And just like that, Tennessee is a contender once again. The Volunteers lost a ton of experience and production from last year’s team, headlined by likely lottery pick Dalton Knecht. Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James saw their eligibility expire, while Jonas Aidoo and Tobe Awaka hit the transfer portal.
No problem — at least on paper.
Rick Barnes went out and added four veterans from the transfer portal, pairing them up with Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack. The portal class was topped off last week with the addition of Chaz Lanier, who averaged nearly 20 points per game last season for North Florida.