2019–20 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team

2019–20 Tennessee Volunteers basketball
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record17–14 (9–9 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaThompson–Boling Arena
Seasons
2019–20 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 8 Kentucky 15 – 3   .833 25 – 6   .806
No. 20 Auburn 12 – 6   .667 25 – 6   .806
LSU 12 – 6   .667 21 – 10   .677
Mississippi State 11 – 7   .611 20 – 11   .645
Florida 11 – 7   .611 19 – 12   .613
South Carolina 10 – 8   .556 18 – 13   .581
Texas A&M 10 – 8   .556 16 – 14   .533
Tennessee 9 – 9   .500 17 – 14   .548
Alabama 8 – 10   .444 16 – 15   .516
Arkansas 7 – 11   .389 20 – 12   .625
Missouri 7 – 11   .389 15 – 16   .484
Ole Miss 6 – 12   .333 15 – 17   .469
Georgia 5 – 13   .278 16 – 16   .500
Vanderbilt 3 – 15   .167 11 – 21   .344
Note: The 2020 SEC tournament was canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rankings from AP poll

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.

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

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Admiral Schofield 5 F 6'6" 241 Senior Zion, IL Graduated; selected 42nd overall by the Philadelphia 76ers
Kyle Alexander 11 F 6'11" 215 Senior Milton, ON Graduated
Brad Woodson 12 G 6'1" 177 Senior Murfreesboro, TN Graduated
Lucas Campbell 24 G 6'4" 185 Senior Knoxville, TN Graduated
Jordan Bone 0 G 6'3" 174 Junior Nashville, TN Declared for the NBA draft; selected 57th overall by the New Orleans Pelicans
Grant Williams 2 F 6'7" 236 Junior Charlotte, NC Declared for the NBA draft; selected 22nd overall by the Boston Celtics
Derrick Walker 15 F 6'8" 236 Sophomore Kansas City, MO Transferred to Nebraska
D. J. Burns 32 F 6'9" 272 Freshman Rock Hill, SC Transferred 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

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Victor Bailey Jr. 13 G 6'4" 190 Junior Austin, TX Transferred from Oregon. Under NCAA transfer rules, Bailey will have to sit out the 2019–20 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Uroš Plavšić 34 C 7'0" 240 Sophomore Ivanjica, Serbia Transferred 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

College recruiting information
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 
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 
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 
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 
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

College recruiting information (2020)
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 
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 
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 
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
1 Kentucky
2 Florida
3 LSU
4 Auburn
5 Tennessee
6 Alabama
7 Mississippi State
8 Ole Miss
9 Georgia
10 South Carolina
11 Arkansas
12 Texas A&M
13 Missouri
14 Vanderbilt

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
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 1 Lamonte Turner 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 187 lb (85 kg) RS Sr IMG Academy Florence, Alabama
F 3 Drew Pember 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 207 lb (94 kg) Fr Bearden High School Knoxville, Tennessee
G 4 Jacob Fleschman (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 176 lb (80 kg) RS Jr Westlake High School Austin, Texas
G 5 Josiah-Jordan James 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 208 lb (94 kg) Fr Porter-Gaud School Charleston, South Carolina
F 10 John Fulkerson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 212 lb (96 kg) RS Jr Christ School Kingsport, Tennessee
G 11 Davonte Gaines 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 166 lb (75 kg) Fr Hargrave Military Academy Buffalo, New York
G 12 Victor Bailey Jr. Current redshirt 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 186 lb (84 kg) Jr Oregon Austin, Texas
G 13 Jalen Johnson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 196 lb (89 kg) RS Jr Wesleyan Christian Academy Durham, North Carolina
F 21 Olivier Nkamhoua 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 224 lb (102 kg) Fr Bishop Walsh School Helsinki, Finland
G 23 Jordan Bowden 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 193 lb (88 kg) Sr Carter High School Knoxville, Tennessee
G 25 Santiago Véscovi 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Fr NBA Global Academy Montevideo, Uruguay
F 30 Brock Jancek (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 222 lb (101 kg) So Knoxville Catholic High School Knoxville, Tennessee
F 34 Uroš Plavšić Current redshirt 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So Arizona State Ivanjica, Serbia
G/F 35 Yves Pons 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr INSEP 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

[citation needed]

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

See also: 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
APRVRV2017211921RV——————————Not 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".