Vol hoops move up in AP poll after going 1-1 in Tip-Off Tournament

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Tennessee basketball team had a tale of two games at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament in Connecticut after being routed by Villanova and then routing North Carolina the following game. Now, the Vols have found themselves moving up in the AP Top 25 poll to No. 15.

With an abysmal offensive performance against the Wildcats, Tennessee started the weekend cold but with a silver lining in the play from Santiago Vescovi (23 points). The final score ended up being Villanova 71, Tennessee 53.

However, some say it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish — thankfully for Tennessee, they finished strong. The Rick Barnes-led Volunteers looked like a completely different team against North Carolina on Sunday.

Behind stellar guard play from Zakai Zeigler (18 points, 5 assists) and Kennedy Chandler (14 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds), the Vols took care of the Tar Heels 89-72.

Tennessee will look to continue the positive momentum against Tennessee Tech (Nov. 26) and Presbyterian (Nov. 30) to finish out November before a talent-heavy December schedule featuring three current teams ranked in the AP Top 25 (Memphis, Arizona and Alabama).