Appearing on the March Madness 365 podcast with Andy Katz this week, Rick Barnes talked through a number of things. But one thing became clear — Barnes is just as excited as the rest of us are about his team next year.
Tennessee struggled through a transitional season this year after losing four players to the NBA. That forced growth from John Fulkerson and Yves Pons, who were pushed into primary roles. Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James took their lumps as freshmen, something that should benefit them going forward.
The Volunteers return those four while adding a historical recruiting class, which features three top 50 players.