Tennessee basketball has matched a program record for the longest stretch as the No. 1 team in the nation.
The Vols have been ranked No. 1 for four straight weeks for the second time in program history. Both times are under coach Rick Barnes.
The Vols (12-0) remained No. 1 on Monday in the USA TODAY coaches poll and the Associated Press poll. They host Norfolk State (9-6) on Tuesday (3 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.
Tennessee received 20 of 31 first-place votes in the coaches poll. No. 2 Auburn got the other 11. The Vols got 41 of the first-place votes in the AP poll.
Tennessee’s 12-0 start matches the second-best start in program history. The 1915-16 team won all 12 games, while the 1922-23 Vols have the best start in program history at 14-0 to a 17-game season.
Tennessee basketball’s history as No. 1 team
Tennessee has been the No. 1 team in the polls three times, including twice under Barnes.
The Vols were the top-ranked team for four consecutive weeks in the AP poll in the 2018-19 season. They reached No. 1 on Jan. 21, 2019, and held it into mid-February before a loss at Kentucky ended a 19-game winning streak and the top ranking. The four-week streak was the longest in program history.
The Vols were ranked No. 1 for one week in the 2007-08 season, but they lost at Vanderbilt in their next game and fell from the top spot.
UT has an 12-2 record as the No. 1 team.
Tennessee basketball is ranked No. 1 in coaches poll
The Vols were ranked No. 12 in the preseason coaches poll.
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. They hopped to No. 3 after beating UT Martin before ascending to No. 1.
UT ended the 2023-24 season ranked No. 5 in the coaches poll.
Tennessee is on historic AP poll run
Tennessee has been ranked for 68 consecutive weeks in the Associated Press poll, the third-longest active streak in the nation. It has been ranked nonstop since the start of the 2021-22 season.
HISTORY: History of the play Tennessee basketball ran on Jordan Gainey’s winning shot at Illinois
The Vols have been ranked in the top five of the AP poll 32 times in the past seven seasons, including three times this season. They had been ranked in the top five 17 times in the previous 70 years of the poll.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee ties program record as No. 1 team for fourth straight week
