Tennessee coaches have spent decades trying to lure elite basketball prospects from Memphis to Knoxville, Tennessee, with, generally speaking, very little success. The two cities are in the same state, sure. But they're very different places separated by roughly 400 miles. And that's among the reasons elite basketball prospects from Memphis have historically passed on the Vols.
Kennedy Chandler didn't, though.
The 6-foot freshman who starred at Briarcrest Christian and was a two-time Mr. Basketball winner in the state of Tennessee had offers from Duke, Kentucky, Memphis and North Carolina but committed to Tennessee in November 2020. He's now leading the nationally ranked Vols in points per game (16.1), assists per game (4.7), steals per game (2.4) and minutes per game (28.7) while shooting 52.3% from the field and 42.3% from 3-point range. The five-star point guard got 27 points in Saturday's 69-54 win at Colorado and is consistently performing like an All-American.
"They had Kennedy Chandler — and we didn't," is how Colorado coach Tad Boyle summarized things after last weekend's loss to the Vols. "He was the difference in the game."
Watching Chandler flourish while his hometown Tigers struggle must be especially tough for Memphis fans considering the most-glaring hole on Penny Hardaway's roster is at point guard, where senior Alex Lomax still gets most of the minutes despite the fact that he turns the ball over just as often as he records an assist. Either way, Chandler, who projects as a one-and-done lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, will spend Tuesday night on the big stage that the Jimmy V Classic provides. He and his teammates will play Texas Tech inside Madison Square Garden. Tennessee enters the game at No. 11 in Tuesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.
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Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Jaden Ivey finished with 19 points and two steals in Friday's 77-70 win over Iowa. The Boilermakers' next game is Thursday at Rutgers. | -- | 8-3 |
| 2 |  | Duke was outscored 14-1 in the final five minutes of Tuesday's 71-66 loss at Ohio State. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday against South Carolina State. | -- | 9-2 |
| 3 |  | Tyger Campbell finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists in Wednesday's 73-61 win over Colorado. The Bruins' next game is Saturday at Marquette. | -- | 10-1 |
| 4 |  | Collin Gillespie finished with 23 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 81-52 win over Saint Joseph's. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Syracuse. | -- | 8-4 |
| 5 |  | LJ Cryer got 20 points off the bench in Saturday's 99-54 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Bears' next game is Sunday against Villanova. | -- | 7-3 |
| 6 |  | Chet Holmgren missed each of the four 3-pointers he attempted in Saturday's 91-82 loss to Alabama. The Zags' next game is Thursday against Merrimack. | -- | 8-3 |
| 7 |  | Christian Bishop finished with 17 points off the bench in Friday's 88-58 win over UT Rio Grande Valley. The Longhorns' next game is Thursday against Seton Hall. | -- | 10-2 |
| 8 |  | Au'Diese Toney finished with 18 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 93-78 win over Little Rock. The Razorbacks' next game is Tuesday against Charlotte. | -- | 9-2 |
| 9 |  | Oscar Tshiebwe finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds in Monday's 85-57 win over Central Michigan. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Southern. | -- | 10-1 |
| 10 |  | Bennedict Mathurin finished with 29 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 90-65 win at Oregon State. The Wildcats' next game is Wednesday against Wyoming. | -- | 5-5 |
| 11 |  | Kennedy Chandler finished with 27 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 69-54 win at Colorado. The Vols' next game is Tuesday against Texas Tech. | -- | 11-0 |
| 12 |  | Jaden Shackelford finished with 28 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 91-82 win over Gonzaga. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against Houston. | -- | 9-2 |
| 13 |  | Christian Braun finished with 31 points and eight rebounds in Friday's 95-75 win over St. John's. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday against UTEP. | -- | 8-2 |
| 14 |  | Max Christie finished with 14 points and three assists in Saturday's 81-68 win over Toledo. The Spartans' next game is Wednesday at Minnesota. | -- | 9-2 |
| 15 |  | Jordan Hawkins finished with 15 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 88-59 win over Grambling. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday at West Virginia. | -- | 9-3 |
| 16 |  | Jabari Smith finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 86-64 win over Yale. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Nebraska. | -- | 10-1 |
| 17 |  | Chevez Goodwin finished with 14 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 63-61 win at Washington State. The Trojans' next game is Tuesday against Eastern Kentucky. | -- | 8-4 |
| 18 |  | Tramon Mark got 18 points off the bench in Monday's 77-45 win over Alcorn State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Alabama. | -- | 7-3 |
| 19 |  | Caleb Grill got 16 points off the bench in Saturday's 64-58 win at Creighton. The Cyclones' next game is Thursday against Iowa. | -- | 9-1 |
| 20 |  | R.J. Davis finished with 23 points, five rebounds and five assists in Sunday's 79-62 win at Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday against Elon. | -- | 6-5 |
| 21 |  | Kyle Young finished with 16 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 76-64 win at Penn State. The Buckeyes' next game is Wednesday against Towson. | 1 | 7-4 |
| 22 |  | Jamir Harris finished with 23 points off the bench in Saturday's 113-67 win over Nyack College. The Pirates' next game is Thursday against Texas. | 1 | 5-7 |
| 23 |  | Tari Eason finished with 20 points and five steals in Wednesday's 66-51 win over Ohio. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Georgia Tech. | 1 | 9-2 |
| 24 |  | Johnny Davis finished with 25 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 89-76 winn over Marquette. The Badgers' next game is Wednesday against Indiana. | 1 | 9-3 |
| 25 |  | Paul Scruggs finished with 19 points and four rebounds in Sunday's 77-71 win at Oklahoma State. The Musketeers' next game is Wednesday against Ball State. | 1 | 8-4 |
| 26 |  | David Roddy finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 74-58 win over Saint Mary's. The Rams' next game is Saturday against Mississippi State. | NR | 6-5 |
IN: Colorado State
OUT: Florida
