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Tennessee (7-1)
Of the handful of SEC teams that have outperformed expectations so far this season, Tennessee may be the biggest surprise. A Vols team projected to finish 13th in the SECs preseason poll is off to a 7-1 start that includes an impressive showing at the Battle 4 Atlantis. In one weekend in the Bahamas, Tennessee upset then-18th-ranked Purdue, put a scare into unbeaten Villanova and defeated improved NC State. The Vols have since added to their resume with a road victory at Georgia Tech. The collection of players Rick Barnes has at Tennessee is a couple inches shorter and a few pounds lighter than the McDonalds All-Americans he often coached at Texas, but the blue-collar Vols play patient offense and physical defense and dont beat themselves. Undersized post Grant Williams has emerged as a focal point on offense and Barnes has found some capable shooters and playmakers with which to surround him.
Ranking college basketball'''s five most surprising teams so far this season