No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers

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Last Season: 28-9, 11-5 (3rd SEC), lost in the Elite 8 to Michigan State

Head Coach: Bruce Pearl

Key Losses: Bobby Maze, Tyler Smith, JP Prince, Wayne Chism

Newcomers: Tobias Harris, Trae Golden, Jeronne Maymon, John Fields, Jordan McRae, Tyler Summit

Projected Lineup:

• G: Melvin Goins, Sr.
  
• G: Cam Tatum, Jr.
  
• F: Scotty Hopson, Jr.
  
• F: Tobias Harris, Fr.
  
• F: Brian Williams, Sr.
• Bench: John Fields, Sr.; Trae Golden, Fr.; Kenny Hall, So.; Jeronne Maymon, So.; Jordan McRae, Fr.; Skylar McBee, So.; Renaldo Wooldridge, Jr.
  

Outlook: Tennessee is a team in a tough position. From a strictly basketball standpoint, this program is in a position it has never been before. They are annually a top 25 team, a school that competes for McDonald's all-american recruits, and coming off a year where they were a possession away from making the Final Four. But off the court, this program is struggling. There were the arrests of Brian Williams, Melvin Goins, and Cameron Tatum and the eventual dismissal of Tyler Smith last season. There were the recruiting violations that came to light under the watch of Bruce Pearl. And most recently, there was the revelation that Pearl is not currently under contract with the university.

With hindsight being 20-20 and all, I may end up really regretting ranking Tennessee this high in the preseason. That said, as we should be accustomed to these days, Pearl has amassed quite a bit of talent on this roster. The first player that must be discussed when dealing with Tennessee this year is Scotty Hopson. Hopson has all the talent in the world. He's a former top ten recruit from the class of 2008 -- in fact, he's the only player top ten player from that class that has yet to make the jump to the league -- a 6'7" wing with athleticism for days. The problem is that he hasn't quite made the leap from athlete to basketball player just yet. He turns the ball over too much, he doesn't quite understand the difference between a good shot and a bad shot, he doesn't really rebound as well as you would like from a player his size, and his ball skills aren't quite where they need to be -- he needs to improve his handle and his ability to shoot the ball off the dribble. One thing that no one debates is that Hopson has the tools to be a very good player and a sense for being able to put the ball in the basket. There is the potential there to be an all-SEC first teamer, but it remains to be seen if he put in the work to get to that point.

After Hopson, the guy you want to keep an eye on is freshman Tobias Harris, a lanky, 6'8" freshman forward. Harris is a versatile player. He's capable of playing either forward spot at a high level on both ends of the floor. Pearl usually loves players like that -- see, Tyler Smith -- and Harris should be able to have an impact almost immediately.


The rest of the Volunteer front court will be a bit mix-and-matched. Brian Williams is a big-bodied center that has been really effective in stretches. Conditioning has always been his biggest enemy. Renaldo Wooldridge is 6'9" and athletic, but he spends too much time shooting perimeter jumpers. Kenny Hall played limited minutes last season, but he was quite effective in that time, especially when Tennessee was playing shorthanded during the suspensions. Two transfers will be eligible as well. John Fields is a rebounder and a shot blocker that will be able to play immediately after transferring from UNC-Greensboro, while Jeronne Maymon is a hefty, 6'7" face-up four man that transferred out of Marquette after one semester. He will be eligible in December.

In the back court, the biggest question Pearl is going to need answered is at the point. For all the headaches that Bobby Maze provided Tennessee fans in his two seasons there, he was a point guard that could put the ball in the hole, create for his teammates, and, perhaps most importantly, protect the ball. Melvin Goins looks to be suited to step in as a starter this season. Goins had some impressive games last season. He's a stocky but athletic 5'11" point guard that plays a bit like a running back. He's a pest defensively, but I'm not convinced he is going to be able to run an offense. That's where Trae Golden comes in. Golden is more of a combo-guard than a point guard, but the freshman -- and first cousin of former Rice standout Morris Almond -- is a more offensively oriented player than Goins.

Three guys will share the rest of the time in the back court. Cam Tatum, who should start, is a streaky scorer and shooter, but he's the kind of player that can change the course of a game when he gets hot. Skylar McBee is a walk-on, but he earned himself minutes with this shot. Freshman Jordan McRae is top 50 recruit and an athletic scorer on the perimeter, exactly the kind of player Pearl loves.

I'm torn about this Tennessee team. On the one hand, they proved last season that they are at their best, like their coach, when they get backed into a corner. With their coach's job security in question, I think its safe to say this team is backed into a corner. On the other hand, I think this team is going to miss JP Prince a lot more than people expect. He was frustrating to watch play at times, but he also created so much for this team -- whether it was an easy basket off of a turnover, a layup for a teammate off of his penetration, or simply getting to the paint and drawing a foul. Combine his graduation with Bobby Maze's, and I worry about how this team is going to create offensively. Will Hopson be good enough to carry this team? Can anyone else develop into someone that can create shots?

I think Tennessee needs to get back to a pressuring style, scoring points on turnovers in the full court. They have plenty of athletes, length, and depth at every position. Regardless of whether or not they heed my advice, I think this is a team that is good enough to compete for the SEC title and a top ten ranking. I could also see this ranking looking silly come March, whether its a result of Pearl being let go or the talent on the roster disappointing. Neither would surprise me.