# 2021–22 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team

The 2021–22 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team is led by seventh-year head coach Rick Barnes, and plays their home games at Thompson–Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the 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.

## Previous season

The Volunteers finished the 2020–21 season 18–9, 10–7 in SEC play to finish in fourth place. They defeated Florida in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament before losing to Alabama in the semifinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a 5th seed in the Midwest Region where they got upset by Oregon State in the first round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Davonte Gaines | 0 | G | 6'7" | 166 | Sophomore | Buffalo, NY | Transferred to George Mason |
| Drew Pember | 3 | F | 6'9" | 207 | Sophomore | Knoxville, TN | Transferred to UNC Asheville |
| Jaden Springer | 11 | G | 6'4" | 204 | Freshman | Charlotte, NC | Declare for 2021 NBA draft |
| Corey Walker Jr. | 15 | F | 6'8" | 219 | Freshman | Hastings, FL | Transferred to South Florida |
| Yves Pons | 35 | G/F | 6'6" | 215 | Senior | Fuveau, France | Graduated/went undrafted in 2021 NBA draft |
| Keon Johnson | 45 | G | 6'5" | 186 | Freshman | Shelbyville, TN | Declare for 2021 NBA draft |
| E.J. Anosike | 55 | F | 6'7" | 245 | Senior | East Orange, NJ | Graduate transferred to Cal State Fullerton |

### Incoming Transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Justin Powell | 24 | G | 6'6" | 197 | Sophomore | Prospect, KY | Auburn |

### 2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Kennedy Chandler #1 PG | Memphis, TN | Sunrise Christian Academy | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Aug 14, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 95 ||||||
| Brandon Huntley-Hatfield #7 PF | Clarksville, TN | Scotland Campus Prep | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Apr 15, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 91 ||||||
| Jonas Aidoo #7 C | Durham, NC | Liberty Heights Athletic Institute | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Apr 14, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 85 ||||||
| Jahmai Mashack #18 SG | Etiwanda, CA | Etiwanda High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 8, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| Handje Tamba* #32 C | Knoxville, TN | Knoxville Catholic High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Jul 27, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Quentin Diboundje Eyobo #56 SG | Montverde, FL | Montverde Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Apr 7, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 75 ||||||
| Zakai Zeigler PG | Bronx, NY | Immaculate Conception School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Aug 27, 2021 |
| 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 2021 Tennessee Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||
*Originally class of 2022, but reclassified to 2021.

### 2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2022) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| B.J. Edwards #21 PG | Knoxville, TN | Knoxville Catholic High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Jun 30, 2021 |
| 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 2021 Tennessee Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2021 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 30, 2021* 3:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 18 | Lenoir–Rhyne | W 103–62 | | 21 – Chandler | 12 – Huntley-Hatfield | 7 – Vescovi | Thompson–Boling Arena (15,476) Knoxville, TN |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 18 | UT Martin | W 90–62 | 1–0 | 20 – Tied | 14 – Nkamhoua | 4 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (16,425) Knoxville, TN |
| November 14, 2021* 12:00 p.m., SECN | No. 18 | East Tennessee State | W 94–62 | 2–0 | 23 – Nkamhoua | 10 – Fulkerson | 6 – Chandler | Thompson–Boling Arena (16,564) Knoxville, TN |
| November 20, 2021* 1:00 p.m., ESPNews | No. 17 | vs. No. 5 Villanova Hall of Fame Tip Off semifinals | L 53–71 | 2–1 | 23 – Vescovi | 6 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Mohegan Sun Arena Uncasville, CT |
| November 21, 2021* 3:30 p.m., ESPN | No. 17 | vs. No. 18 North Carolina Hall of Fame Tip Off 3rd Place Game | W 89–72 | 3–1 | 18 – Zeigler | 9 – Vescovi | 8 – Chandler | Mohegan Sun Arena (9,100) Uncasville, CT |
| November 26, 2021* 3:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 15 | Tennessee Tech | W 80–69 | 4–1 | 18 – Nkamhoua | 7 – Vescovi | 7 – Vescovi | Thompson–Boling Arena (16,909) Knoxville, TN |
| November 30, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 13 | Presbyterian | W 86–44 | 5–1 | 15 – Tied | 5 – Fulkerson | 4 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (15,768) Knoxville, TN |
| December 4, 2021* 2:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 13 | at Colorado | W 69–54 | 6–1 | 27 – Kennedy | 9 – James | 3 – Zeigler | CU Events Center (8,688) Boulder, CO |
| December 7, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 13 | vs. Texas Tech Jimmy V Classic | L 52–57 $^{OT}$ | 6–2 | 10 – Fulkerson | 10 – Fulkerson | 5 – Chandler | Madison Square Garden New York, NY |
| December 11, 2021* 4:30 p.m., SECN | No. 13 | UNC Greensboro | W 76–36 | 7–2 | 12 – Tied | 4 – Tied | 8 – Vescovi | Thompson–Boling Arena (16,074) Knoxville, TN |
| December 14, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 18 | USC Upstate | W 96–52 | 8–2 | 21 – Nkamhoua | 8 – Huntley-Hatfield | 10 – Chandler | Thompson–Boling Arena (14,699) Knoxville, TN |
| December 18, 2021* 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 18 | vs. Memphis Nashville Showcase | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues within Memphis program | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues within Memphis program | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues within Memphis program | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues within Memphis program | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues within Memphis program | Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN |
| December 22, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 19 | No. 6 Arizona | W 77–73 | 9–2 | 24 – Fulkerson | 10 – Fulkerson | 4 – Chandler | Thompson–Boling Arena (20,408) Knoxville, TN |
| December 29, 2021 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 14 | at No. 19 Alabama | L 68–73 | 9–3 (0–1) | 15 – Nkamhoua | 9 – Tied | 4 – Zeigler | Coleman Coliseum (15,383) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| January 5, 2022 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 18 | Ole Miss | W 66–60 $^{OT}$ | 10–3 (1–1) | 17 – Vescovi | 8 – James | 7 – Chandler | Thompson–Boling Arena (15,617) Knoxville, TN |
| January 8, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 18 | at No. 21 LSU | L 67–79 | 10–4 (1–2) | 19 – Chandler | 7 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (12,881) Baton Rouge, LA |
| January 11, 2022 6:30 p.m., SECN | No. 22 | South Carolina | W 66–46 | 11–4 (2–2) | 14 – Vescovi | 12 – James | 5 – Vescovi | Thompson–Boling Arena (15,262) Knoxville, TN |
| January 15, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 22 | at No. 18 Kentucky Rivalry | L 79–107 | 11–5 (2–3) | 20 – Vescovi | 4 – James | 3 – Chandler | Rupp Arena (20,278) Lexington, KY |
| January 18, 2022 9:00 p.m., SECN | No. 24 | at Vanderbilt | W 68–60 | 12–5 (3–3) | 14 – Vescovi | 7 – Tied | 4 – Chandler | Memorial Gymnasium (7,588) Nashville, TN |
| January 22, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 24 | No. 13 LSU | W 64–50 | 13–5 (4–3) | 16 – Vescovi | 6 – Tied | 6 – Chandler | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,061) Knoxville, TN |
| January 26, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 18 | Florida | W 78–71 | 14–5 (5–3) | 23 – Vescovi | 9 – James | 5 – Chandler | Thompson–Boling Arena (20,789) Knoxville, TN |
| January 29, 2022* 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 18 | at Texas Big 12/SEC Challenge | L 51–52 | 14–6 | 12 – Zeigler | 8 – Nkamhoua | 4 – Vescovi | Frank Erwin Center (16,540) Austin, TX |
| February 1, 2022 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 22 | Texas A&M | W 90–80 | 15–6 (6–3) | 16 – Chandler | 8 – James | 7 – Chandler | Thompson–Boling Arena (16,607) Knoxville, TN |
| February 5, 2022 1:00 p.m., CBS | No. 22 | at South Carolina | W 81–57 | 16–6 (7–3) | 20 – James | 8 – Plavsic | 10 – Chandler | Colonial Life Arena (12,391) Columbia, SC |
| February 9, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 19 | at Mississippi State | W 82–73 | 17–6 (8–3) | 18 – Tied | 5 – Tied | 7 – Vescovi | Humphrey Coliseum (7,014) Starkville, MS |
| February 12, 2022 6:00 p.m., SECN | No. 19 | Vanderbilt | W 73–64 | 18–6 (9–3) | 16 – Zeigler | 10 – James | 5 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (20,019) Knoxville, TN |
| February 15, 2022 9:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 16 | No. 4 Kentucky Rivalry | W 76–63 | 19–6 (10–3) | 18 – Vescovi | 8 – Fulkerson | 6 – Chandler | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| February 19, 2022 4:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 16 | at No. 23 Arkansas | L 48–58 | 19–7 (10–4) | 12 – Zeigler | 11 – Vescovi | 2 – Chandler | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| February 22, 2022 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 17 | at Missouri | W 80–61 | 20–7 (11–4) | 23 – Chandler | 8 – Chandler | 6 – Chandler | Mizzou Arena (7,253) Columbia, MO |
| February 26, 2022 4:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 17 | No. 3 Auburn | W 67–62 | 21–7 (12–4) | 14 – Vescovi | 9 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| March 1, 2022 6:30 p.m., SECN | No. 13 | at Georgia | W 75–68 | 22–7 (13–4) | 23 – James | 10 – Plavsic | 5 – James | Stegeman Coliseum (6,139) Athens, GA |
| March 5, 2022 12:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 13 | No. 14 Arkansas | W 78–74 | 23–7 (14–4) | 15 – Tied | 7 – James | 6 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2022 6:00 p.m., SECN | (2) No. 9 | vs. (10) Mississippi State Quarterfinals | W 72–59 | 24–7 | 16 – James | 6 – Fulkerson | 8 – Zeigler | Amalie Arena (17,132) Tampa, FL |
| March 12, 2022 3:00 p.m., ESPN | (2) No. 9 | vs. (3) No. 5 Kentucky Semifinals | W 69–62 | 25–7 | 19 – Chandler | 8 – Plavšić | 3 – Tied | Amalie Arena (20,670) Tampa, FL |
| March 13, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN | (2) No. 9 | vs. (8) Texas A&M Championship | W 65–50 | 26–7 | 17 – Vescovi | 12 – Fulkerson | 7 – Chandler | Amalie Arena (16,643) Tampa, FL |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2022* 2:45 p.m., CBS | (3 S) No. 5 | vs. (14 S) Longwood First Round | W 88–56 | 27–7 | 18 – Vescovi | 9 – James | 7 – Vescovi | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (15,782) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 19, 2022* 5:50 p.m., CBS | (3 S) No. 5 | vs. (11 S) Michigan Second Round | L 68–76 | 27–8 | 19 – Chandler | 9 – Plavsic | 9 – Chandler | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (17,838) Indianapolis, IN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking т = Tied with team above or below :
| | 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 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 19 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 24 | 18 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 9т | 5 | Not released |
| Coaches | 17т | 17т* | 17 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 19 | 15 | 18 | 23 | 25T | 20 | 20 | 18 | 13 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 15 |
*Coaches did not release a week 1 poll.