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We’re less than three months away from Tennessee Basketball’s season-opening game against Wofford on Nov. 3, but UT fans won’t have to wait that long to see the new-look Volunteers in action. Rick Barnes’ squad will host Xavier in an exhibition game on Oct. 15 in Knoxville before traveling to Durham, NC, to face Duke in an exhibition game on Oct. 20.
There’s a ton of excitement around Tennessee’s upcoming season after the addition of nine new players from the transfer portal this offseason. From high-level scorers such as Juke Harris and Terrence Hill to a former rival in Jalen Washington, Tennessee has had no shortage of intriguing additions over the last handful of months.
On Thursday, Vince Wolfram of the ‘That’s A W’ show hosted RTI’s Ryan Schumpert for an in-depth Tennessee Basketball preview. During the program, Wolfram had Schumpert go through a series of superlative questions about the team, including the go-to shot-taker, the best NBA prospect, and more.
Here’s a look at how RTI’s Ryan Schumpert answered the Tennessee superlative questions during Thursday’s show:
Most Likely To Lead Tennessee in Scoring:
Answer: Juke Harris
Biggest Breakout Candidate
Answer: DeWayne Brown
Who Would You Trust With The Ball In His Hands With 10 Seconds Left Down Two?
Answer: “I’ll say Dai Dai Ames because he’s done it. He’s proved it. He’s made some big shots late in games before.”
Best Defender
Answer: Jalen Haralson
If The Guards Played 1-on-1, Who Is Most Victorious?
Answer: “I think it’s Juke Harris with his size.”
Highest NBA Ceiling
Answer: “That’s a good question. I’ll go with Juke – No, no, I’m going to scratch that. I’ll say (freshman) Ralph Scott. We won’t see a ton of it this year, but I think Ralph Scott may have the highest NBA ceiling of anyone on this roster… His size and the way he moves, and the way he can shoot over defenders, he’s going to skyrocket over the next two, three years. He gives off similar vibes, in terms of his game, that Cam Carr gave off as a freshman at Tennessee.”
Who Becomes the Fan Favorite?
Answer: “I think Jalen Washington has an ability to do it. You open up SEC play against Vanderbilt. He goes up and shows some fire and plays well in a game like that? I think he has a strong chance to do it. And Tyler Lundblade, too. He’s got such a good story. Fans love dunks and three-pointers – I don’t know how many dunks we’re going to see from Tyler Lundblade, but we’re going to see him hit some three-pointers.
More From RTI: Tennessee Basketball Recruiting Target Commits To SEC Foe
While Tennessee hasn’t gone and rebuilt through the portal in the past as heavily as it did this offseason, experts around the league aren’t knocking the Vols too much for a change in routine – for the most part. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello has UT at No. 6 in his early power rankings, while CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein has Tennessee at No. 10 in his way-too-early list. Additionally, CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish has Tennessee at No. 15 in his early rankings. In what’s probably the most surprising early selection of them all, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Tennessee as a 5-seed in early Bracketology projections this summer.
Tennessee saw six players leave the program through the portal this offseason, including starters such as J.P. Estrella, Bishop Boswell, and Jaylen Carey. But as Rick Barnes put it earlier in the year, Tennessee chose portal production over retention when assembling its next roster. The Vols brought in nine portal players, including six in 247Sports’ Top 100 transfer rankings.
Check out Vince Wolfram’s ‘That’s A W’ show with RTI’s Ryan Schumpert below: