Tennessee basketball is the No. 1 team in three straight weeks for the second time in program history.
Both times are under coach Rick Barnes.
The Vols (11-0) remained No. 1 on Monday in the USA TODAY coaches poll and the Associated Press poll. They host MTSU (9-3) on Monday (7 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, as its margin over No. 2 Auburn shrunk. Auburn got the other 11. UT received 26 first-place votes in Week 6 before getting 22 in Week 7.
UT received 41 first-place votes in the AP Poll, a drop from 50 in Week 7 and 58 in Week 6.
Tennessee basketball’s history as No. 1 team
Tennessee has been the No. 1 team in the AP poll three times, including twice under Barnes.
The Vols were the top-ranked team for four consecutive weeks 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 1-2 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 67 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 31 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 basketball is No. 1 team in nation for third straight week
