UT Vols basketball is about to realize life at No. 1 just isn't the same

“Let the hate begin,” Admiral Schofield tweeted Monday afternoon, and that was a good way to put it, though the Tennessee senior guard could have subbed in several other words for what the newly No. 1 Vols are about to encounter.

Scrutiny. Increased opponent intensity. Internal pressure. That’s why this is such a good deal for Rick Barnes’ team (16-1, 5-0 SEC), this second time atop the polls in program history, just in time for Wednesday’s visit to last-place Vanderbilt (9-8, 0-5).

This loaded league already was going to steel the Vols for a run at the first Final Four and national championship in program history, as did the nonleague split against Kansas and Gonzaga. But this time at No. 1, however long it lasts, is another preparatory bonus. Which is weird if you think about it.

Tennessee is chasing a repeat SEC championship, a banner worth hanging high in a conference enjoying a basketball renaissance. Tennessee is chasing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, too, and first-weekend placement as close to home as possible – Columbia, S.C., and Columbus, Ohio, are the top two options.

This is a sport that determines a champion each year with an incomparable 68-team tournament, and the choosing and seeding of those teams has zero to do with the polls. The polls are for fans, for fun.

Yet when a team grabs that top spot, well, all apologies to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and his trademarking efforts, but it just means more.

This is a media thing, of course, but it’s also a human thing. Being ranked No. 1 is naturally a point of pride. There’s an internal urgency to prove it. And there’s more juice on the other side, especially an opponent with a raucous crowd behind it and a student section seeking any excuse to rush the floor. There’s no greater home court/field/ice advantage in sports than in college basketball.

That’s not to say Wednesday is a danger to the Vols. It shouldn’t be. Yes, Vanderbilt pulled the home upset 11 years ago on the only other Tennessee team to earn a No. 1 ranking. It’s an intriguing little piece of history as this rivalry game approaches.

But that was a really good Vanderbilt team. This one is a mess. And I’ll be surprised if Memorial Gym doesn’t have more orange than black and gold in it Wednesday night.

I’ll also be disappointed if the Commodores don’t come out and fight in this one. They’ve got a fast-fading season on the line. And they get a shot, not just at their in-state rival, not just at the defending SEC champion, but at the No. 1 team in the nation. Psychologically, you can’t really give a team more reasons to focus and dive for loose balls.

As we saw Saturday, the Vols aren’t unbeatable. They had to escape a good, not elite, Alabama team at home. It was another best shot from an SEC opponent survived, as in a week earlier at Florida. Being a defending league champion and top-five team means you are a major opportunity for everyone you play. So far, Barnes’ team has handled that.

Now it reaches a new level, even though Barnes said Tuesday that he isn't making a big deal out of the ranking, and forward Grant Williams said after Saturday’s win that it would be “just a number.”

“It’s all about keeping it here, letting it last,” Williams said. “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.”

Very true. And it’s not like being ranked No. 1 is a national championship prerequisite – of the past 20 champions, 11 of them never sat atop the polls.

But if this team can stay there for a while, that’s more valuable prep and more proof that it is built to handle heavy moments. Let’s see, for starters, if Vanderbilt can supply more than a couple.

Reach Joe Rexrode at jrexrode@tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter.