Fast-break No. 1 Purdue 72, No. 2 Tennessee 66

Tennessee basketball is 10 days into its offseason and has roughly a third of its scholarship spots on roster open. The Vols lost three fifty-year seniors after the loss to Purdue in the Elite Eight on March 31 and since then have lost two redshirt freshmen to the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Dalton Knecht, Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi have all exhausted their eligibility while Freddie Dilione and DJ Jefferson are leaving via transfer, with Dilione entering the portal last week and Jefferson entering on Monday afternoon.

The only current addition for the 2024-25 roster is incoming freshman point guard Bishop Boswell, who signed with the Vols in December.

Still, the yet-to-be-filled roster hasn’t kept Tennessee out of the way-too-early top-25 projections for next season. Here’s a look at where the new-look Vols stand in the first looks at the new season:

Fox Sports: No. 7

John Fanta, Fox Sports: “The Volunteers are in the top 10 because they’ve won at a high level in recent seasons and have familiar faces back next year, starting with point guard Zakai Zeigler. I would expect that we see growth from Jordan Gainey and Jahmai Mashack, while big man Jonas Aidoo returns as well. Dalton Knecht will likely be moving on to the NBA, but Tennessee will have the assets to acquire transfer portal help as well.” 

 The Athletic: No. 8

CJ Moore and Sam Vecenie, The Athletic: “The Volunteers will lose first-team All-American Dalton Knecht, and that is a significant loss. Knecht is what made Tennessee different this season, allowing them to score bail-out buckets when the offensive execution got tough. Next year, they’ll need to find that answer — potentially in the portal again, given that they still project to have three open scholarship slots.”

USA Today: No. 8

Paul Myerburg, Erick Smith and Eddie Timanus, USA Today: “Tennessee loses three key pieces in Dalton Knecht, Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi. Rick Barnes will have to go back into the transfer portal to find some scoring on the wing to replace Knecht. (Good luck with that.) But the Volunteers will be a veteran team potentially led by four seniors in Zakai Zeigler, Jonas Aidoo, Jahmai Mashack and Jordan Gainey. That’s a strong starting point for a team good enough to win another SEC regular-season crown.”

ESPN: No. 9

Jeff Borzello, ESPN: “Dalton Knecht is gone and Rick Barnes‘ best offense in several years is out the door with him. But if the more up-tempo, 3-point-heavy offensive system remains in Knoxville, there should be plenty of optimism. Zakai Zeigler is one of the best point guards in the country, and Jonas Aidoo made significant strides as a junior. The Vols will need someone on the wing to step up as a scorer, and a sleeper name to become that guy is sophomore-to-be Cameron Carr.”

Sports Illustrated: No. 9 

Kevin Sweeney, Sports Illustrated: “It won’t be easy for Rick Barnes to replicate what he found in the transfer portal a year ago with Dalton Knecht, but the nucleus is still in place for this group to be highly competitive. Zakai Zeigler gives UT one of the best point guards in the country, and center Jonas Aidoo’s offensive game keeps expanding. An additional scoring pop on the wing should be a portal priority, but there’s plenty here to build on even if it will be a Herculean challenge to replace Knecht in the portal.” 

Yahoo: No. 18 

Ryan Young, Yahoo: “Dalton Knecht is gone, which hurts Tennessee a lot. But Zakai Zeigler is coming off a tremendous season, and several other players could step up to try and fill the gap that Knecht is leaving.”