Tennessee’s No. 1 billing and one of its best starts in program history will mean little on Saturday.

At least that’s how Rick Barnes feels.

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The Vols (13-0) are one of three undefeated teams left in college basketball. All three teams are in the same league--Florida and Oklahoma are the others--and all three will play each other at least once over the next month.

That is the kind of gauntlet Tennessee will walk into when it opens SEC play against No. 23 Arkansas (11-2) at Food City Center (1 p.m. ET, ESPN).

"You can throw it all out. We’re 0-0 like everybody else," Barnes said. "Rankings mean nothing. None of it, other than maybe people look at it as a way to build their resume right now. But the fact is 0-0 with everybody in the league.”

The Vols impressed through the first month and a half, their resume including road wins over Louisville and Illinois and a clean sweep of Virginia and Baylor in the Bahamas, but the SEC presents a different challenge.

As the calendar flips to January, there is little doubt that the league is the best in the country. Ten teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 with five inside the top 10 and early projections have as many as 13 teams making the NCAA Tournament field and few others on the bubble.

In the non-conference, the SEC finished with a commanding 185-23 record and no team has more than three losses.

If the Vols are as good or better they were a year ago when they reached the Elite Eight for just the second time, there will be a good, early indication.

"When I look at it in January, I think everything we do (needs to improve)," Barnes. "I mean we obviously got to rebound the ball better. (Arkansas) coming in here Saturday and then after that, it’s going to be a different team. So we’re going to have to adjust from game to game. But there are certain fundamental things that we have got to improve on."

More than Tennessee's ranking and record will be tested. The Vols' lineup, led by one of the most successful transfer portal hauls of the offseason in Chaz Lanier, will also have to prove itself night in and night out in games that will be more meaningful than any they've played to this point.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: A look at Tennessee basketball stat leaders heading into SEC play

Lanier has more than made up for the offensive production left behind by Dalton Knecht last season. He has scored 20 or more points six times in 13 games and is averaging 19.6 points per game. Lanier is shooting better than 45% from three-point range and on pace for program shooting and scoring records.

"(Lanier) is producing, but he’s got to keep going," Barnes said. "He’s got to learn to continue to cut harder. He’s got to come off knowing that he’s not going to have as much time to get set up and those type things. And obviously people are scouting him. I do know he’s gotten better defensively, which is something that is important obviously.

"But he’s going to have to continue to add to speed to his game. We want to get out and run."

Zakai Zeigler is nearing the top of the record books, too. The guard is averaging 8.1 assists per game and moved into fourth place in the program annals in his last outing in addition to averaging more than 11 points.

Jahamai Mashack continues to headline the defense as its most stingy defender and Igor Milicic Jr., who began the season as one of the top scoring threat as a big man that can also shoot from the perimeter, is contributing now as the Vols' top rebounder, grabbing 8.2 per game.

Tennessee has dealt with its share of roster attrition after losing forward JP Estrella for the season to injury and guard Cam Carr to mid-season transfer. But the depth that the Vols have has been more enough.

Jordan Gainey is the team's second-leading scorer as the sixth man and forward Cade Phillips is right behind him in terms of contributions off of the bench. Transfer guard Darlinstone Dubar and freshman Bishop Boswell, who had worked his way back from injury, are improving, too.

As good as that 7-8 man lineup has been, Barnes wants to see more as the Vols look to defender their SEC crown, beginning with Arkansas.

"It goes back to ball-screen defense, guarding the basketball, finishing the defensive set," Barnes said. "Then on offense, not throwing lifelines, turning the ball over in unnecessary ways. We’ve got to improve there...Turnovers, shot selection, valuing that basketball is a high premium that we’ve got to continue to improve with.”

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