Where Tennessee is ranked in final college basketball polls after 2024-25 season
Tennessee basketball finished with its highest postseason ranking in program history for the second straight season.
The Vols finished ranked No. 5 in the USA TODAY coaches poll and the Associated Press poll, which matched its finish last season. Their prior top mark was seventh in 2007-08 in the coaches poll. UT has finished No. 5 in the AP poll four times with three under coach Rick Barnes. It finished fifth in 2021-22 and 2007-08.
Tennessee went to the Elite Eight for the third time in program history and the second straight season. It lost 69-50 to Houston on March 30 in Indianapolis. It won 30 games for the third time. Barnes owns two of the Elite Eight berths and two of the 30 wins seasons. UT won 31 games in the 2018-19 season.
UT moved up to No. 9 after starting the season 2-0 with wins against Gardner-Webb and at Louisville. It stayed No. 9 after moving to 4-0.
Tennessee rolled through the Baha Mar Championship with wins against Virginia and Baylor to reach 6-0 and rise to No. 6. It hopped to No. 3 after beating UT Martin before ascending to No. 1.
The Vols spent a program-record five weeks as the No. 1 team. They fell to No. 6 from the top spot after their 30-point loss at Florida on Jan. 7. They fell to No. 7 after losing at Vanderbilt on Jan. 18 and to No. 8 after losing at Auburn on Jan. 25. They jumped to No. 4 after beating Florida 64-44 and held the spot the following week. They slipped to No. 6 after losing at Kentucky.
UT jumped back into the top five after winning at Texas A&M and rose to No. 4 after beating Alabama. It dropped to No. 6 after losing at Ole Miss. It remained No. 6 entering the NCAA Tournament after a run to the SEC Tournament title game.
Tennessee is on historic AP poll run
Tennessee has been ranked for 80 consecutive weeks in the Associated Press poll, the second-longest active streak in the nation. It has been ranked nonstop since the start of the 2021-22 season. The previous program record for consecutive weeks ranked was 37.
The Vols have been ranked in the top five of the AP poll 38 times in the past seven seasons, including 11 times this season. The 11 weeks in the top five is the second most in a season in program history behind the 14 weeks in the top 5 in the 2018-19 season.
They had been ranked in the top five 17 times in the previous 70 years of the poll.
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