Rick Barnes is trying to lead Tennessee to a fourth straight elite 8 and get over the hump to a final four. Barnes made it to the final four in 2003 when coaching the Texas Longhorns. However, he has not made it that far yet with the Tennessee volunteers.

Tennessee forward Braedan Lue (0) talks with coach Rick Barnes during a college basketball exhibition game against Xavier on Oct. 15, 2026, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Exhbition Struggles

A disappointing 103-64 exhibition loss to Duke raised concerns about Tennessee's readiness. Meanwhile, guard Tyler Lundblade's knee injury has added another challenge for a team looking to establish chemistry with a revamped roster.

However, those early setbacks have not prevented ESPN from placing Tennessee among the programs capable of making a deep NCAA Tournament run.

In its recently released 2026-27 men's college basketball preseason tiers , ESPN ranked Tennessee in Tier II, a group labeled Final Four contenders .…