# 2022–23 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team

The 2022–23 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by eighth-year head coach Rick Barnes, and played their home games at Thompson–Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 22–9, 11–7 in SEC play to finish in a tie for fourth place. As the No. 5 seed in the SEC tournament, they defeated Ole Miss before losing to Missouri in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 4 seed in the East Region, where they defeated Louisiana in the First Round and Duke in the Second Round to reach the Sweet Sixteen. There, they were upset by Florida Atlantic, closing their season with an overall record of 25–11.

## Previous season

The Volunteers finished the 2021–22 season 27–8, 14–4 in SEC play to finish in a tie for second place. As the No. 2 seed in the SEC tournament, they defeated Mississippi State, Kentucky and Texas A&M to win their first SEC Tournament title since 1979. They received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 3 seed in the South Region, where they defeated Longwood in the first round before being upset by Michigan in the second round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Kennedy Chandler | 1 | G | 6'0" | 171 | Freshman | Memphis, TN | Declared for 2022 NBA draft |
| Brandon Huntley-Hatfield | 2 | F | 6'10" | 246 | Freshman | Clarksville, TN | Transferred to Louisville |
| Quetin Diboundje | 3 | G | 6'5" | 217 | Freshman | Montpellier, France | Transferred to East Carolina |
| John Fulkerson | 10 | F | 6'9" | 219 | GS Senior | Kingsport, TN | Graduated |
| Victor Bailey Jr. | 12 | G | 6'4" | 182 | RS Senior | Austin, TX | Graduate transferred to George Mason |
| Justin Powell | 24 | G | 6'6" | 197 | Sophomore | Prospect, KY | Transferred to Washington State |
| Handje Tamba | 32 | F | 6'11" | 229 | Freshman | Knoxville, TN | Transferred to Weber State |
| Cole Morris | 34 | F | 6'9" | 211 | Sophomore | Marietta, GA | Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons |
| Brock Janeck | 35 | F | 6'8" | 228 | Senior | Knoxville, TN | Walk-on; graduate transferred to East Tennessee State |

### Incoming Transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Tyreke Key | 4 | G | 6'3" | 205 | GS Senior | Celina, TN | Indiana State |
| Colin Coyne | 35 | F | 6'10" | 225 | Senior | Fredericksburg, VA | Mary Washington |

### 2022 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Julian Phillips #8 SF | Blythewood, SC | Link Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | May 12, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 92 ||||||
| B.J. Edwards #33 PG | Knoxville, TN | Knoxville Catholic High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Jun 30, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| D.J. Jefferson #25 PG | Saint Paul, MN | Minnesota Prep | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | May 24, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| Tobe Awaka PF | Bronx, NY | Cardinal Hayes | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | May 17, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| 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 2022 Tennessee Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

### 2023 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2023 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Freddie Dilione #8 SG | Fayetteville, NC | Word of God Christian Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Aug 16, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 88 |||||||
| J.P. Estrella #10 C | Portland, ME | Brewster Academy | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Sep 2, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 86 |||||||
| Cade Phillips #41 C | Jacksonville, AL | Link Academy | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | May 26, 2022 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| 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 2023 Tennessee Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 28, 2022* 9:00 p.m., PPV.com | No. 11 | vs. No. 2 Gonzaga Legends of Basketball Charity Classic | W 99–80 | | 26 – Key | 14 – Nkamhoua | 8 – Zeigler | Comerica Center (2,738) Frisco, TX |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 7, 2022* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 11 | Tennessee Tech | W 75–43 | 1–0 | 17 – Key | 8 – Vescovi | 5 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (17,957) Knoxville, TN |
| November 13, 2022* 2:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 11 | vs. Colorado | L 66–78 | 1–1 | 15 – Tied | 10 – Nkamhoua | 4 – Zeigler | Bridgestone Arena (12,482) Nashville, TN |
| November 16, 2022* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 22 | Florida Gulf Coast | W 81–50 | 2–1 | 18 – Tied | 6 – Tied | 3 – Vescovi | Thompson–Boling Arena (16,524) Knoxville, TN |
| November 23, 2022* 7:30 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 22 | vs. Butler Battle 4 Atlantis Quarterfinals | W 71–45 | 3–1 | 13 – Vescovi | 6 – Tied | 5 – Zeigler | Imperial Arena (465) Nassau, BAH |
| November 24, 2022* 1:30 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 22 | vs. USC Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals | W 73–66 | 4–1 | 25 – Phillips | 9 – Aidoo | 5 – Vescovi | Imperial Arena (432) Nassau, BAH |
| November 25, 2022* 7:30 p.m., ESPN | No. 22 | vs. No. 3 Kansas Battle 4 Atlantis championship | W 64–50 | 5–1 | 20 – Vescovi | 9 – Aidoo | 3 – Zeigler | Imperial Arena (2,018) Nassau, BAH |
| November 30, 2022* 7:15 p.m., SECN | No. 13 | McNeese State | W 76–40 | 6–1 | 16 – Vescovi | 6 – Tied | 4 – Phillips | Thompson–Boling Arena (15,927) Knoxville, TN |
| December 4, 2022* 4:00 p.m., SECN | No. 13 | Alcorn State | W 94–40 | 7–1 | 20 – Nkamhoua | 7 – Mashack | 6 – Nkamhoua | Thompson–Boling Arena (16,481) Knoxville, TN |
| December 7, 2022* 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 7 | Eastern Kentucky | W 84–49 | 8–1 | 17 – Key | 10 – Phillips | 5 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (15,746) Knoxville, TN |
| December 11, 2022* 4:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 7 | vs. No. 13 Maryland Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational | W 56–53 | 9–1 | 12 – Zeigler | 10 – Phillips | 3 – Tied | Barclays Center (8,028) Brooklyn, NY |
| December 17, 2022* 10:30 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 6 | at No. 9 Arizona | L 70–75 | 9–2 | 21 – Zeigler | 6 – Tied | 5 – Tied | McKale Center (14,688) Tucson, AZ |
| December 21, 2022* 6:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 8 | Austin Peay | W 86–44 | 10–2 | 20 – Nkamhoua | 11 – Awaka | 5 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (18,120) Knoxville, TN |
| December 28, 2022 5:00 p.m., SECN | No. 7 | at Ole Miss | W 63–59 | 11–2 (1–0) | 22 – Vescovi | 13 – Aidoo | 3 – Tied | SJB Pavilion (7,013) Oxford, MS |
| January 3, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 8 | Mississippi State | W 87–53 | 12–2 (2–0) | 14 – Vescovi | 7 – Phillips | 10 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (16,697) Knoxville, TN |
| January 7, 2023 3:30 p.m., SECN | No. 8 | at South Carolina | W 85–42 | 13–2 (3–0) | 21 – Nkamhoua | 10 – Nkamhoua | 8 – Zeigler | Colonial Life Arena (10,704) Columbia, SC |
| January 10, 2023 9:00 p.m., SECN | No. 5 | Vanderbilt Rivalry | W 77–68 | 14–2 (4–0) | 15 – Tied | 6 – Tied | 9 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (16,255) Knoxville, TN |
| January 14, 2023 12:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 5 | Kentucky Rivalry | L 56–63 | 14–3 (4–1) | 19 – Plavsic | 5 – James | 7 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| January 17, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 9 | at Mississippi State | W 70–59 | 15–3 (5–1) | 24 – Zeigler | 11 – Phillips | 4 – Zeigler | Humphrey Coliseum (8,797) Starkville, MS |
| January 21, 2023 4:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 9 | at LSU | W 77–56 | 16–3 (6–1) | 22 – James | 7 – Tied | 10 – Zeigler | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (10,462) Baton Rouge, LA |
| January 25, 2023 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 4 | Georgia | W 70–41 | 17–3 (7–1) | 11 – Zeigler | 7 – James | 7 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (19,802) Knoxville, TN |
| January 28, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 4 | No. 10 Texas Big 12/SEC Challenge College GameDay | W 82–71 | 18–3 | 27 – Nkamhoua | 8 – Nkamhoua | 10 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| February 1, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 2 | at Florida | L 54–67 | 18–4 (7–2) | 15 – Ziegler | 9 – Nkamhoua | 3 – Zeigler | O'Connell Center (10,160) Gainesville, FL |
| February 4, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 2 | No. 25 Auburn | W 46–43 | 19–4 (8–2) | 15 – James | 14 – James | 6 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| February 8, 2023 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 6 | at Vanderbilt Rivalry | L 65–66 | 19–5 (8–3) | 14 – Tied | 9 – Awaka | 7 – Zeigler | Memorial Gymnasium (10,483) Nashville, TN |
| February 11, 2023 6:00 p.m., SECN | No. 6 | Missouri | L 85–86 | 19–6 (8–4) | 23 – Key | 7 – Awaka | 10 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| February 15, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 10 | No. 1 Alabama | W 68–59 | 20–6 (9–4) | 15 – Tied | 11 – Aidoo | 8 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| February 18, 2023 1:00 p.m., CBS | No. 10 | at Kentucky Rivalry | L 54–66 | 20–7 (9–5) | 17 – Vescovi | 8 – Mashack | 3 – Tied | Rupp Arena (20,323) Lexington, KY |
| February 21, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 11 | at No. 25 Texas A&M | L 63–68 | 20–8 (9–6) | 14 – Tied | 10 – Vescovi | 7 – Vescovi | Reed Arena (12,989) College Station, TX |
| February 25, 2023 6:00 p.m., SECN | No. 11 | South Carolina | W 85–45 | 21–8 (10–6) | 18 – James | 8 – Nkamhoua | 11 – Ziegler | Thompson–Boling Arena (20,273) Knoxville, TN |
| February 28, 2023 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 12 | Arkansas | W 75–57 | 22–8 (11–6) | 16 – Nkamhoua | 8 – Awaka | 5 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (18,324) Knoxville, TN |
| March 4, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 12 | at Auburn | L 70–79 | 22–9 (11–7) | 21 – Vescovi | 10 – Awaka | 4 – Vescovi | Neville Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| SEC tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2023 3:00 p.m., SECN | (5) No. 17 | vs. (13) Ole Miss Second round | W 70–55 | 23–9 | 20 – James | 7 – James | 4 – Nkamhoua | Bridgestone Arena (13,165) Nashville, TN |
| March 10, 2023 3:00 p.m., ESPN | (5) No. 17 | vs. (4) No. 25 Missouri Quarterfinals | L 71–79 | 23–10 | 17 – Vescovi | 10 – Nkamhoua | 4 – Mashack | Bridgestone Arena (16,107) Nashville, TN |
| NCAA Tournament |||||||||
| March 16, 2023* 9:40 pm, CBS | (4 E) No. 20 | vs. (13 E) Louisiana First Round | W 58–55 | 24–10 | 12 – Key | 5 – Nkamhoua | 4 – Vescovi | Amway Center (18,018) Orlando, FL |
| March 18, 2023* 2:40 pm, CBS | (4 E) No. 20 | vs. (5 E) No. 12 Duke Second Round | W 65–52 | 25–10 | 27 – Nkamhoua | 5 – Tied | 5 – Vescovi | Amway Center (18,567) Orlando, FL |
| March 23, 2023* 9:00 p.m., TBS | (4 E) No. 20 | vs. (9 E) No. 25 Florida Atlantic Sweet Sixteen | L 55–62 | 25–11 | 10 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Madison Square Garden (19,624) New York, NY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | 11 | 22 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 6 (1) | 8 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 17 | 20 | Not released |
| Coaches | 11 | 17 | 21 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 5 (2) | 11 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 21 | 16 |