UT Vols basketball ranked No. 1 in Associated Press, coaches polls

Tennessee basketball is the No. 1 team in the nation.

On Monday, the Vols topped the Associated Press poll for the second time in program history. The Vols received 48 of 64 first-place votes to put Rick Barnes' squad in the No. 1 spot.

"When Barnes got here four years ago, he was trying to create a culture and create a different standard," guard Jordan Bone said Saturday. "That’s something that we’ve worked on. We’ve worked on it progressing every year. We have taken huge steps ever since I was a freshman. It’s a huge testament to our hard work and the hard work the coaches have put in as well as the players. It shows the transformation.”

UT (16-1, 5-0 SEC) moved ahead of Duke and Michigan after the former No. 1 and 2 teams lost last week. The Vols beat Arkansas and Alabama to extend their winning streak to 12 games.

The Vols also are ranked No. 1 in the USA TODAY coaches poll.

“The guys that are playing right now, they built this thing," Barnes said.

UT was ranked No. 3 in the AP poll for the previous six weeks, trailing Duke and Michigan for the past four. 

The possibility of Tennessee moving up in the poll arose when ex-No. 1 Duke lost 95-91 to Syracuse in overtime last Monday. On Saturday, former No. 2 Michigan dropped 74-64 to Wisconsin before Tennessee survived Alabama 71-68.

Afterward, the Vols learned Michigan had lost. They said being No. 1 would be a good accomplishment, but stressed there's more important things than being the top team in mid-January.

“It’s all about keeping it here, letting it last," forward Grant Williams said Saturday. "For me, I’ve always thought my goal was to hang banners rather than worry about halfway through the season. If we get caught up in that, we’re not going to meet what our goals are.”

The Vols were No. 1 for a week in the 2007-08 season after beating No. 1 Memphis in a matchup of the nation's top two teams. But they lost their next game 72-69 at Vanderbilt to fall from the top spot.

UT faces Vanderbilt (9-8, 0-5) on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

"I think it’s just a number," Williams said. "It’s just two spots. It’s just another number. We are just going to have to do our jobs and come into the game against a talented Vanderbilt team.”

Duke slipped to No. 2, ahead of No. 3 Virginia, No. 4 Gonzaga and No. 5 Michigan.

"Every team in the top five is a No. 1 team," Williams said. "Every team in the Top 25 could potentially be up there. So it’s a long season. Doesn’t matter what number you are at the halfway point. It’s where you’re at at the end."

Before this season, Tennessee had spent three weeks in program history ranked in the top three of the AP poll. All three came in the 2007-08 season.

Tennessee reached the No. 3 ranking this season after beating then-No. 1 Gonzaga in early December. The Vols haven't lost since then, holding the spot throughout the remainder of the month. 

Their lone loss came to No. 5 Kansas on Nov. 23 in the NIT Season Tip-Off in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Tennessee opened the season ranked No. 6, then rose to No. 5 after two weeks.

UT opened with blowouts against Lenoir-Rhyne and Louisiana. It then won hard-fought games against Georgia Tech and Louisville before falling to Kansas 87-81 in overtime and dropping to No. 6.

The Vols won two more blowouts after losing to Kansas, but slipped to No. 7 after Michigan rose to No. 5. They jumped to No. 3 after beating former No. 1 Gonzaga and have won 12 in a row since that upset.

STAYING AT THE TOP:UT Vols have potential for long-term prominence in college basketball