Where Tennessee Basketball is ranked in the new AP Top 25, Coaches Poll

Tennessee Basketball on Monday moved up one spot to No. 17 in the new Coaches Poll, after dropping one spot last week, and stayed at No. 20 in the Associated Press Top 25.

Last week the Vols dropped two spots from No. 18 in the preseason AP Top 25 to No. 20 in the Week 2 update. In the Coaches Poll they dropped from No. 17 to No. 18.

Tennessee (3-0) is coming off a 99-66 win over North Florida last week and hosts Rice on Monday night (8:30 Eastern Time, SEC Network) at Food City Center. The Vols beat Mercer 76-61 on November 3 in the season opener, then beat Northern Kentucky 95-56 on November 8.

Tennessee hosts Tennessee State on Thursday before going to Las Vegas for the Players Era Men’s Championship, where they’ll face Rutgers on November 24, No. 2 Houston on November 25 and a third team that is to be determined on either November 26 or 27.

Vols have been ranked for 82 straight weeks 

Tennessee has been ranked for 83 straight weeks, the second-longest active streak in college basketball and more than doubling the previous program record of 37 straight weeks ranked.

The Vols have been ranked every week since the start of the 2021-22 season and have been ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 for six straight seasons.

Tennessee was ranked in the top 10 in the Coaches Poll for 20 straight weeks last season and was ranked in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 for 18 straight weeks. The Vols were also ranked No. 1 for five straight weeks last season while tying a program record with its 14-0 start to the season. 

Where Tennessee is ranked in the KenPom ratings

Tennessee is ranked No. 13 overall in the KenPom.com ratings after the 3-0 start to the season. The Vols are ranked No. 5 in adjusted defensive efficiency (92.4) and No. 40 in adjusted offensive efficiency (116.8).

KenPom had Tennessee at No. 9 overall in its first ratings update for the 2025-26 season, but dropped to No. 15 after the win over Mercer. The Vols finished at No. 6 in the KenPom ratings in 2022-23 and No. 9 in the 2021-22. Their last KenPom finish outside the top 10 was No. 28 in 2020-21.

Tennessee last season finished No. 17 in adjusted offensive efficiency in the KenPom ratings and No. 3 on defense. The Vols were No. 28 on offense in 2023-24 and No. 3 on defense. They haven’t finished outside the top five on defense since 2019-20, including a No. 1 ranking defensively in 2022-23.