No. 12 ranking for Vols in AP preseason basketball poll

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Basketball season is fast approaching and the Tennessee men’s basketball has been named to the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll for the fifth straight year, tying the longest streak in program history.

Tennessee was ranked No. 12 in the annual media poll that was released on Monday . It’s the fifth consecutive year Tennessee has featured in the poll, tying the program-best mark set from 2006-2007 to 2010-2011. All five seasons have featured a top-20 placement, with four in the top 12.

The Volunteers are on a 60-week streak of AP Poll appearances, the longest in school history. Only Kansas (65) and Houston (86) have longer active streaks.

Southeastern Conference schools made up nine of the top 25 spots, including six of the top 20. The SEC also released the results of its own preseason voting on Monday with Tennessee tabbed to finish third in the conference behind Alabama and Auburn.

Coming off of a 2023-2024 season that saw him win SEC Defensive Player of the Year , senior guard Zakai Zeigler was one of five players voted to the Preseason First Team All-SEC team. He was also one of four players to receive votes for SEC Preseason Player of the Year, an honor that went to Alabama’s Mark Sears.

The Vols will play an exhibition game on Oct. 27 against Indiana before the season begins on Nov. 4 against Gardner-Webb.

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