike's reporting, consider a digital subscription to access everything.

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