Tennessee is trending upward. Looking into the future, the Rick Barnes-led program should be consistently competing with Kentucky for a top position in the SEC and a fixture in the AP Top 25 poll.
Inconsistency, however, accompanies that hopeful rise right now. The peaks are spectacular, but the valleys are annoyingly low.
And the 2018-19 squad is exemplifying that complex position.
Tennessee began the campaign sixth in the AP poll, the highest preseason ranking in program history. As the calendar has flipped to March, the Vols have backed up that billing with a 26-3 record and have never left the Top 10 all season.