About Tennessee Volunteers Men's Basketball
The University of Tennessee might be best known for its football team and women's basketball team (both have won multiple national championships), but its men's basketball team is no slouch either. The Volunteers regularly make noise in the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament, with some recent deep runs to their credit. Their marquee run came in 2010, when they made it all the way to the Elite Eight before falling to Michigan State in a one-point loss.
The Volunteers currently are coached by former longtime University of Texas head coach Rick Barnes, who took the job in Knoxville in 2015. After a rocky start, Barnes guided them to the NCAA Tournament in 2018, where they won a game before being bounced in the round of 32.
The Volunteers also claimed a share of the SEC regular season title and made it all the way to the SEC tournament final before falling to Kentucky. The most successful NCAA tournament era for the Volunteers came in the ‘00s, when they made three straight tournaments (2006-2008) under Bruce Pearl, with both 2007 and 2008 ending with losses in the Sweet 16.
There currently are two key Tennessee alumni in the NBA. Tobias Harris of the Los Angeles Clippers has established himself as a star, while Josh Richardson is one of the most important and consistent players for the Miami Heat.
Previously, Tennessee also sent luminaries to the pros like Dale Ellis, Allan Houston, C.J. Watson, and the legendary Bernard King, who joined the New York Knicks in the ‘80s. King qualified for the All-NBA First Team twice while in New York.
