2019–20 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team

The 2019–20 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Volunteers were led by fifth-year head coach Rick Barnes.[1] The team played its home games at Thompson–Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee, as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 17–14, 9–9 in SEC play to finish in eighth place. They were set to take on Alabama in the second round of the SEC tournament. However, the remainder of the SEC Tournamament was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

2019–20 Tennessee Volunteers basketball
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record17–14 (9–9 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaThompson–Boling Arena
2019–20 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 8 Kentucky153 .833256  .806
No. 20 Auburn126 .667256  .806
LSU126 .6672110  .677
Mississippi State117 .6112011  .645
Florida117 .6111912  .613
South Carolina108 .5561813  .581
Texas A&M108 .5561614  .533
Tennessee99 .5001714  .548
Alabama810 .4441615  .516
Arkansas711 .3892012  .625
Missouri711 .3891516  .484
Ole Miss612 .3331517  .469
Georgia513 .2781616  .500
Vanderbilt315 .1671121  .344
Note: The 2020 SEC tournament was canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Vols finished the 2018-19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season 31–6, 15–3 in SEC play to earn a share of the SEC regular season championship. As the No. 2 seed in the SEC tournament, they defeated Mississippi State and Kentucky before losing to Auburn in the championship game. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 seed in the South region. There the Volunteers defeated Colgate and Iowa in the Second Round before being upset by Purdue in the Sweet Sixteen.

Offseason

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Admiral Schofield5F6'6"241SeniorZion, ILGraduated; selected 42nd overall by the Philadelphia 76ers
Kyle Alexander11F6'11"215SeniorMilton, ONGraduated
Brad Woodson12G6'1"177SeniorMurfreesboro, TNGraduated
Lucas Campbell24G6'4"185SeniorKnoxville, TNGraduated
Jordan Bone0G6'3"174JuniorNashville, TNDeclared for the NBA draft; selected 57th overall by the New Orleans Pelicans
Grant Williams2F6'7"236JuniorCharlotte, NCDeclared for the NBA draft; selected 22nd overall by the Boston Celtics
Derrick Walker15F6'8"236SophomoreKansas City, MOTransferred to Nebraska
D. J. Burns Jr.32F6'9"272FreshmanRock Hill, SCTransferred to Winthrop

Coaching changes

In April 2019, associate head coach Rob Lanier was hired as the new head coach at Georgia State.[2] Barnes hired Kim English as a replacement later that month.[3]

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious school
Victor Bailey Jr.13G6'4"190JuniorAustin, TXTransferred from Oregon. Under NCAA transfer rules, Bailey will have to sit out the 2019–20 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Uroš Plavšić34C7'0"240SophomoreIvanjica, SerbiaTransferred from Arizona State. Under NCAA transfer rules, Plavšić will have to sit out the 2019–20 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.

2019 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Josiah-Jordan James
CG
Charleston, SC Porter–Gaud School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sep 19, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
Drew Pember
PF
Knoxville, TN Bearden High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jun 8, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Davonte Gaines
SF
Buffalo, NY High School for Health Careers and Sciences 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jul 1, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Olivier Nkamhoua
C
Cumberland, MD Bishop Walsh High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) N/A May 17, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Rivals.com 2019 Tennessee Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2020 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Keon Johnson
SG
Bell Buckle, TN The Webb School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Aug 6, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Corey Walker
PF
Jacksonville, FL Hargrave Military Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Mar 3, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Jaden Springer
SG
Charlotte, NC IMG Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Oct 23, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Preseason

SEC media poll

The SEC media poll was released on October 15, 2019.[4]

Media poll
Predicted finish Team
1Kentucky
2Florida
3LSU
4Auburn
5Tennessee
6Alabama
7Mississippi State
8Ole Miss
9Georgia
10South Carolina
11Arkansas
12Texas A&M
13Missouri
14Vanderbilt

Preseason All-SEC teams

The Volunteers had one player selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

Roster

2019–20 Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 1 Lamonte Turner 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)187 lb (85 kg) RS SrIMG Academy Florence, Alabama
F 3 Drew Pember 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)207 lb (94 kg) FrBearden High School Knoxville, Tennessee
G 4 Jacob Fleschman (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)176 lb (80 kg) RS JrWestlake High School Austin, Texas
G 5 Josiah-Jordan James 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)208 lb (94 kg) FrPorter-Gaud School Charleston, South Carolina
F 10 John Fulkerson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)212 lb (96 kg) RS JrChrist School Kingsport, Tennessee
G 11 Davonte Gaines 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)166 lb (75 kg) FrHargrave Military Academy Buffalo, New York
G 12 Victor Bailey Jr. Current redshirt 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)186 lb (84 kg) JrOregon Austin, Texas
G 13 Jalen Johnson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)196 lb (89 kg) RS JrWesleyan Christian Academy Durham, North Carolina
F 21 Olivier Nkamhoua 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)224 lb (102 kg) FrBishop Walsh School Helsinki, Finland
G 23 Jordan Bowden 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)193 lb (88 kg) SrCarter High School Knoxville, Tennessee
G 25 Santiago Véscovi 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)188 lb (85 kg) FrNBA Global Academy Montevideo, Uruguay
F 30 Brock Jancek (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)222 lb (101 kg) SoKnoxville Catholic High School Knoxville, Tennessee
F 34 Uroš Plavšić Current redshirt 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)240 lb (109 kg) SoArizona State Ivanjica, Serbia
G/F 35 Yves Pons 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)215 lb (98 kg) JrINSEP Academy Fuveau, France
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Depth chart

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C John Fulkerson Uroš Plavšić Drew Pember
PF Yves Pons Olivier Nkamhoua
SF Josiah-Jordan James Davonte Gaines Brock Jancek
SG Jordan Bowden Jalen Johnson
PG Lamonte Turner Santiago Véscovi Jacob Fleschman

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 30, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN+
Eastern New Mexico W 107–59 
 23  Turner  10  Fulkerson  7  Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (6,222)
Knoxville, TN
Regular season
November 5, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN+
UNC Asheville W 78–63  1–0
 17  Turner  9  Fulkerson  6  Turner  Thompson–Boling Arena (19,273)
Knoxville, TN
November 12, 2019*
9:00 pm, SECN
Murray State W 82–63  2–0
 26  Bowden  9  Fulkerson  14  Turner  Thompson–Boling Arena (16,912)
Knoxville, TN
November 16, 2019*
5:00 pm, ESPN+
vs. No. 20 Washington
James Naismith Classic
W 75–62  3–0
 18  Bowden  7  Turner  8  Turner  Scotiabank Arena (6,802)
Toronto, ON
November 20, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN+
No. 20 Alabama State
Emerald Coast Classic campus game
W 76–41  4–0
 16  Bowden  13  James  6  Turner  Thompson–Boling Arena (18,176)
Knoxville, TN
November 25, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN
No. 17 Chattanooga
Emerald Coast Classic campus game
W 58–46  5–0
 17  Turner  12  Bowden  12  Turner  Thompson–Boling Arena (18,556)
Knoxville, TN
November 29, 2019*
7:00 pm, CBSSN
No. 17 vs. Florida State
Emerald Coast Classic semifinal
L 57–60  5–1
 20  Turner  10  Pons  2  Turner  The Arena at NFSC (2,500)
Niceville, FL
November 30, 2019*
4:00 pm
No. 17 vs. No. 20 VCU
Emerald Coast Classic
W 72–69  6–1
 17  Fulkerson  7  Tied  7  Turner  The Arena at NFSC (2,500)
Niceville, FL
December 4, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN+
No. 21 Florida A&M W 72–43  7–1
 15  Fulkerson  13  Nkamhoua  6  Turner  Thompson–Boling Arena (17,187)
Knoxville, TN
December 14, 2019*
3:00 pm, ESPN
No. 19 No. 13 Memphis
American/SEC Alliance
L 47–51  7–2
 14  James  7  Fulkerson  3  Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (21,868)
Knoxville, TN
December 18, 2019*
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 21 at Cincinnati L 66–78  7–3
 14  Fulkerson  4  Tied  6  Bowden  Fifth Third Arena (12,012)
Cincinnati, OH
December 21, 2019*
1:00 pm, SECN
No. 21 Jacksonville State W 75–53  8–3
 19  Bowden  9  Pons  11  Turner  Thompson–Boling Arena (18,247)
Knoxville, TN
December 28, 2019*
1:30 p.m., CBS
Wisconsin L 48–68  8–4
 9  Tied  10  Nkamhoua  5  James  Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678)
Knoxville, TN
January 4, 2020
12:00 pm, ESPNU
LSU L 64–78  8–5
(0–1)
 18  Vescovi  6  Vescovi  6  Bowden  Thompson–Boling Arena (18,653)
Knoxville, TN
January 7, 2020
7:00 pm, SECN
at Missouri W 69–59  9–5
(1–1)
 13  Bowden  7  James  4  James  Mizzou Arena (8,663)
Columbia, MO
January 11, 2020
1:00 pm, SECN
South Carolina W 56–55  10–5
(2–1)
 15  Fulkerson  10  Fulkerson  3  Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (19,603)
Knoxville, TN
January 15, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPNU
at Georgia L 63–80  10–6
(2–2)
 12  Bowden  8  Pons  3  Tied  Stegeman Coliseum (10,313)
Athens, GA
January 18, 2020
6:00 pm, SECN
at Vanderbilt W 66–45  11–6
(3–2)
 21  Bowden  8  Fulkerson  5  James  Memorial Gymnasium (12,693)
Nashville, TN
January 21, 2020
9:00 pm, SECN
Ole Miss W 73–48  12–6
(4–2)
 18  Fulkerson  10  Fulkerson  6  James  Thompson–Boling Arena (17,031)
Knoxville, TN
January 25, 2020*
4:00 pm, ESPN
at No. 3 Kansas
Big 12/SEC Challenge
ESPN College GameDay
L 68–74  12–7
 24  Pons  12  Fulkerson  4  James  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
January 28, 2020
6:30 pm, SECN
Texas A&M L 58–63  12–8
(4–3)
 15  Fulkerson  7  Fulkerson  6  Vescovi  Thompson–Boling Arena (17,722)
Knoxville, TN
February 1, 2020
2:00 pm, ESPNU
at Mississippi State L 73–86  12–9
(4–4)
 16  Tied  5  Fulkerson  5  Tied  Humphrey Coliseum (8,113)
Starkville, MS
February 4, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPNU
at Alabama W 69–68  13–9
(5–4)
 22  Fulkerson  14  Pons  5  Vescovi  Coleman Coliseum (9,651)
Tuscaloosa, AL
February 8, 2020
1:00 pm, CBS
No. 15 Kentucky
Rivalry
L 64–77  13–10
(5–5)
 18  Vescovi  9  Bowden  3  Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (21,232)
Knoxville, TN
February 11, 2020
7:00 pm, SECN
Arkansas W 82–61  14–10
(6–5)
 20  Vescovi  8  Fulkerson  8  Vescovi  Thompson–Boling Arena (17,222)
Knoxville, TN
February 15, 2020
6:00 pm, SECN
at South Carolina L 61–63  14–11
(6–6)
 25  Fulkerson  9  Fulkerson  5  Tied  Colonial Life Arena (15,085)
Columbia, SC
February 18, 2020
6:30 pm, SECN
Vanderbilt W 65–61  15–11
(7–6)
 17  Tied  7  Fulkerson  7  Vescovi  Thompson–Boling Arena (18,562)
Knoxville, TN
February 22, 2020
12:00 pm, CBS
at No. 13 Auburn L 66–73  15–12
(7–7)
 28  Bowden  10  Pons  6  Bowden  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
February 26, 2020
8:30 pm, SECN
at Arkansas L 69–86  15–13
(7–8)
 19  Bowden  9  Pons  3  James  Bud Walton Arena (14,101)
Tuscalooa, AL
February 29, 2020
2:00 pm, ESPN2
Florida W 63–58  16–13
(8–8)
 22  Fulkerson  8  James  6  James  Thompson–Boling Arena (19,743)
Knoxville, TN
March 3, 2020
9:00 pm, ESPN
at No. 6 Kentucky
Rivalry
W 81–73  17–13
(9–8)
 27  Fulkerson  7  James  5  James  Rupp Arena (20,413)
Lexington, KY
March 7, 2020
12:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 17 Auburn L 63–85  17–14
(9–9)
 19  Fulkerson  7  Fulkerson  4  Bowden  Thompson–Boling Arena (21,156)
Knoxville, TN
SEC Tournament
March 12, 2020
1:00 pm, SECN
(8) vs. (9) Alabama
Second round
Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[5] Bridgestone Arena
Nashville, TN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Ranking

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
— = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below.
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
APRVRV2017211921RVNot released
Coaches2525*17162017-T21RV

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

References

  1. "Rick Barnes". utsports.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  2. "Rob Lanier hired as Georgia State head coach". coachesdatabase.com. Coaches Database. April 5, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  3. "Tennessee basketball: Rick Barnes says 'players will love working with' Kim English". Knox News. April 10, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  4. "UK picked to win 2020 SEC Men's Basketball Championship". SEC Sports. October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  5. "2020 SEC Tournament canceled Thursday amid coronavirus pandemic concerns".
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