# 2017–18 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team

The 2017–18 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Volunteers were led by third-year head coach Rick Barnes. The team played its home games at Thompson–Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee, as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 26–9, 13–5 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 Arkansas before losing to Kentucky in the championship game. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 3 seed in the South region. There the Volunteers defeated Wright State before being upset by Loyola–Chicago in the Second Round.

## Previous season

The Vols finished the 2016–17 season 16–16, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in a tie for ninth place. They lost in the second round of the SEC tournament to Georgia.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Robert Hubbs III | 3 | G | 6'5" | 207 | Senior | Newbern, TN | Graduated |
| Kwe Parker | 12 | G | 6'0" | 181 | Freshman | Fayetteville, NC | Transferred to Cape Fear Community College |
| Lew Evans | 21 | F | 6'7" | 235 | RS Senior | Salt Lake City, UT | Graduated |
| Shembari Phillips | 25 | G | 6'3" | 192 | Sophomore | Atlanta, GA | Transferred to Georgia Tech |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes | Ref |
| James Daniel III | 3 | G | 6'0" | 175 | RS Senior | Hampton, VA | Graduate transfer from Howard. Eligible to play immediately. | |
| Chris Darrington | 32 | G | 6'1" | 179 | Junior | Toledo, OH | Junior college transfer from Vincennes University. Eligible to play immediately. | |

### 2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Yves Pons SF | Paris, France | INSEP Paris | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 217 lb (98 kg) | Feb 28, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ||||||
| Derrick Walker PF | Kansas City, MO | Sunrise Christian Academy | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 255 lb (116 kg) | Feb 2, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Zach Kent C | Middletown, DE | Blair Academy | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | Oct 30, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 77 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: NR Rivals: NR 247Sports: NR ESPN: NR ||||||
| 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 2017 Tennessee Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||
Source:

## Roster
### Depth chart

| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 | Bench 3 |
| F/C | Kyle Alexander | John Fulkerson | Zach Kent | |
| F | Grant Williams | Derrick Walker | | |
| G/F | Admiral Schofield | Yves Pons | Jalen Johnson | Lucas Campbell (W) |
| G | Jordan Bowden | Lamonte' Turner | Chris Darrington | Jacob Fleschman (W) |
| PG | Jordan Bone | James Daniel | | Brad Woodson (W) |
Source:

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 2, 2017* 7:00 pm | | Carson–Newman | W 86–44 | – | 18 – Williams | 12 – Williams | 8 – Bone | Thompson–Boling Arena (5,014) Knoxville, TN |
| November 5, 2017* 12:30 pm | | at Clemson Exhibition for Hurricane Relief | W 71–67 | – | 24 – Williams | 7 – Tied | 4 – Daniel | Littlejohn Coliseum (4,112) Clemson, SC |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 10, 2017* 7:00 pm | | Presbyterian Battle 4 Atlantis campus-site game | W 88–53 | 1–0 | 22 – Schofield | 7 – Williams | 5 – Fulkerson | Thompson–Boling Arena (15,047) Knoxville, TN |
| November 14, 2017* 7:00 pm | | High Point | W 84–53 | 2–0 | 16 – Bone | 12 – Williams | 10 – Daniel | Thompson–Boling Arena (12,343) Knoxville, TN |
| November 22, 2017* 12:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. No. 18 Purdue Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals | W 78–75 $^{OT}$ | 3–0 | 22 – Williams | 11 – Alexander | 3 – Bone | Imperial Arena (1,306) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 23, 2017* 12:30 pm, ESPN | | vs. No. 5 Villanova Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals | L 76–85 | 3–1 | 20 – Williams | 8 – Williams | 5 – Turner | Imperial Arena (2,102) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 24, 2017* 2:30 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. NC State Battle 4 Atlantis 3rd Place game | W 67–58 | 4–1 | 14 – Williams | 13 – Alexander | 4 – Williams | Imperial Arena (1,329) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 29, 2017* 7:00 pm | | Mercer | W 84–60 | 5–1 | 21 – Williams | 4 – Tied | 10 – Daniel | Thompson–Boling Arena (13,642) Knoxville, TN |
| December 3, 2017* 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Georgia Tech | W 77–70 | 6–1 | 24 – Turner | 11 – Alexander | 4 – Bone | McCamish Pavilion (6,529) Atlanta, GA |
| December 9, 2017* 2:15 pm, SECN | No. 24 | Lipscomb | W 81–71 | 7–1 | 19 – Williams | 8 – Williams | 6 – Bone | Thompson–Boling Arena (14,051) Knoxville, TN |
| December 17, 2017* 3:00 pm, ESPN | No. 20 | No. 7 North Carolina | L 73–78 | 7–2 | 15 – Williams | 9 – Turner | 4 – Bone | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| December 20, 2017* 9:00 pm, SECN | No. 21-T | Furman | W 66–61 | 8–2 | 21 – Bowden | 13 – Schofield | 4 – Daniel | Thompson–Boling Arena (13,095) Knoxville, TN |
| December 23, 2017* 12:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 21-T | at Wake Forest | W 79–60 | 9–2 | 17 – Bowden | 6 – Schofield | 5 – Bone | LJVM Coliseum (11,362) Winston-Salem, NC |
| December 30, 2017 1:00 pm, SECN | No. 19 | at Arkansas | L 93–95 $^{OT}$ | 9–3 (0–1) | 21 – Bone | 7 – Schofield | 5 – Bone | Bud Walton Arena (18,696) Fayetteville, AR |
| January 2, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 23 | Auburn | L 84–94 | 9–4 (0–2) | 25 – Turner | 8 – Williams | 3 – Bowden | Thompson–Boling Arena (14,755) Knoxville, TN |
| January 6, 2018 9:00 pm, SECN | No. 23 | No. 17 Kentucky Rivalry | W 76–65 | 10–4 (1–2) | 20 – Schofield | 9 – Schofield | 6 – Daniel | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| January 9, 2018 9:00 pm, SECN | No. 24 | at Vanderbilt | W 92–84 | 11–4 (2–2) | 37 – Williams | 9 – Schofield | 4 – Daniel | Memorial Gymnasium (11,510) Nashville, TN |
| January 13, 2018 6:00 pm, SECN | No. 24 | Texas A&M | W 75–62 | 12–4 (3–2) | 15 – Bowden | 8 – Schofield | 4 – Bone | Thompson–Boling Arena (19,612) Knoxville, TN |
| January 17, 2018 9:00 pm, SECN | No. 21 | at Missouri | L 55–59 | 12–5 (3–3) | 15 – Williams | 5 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| January 20, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 21 | at South Carolina | W 70–63 | 13–5 (4–3) | 25 – Turner | 6 – Turner | 3 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC |
| January 23, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 22 | Vanderbilt | W 67–62 | 14–5 (5–3) | 19 – Bowden | 6 – Tied | 4 – Daniel | Thompson–Boling Arena (14,127) Knoxville, TN |
| January 27, 2018* 4:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 22 | at Iowa State Big 12/SEC Challenge | W 68–45 | 15–5 | 20 – Turner | 10 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Hilton Coliseum (14,384) Ames, IA |
| January 31, 2018 6:00 pm, SECN | No. 18 | LSU | W 84–61 | 16–5 (6–3) | 17 – Daniel | 8 – Schofield | 8 – Bone | Thompson–Boling Arena (13,425) Knoxville, TN |
| February 3, 2018 6:00 pm, SECN | No. 18 | Ole Miss | W 94–61 | 17–5 (7–3) | 17 – Tied | 12 – Schofield | 6 – Bone | Thompson–Boling Arena (18,316) Knoxville, TN |
| February 6, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 15 | at No. 24 Kentucky Rivalry | W 61–59 | 18–5 (8–3) | 16 – Turner | 8 – Bowden | 4 – Bone | Rupp Arena (23,332) Lexington, KY |
| February 10, 2018 6:00 pm, SECN | No. 15 | at Alabama | L 50–78 | 18–6 (8–4) | 16 – Williams | 7 – Tied | 2 – Bone | Coleman Coliseum (15,383) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 13, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 18 | South Carolina | W 70–67 | 19–6 (9–4) | 22 – Williams | 5 – Tied | 4 – Bone | Thompson–Boling Arena (13,126) Knoxville, TN |
| February 17, 2018 6:00 pm, SECN | No. 18 | at Georgia | L 62–73 | 19–7 (9–5) | 14 – Turner | 13 – Alexander | 7 – Bone | Stegeman Coliseum (10,028) Athens, GA |
| February 21, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 19 | Florida | W 62–57 | 20–7 (10–5) | 23 – Williams | 8 – Schofield | 4 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (16,016) Knoxville, TN |
| February 24, 2018 1:00 pm, SECN | No. 19 | at Ole Miss | W 73–65 | 21–7 (11–5) | 25 – Schofield | 7 – Tied | 8 – Bone | The Pavilion at Ole Miss (8,149) Oxford, MS |
| February 27, 2018 7:00 pm, SECN | No. 16 | at Mississippi State | W 76–54 | 22–7 (12–5) | 24 – Schofield | 7 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Humphrey Coliseum (7,548) Starkville, MS |
| March 3, 2018 6:00 pm, SECN | No. 16 | Georgia | W 66–61 | 23–7 (13–5) | 23 – Schofield | 9 – Alexander | 7 – Bowden | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2018 7:00 pm, SECN | (2) No. 13 | vs. (7) Mississippi State Quarterfinals | W 62–59 | 24–7 | 15 – Turner | 11 – Williams | 3 – Tied | Scottrade Center (14,596) St. Louis, MO |
| March 10, 2018 3:30 pm, ESPN | (2) No. 13 | vs. (6) Arkansas Semifinals | W 84–66 | 25–7 | 19 – Bone | 7 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Scottrade Center (18,729) St. Louis, MO |
| March 11, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPN | (2) No. 13 | vs. (4) Kentucky Championship | L 72–77 | 25–8 | 22 – Schofield | 10 – Schofield | 4 – Tied | Scottrade Center (18,973) St. Louis, MO |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 15, 2018* 12:40 pm, truTV | (3 S) No. 13 | vs. (14 S) Wright State First Round | W 73–47 | 26–8 | 19 – Turner | 12 – Schofield | 9 – Turner | American Airlines Center (15,802) Dallas, TX |
| March 17, 2018* 6:10 pm, TNT | (3 S) No. 13 | vs. (11 S) Loyola–Chicago Second Round | L 62–63 | 26–9 | 14 – Schofield | 5 – Turner | 5 – Bone | American Airlines Center (18,642) Dallas, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes 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 | — | — | — | RV | 24 | 20 | 21-T | 19 | 23 | 24 | 21 | 22 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 13 | Not released |
| Coaches | — | —^ | — | RV | RV | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 12 | 12 | 16 |
^Coaches' Poll did not release a second poll at the same time as the AP. *AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings