Welcome to The Sports Bank’s second annual college basketball season preview series. Last year we looked at 99 teams in 99 days. This year, we are being slightly more aggressive and expanding to 111 teams in 111 days. We will rank the 74 power conference teams and top 37 mid-majors in reverse power ranking order. We’ll break down rosters, non-conference schedules, and pick a player to watch for each team.
Between the Bruce Pearl scandal and a 30-point loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the 2010-2011 season was rather embarrassing for the Tennessee Volunteers basketball program. Now it is up to new head coach Cuonzo Martin to get the Vols back on the right track.
For the Tennesse Volunteers Football Season Preview go here
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS
Last Season: 7th, 8-8 in SEC, 19-15 overall
Predicted SEC Finish: 7th
Projected Depth Chart
C: Kenny Hall (Jr)/Dwight Miller (Jr)/Yemi Makanjuola (Fr)
F: Jeronne Maymon (Jr)/Renaldo Woolridge (Sr)
G/F: Jordan McRae (So)/Josh Richardson (Fr)
SG: Cammeron Tatum (Sr)/Skylar McBee (Jr)/Quentin Chievous (Fr)
PG: Trae Golden (So)/Wes Washpun (Fr)/Brandon Lopez (Fr)
Gone: F-Tobias Harris, SG-Scotty Hopson, PG-Melvin Goins, F/C-John Fields, C-Brian Williams, F-Steven Pearl, SG-Josh Bone
2011-2012 Outlook:
With five of their top six scorers gone from last season including the early departures of Tobias Harris and Scotty Hopson to the NBA Draft, the Volunteers have plenty of turnover on their roster. They will rely on role players from a year ago to play major roles this season.
The top returning player is Cammeron Tatum. He is athletically gifted but struggled shooting the rock last season. Tatum will have to develop into the team’s go-to scorer as he is the only player to average more than three points per game in 2010-11.
Wing Jordan McRae figures to join Tatum in the starting line-up. He only played in ten games last season but brings a lot of athleticism to the table. Three-point threat Skylar McBee will be one of the top options off the bench while freshmen Josh Richardson and Quentin Chievous try to work themselves into the rotation.
Trae Golden takes over the full-time point guard duties now that Melvin Goins has graduated. Golden is a physical point guard and a solid distributor. He will be backed up by freshman Wes Washpun who is extremely quick but not much of an outside shooter. Richardson may also see some time at the point.
The frontcourt spots are up for grabs. Kenny Hall, Jeronne Maymon, and Renaldo Woolridge all played sparingly a year ago and will have to step into bigger roles. All three guys are skilled but have not come close to tapping into their full potential. Former Pitt Panther Dwight Miller is a load inside and should also factor into the equation while freshman Yemi Makanjuola brings more muscle to the interior.
The Vols have a ton of questions entering the season. They are not a great outside shooting team and lack proven production on the inside. Playing in a fairly top heavy SEC, Martin will have his hands full trying to make it a quick turnaround for UT.
Player to Watch: Jeronne Maymon
The former Marquette Golden Eagle has had an extremely disappointing start to his college career. A top 100 recruit coming out of Madison Memorial high school in Wisconsin, Maymon was supposed to be an impact player for the Vols after becoming eligible for the second semester. However, he was unable to find a steady role off the bench. He has a strong build but is more of a finesse player who prefers playing out on the perimeter. His work ethic and motivation has also been questioned. If he can finally put it all together, it will give Tennessee a much needed boost in their frontcourt.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/21 vs. Duke (Maui Invitational)
11/22 vs. Memphis/Michigan (Maui Invitational)
11/23 vs. Kansas/Georgetown/UCLA/Chaminade (Maui Invitational)
11/28 at Oakland
12/3 vs. Pittsburgh (SEC/Big East Challenge)
12/14 at Charleston
1/4 at Memphis
1/21 vs. UConn
OTHER 111 IN 111’S:
#65 Iona Gaels
#66 Murray State Racers
#67 N.C. State Wolfpack
#68 Fairfield Stags
#69 George Washingon Colonials
#70 Indiana State Sycamores
#71 Oklahoma State Cowboys
#72 Indiana Hoosiers
#73 UAB Blazers
#74 Iowa State Cyclones
#75 Creighton Bluejays
#76 USC Trojans
#77 Weber State Wildcats
#78 Maryland Terrapins
#79 Tulsa Golden Hurricane
#80 Minnesota Golden Gophers
#81 Western Michigan Broncos
#82 Dayton Flyers
#83 Stanford Cardinal
#84 Yale Bulldogs
#85 Georgia Bulldogs
#86 Rutgers Scarlet Knights
#87 Richmond Spiders
#88 Ball State Cardinals
#89 Utah State Aggies
#90 Arizona State Sun Devils
#91 Marshall Thundering Herd
#92 Oregon State Beavers
#93 Washington State Cougars
#94 Iowa Hawkeyes
#95 Ole Miss Rebels
#96 Nebraska Cornhuskers
#97 Oklahoma Sooners
#98 South Florida Bulls
#99 LSU Tigers
#100 Colorado Buffaloes
#101 DePaul Blue Demons
#102 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
#103 Wake Forest Demon Deacons
#104 Seton Hall Pirates
#105 Providence Friars
#106 Auburn Tigers
#107 South Carolina Gamecocks
#108 Texas Tech Red Raiders
#109 Penn State Nittany Lions
#110 Boston College Eagles
#111 Utah Utes
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft on the web.
You can follow him on Twitter at DavidKay_TSB.