We continue our recruit and return series with the Tennessee Volunteers, whose season ended with a 63-62 loss to Loyola-Chicago. A look at what the 2018-19 season could hold:
Possible 2018-19 starting five
G: Jordan Bone
Who is lost: Tennessee is only expected to lose one guy on the roster after this season, former Howard graduate transfer James Daniel. Daniel transformed his role after the transfer. He led the country in scoring during the 2015-16 season, but played more of a backup point guard role for the Volunteers and was an adept distributor.
Who is added: No one. There’s not a single commitment from the 2018 class for Tennessee, although the Volunteers return essentially everyone of note. Could Rick Barnes snag a graduate transfer?
What it means for next season: Tennessee flew completely under the radar heading into this season. That won’t be the case in 2018-19. The Volunteers bring back all five starters and every member of the rotation besides Daniel. Could there be surprising departures? Potentially, but there aren’t any NBA first-rounders on the roster expected to leave. It starts with Williams up front, the SEC Player of the Year. Despite standing just 6-foot-7, Williams is a dominant inside force who battled night in and night out for Tennessee. Schofield was a difficult matchup for opponents, given that he’s nearly 240 pounds but was able to step out and knock down shots from the perimeter. Kyle Alexander brought 6-foot-11 size to the frontcourt, giving Barnes more length and height down low. On the perimeter, Bone, Turner and Bowden should all be back. Turner and Bowden were consistent double-figure scorers, with both players shooting above 40 percent from 3-point range, while Bone was a distributor.
Trending: Up. After a tremendous season for Tennessee, in which Barnes and the Volunteers came out of nowhere to win a share of the SEC regular-season title, they shouldn’t go anywhere. Nearly everyone returns from this season, meaning they’ll be a veteran group with plenty of experience. Although certain teams in the league -- namely LSU, possibly Kentucky -- will be improved, there doesn’t seem to be a long list of elite teams in the league. Tennessee should be near the top of the standings again.