Tennessee’s run as the No. 1 team in college basketball has ended.
After the Vols split their first two SEC road games last week— a 30-point loss at Florida and a come-from-behind win at Texas—their program-record run in the top spot of the polls came to a end after six weeks on Monday.
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Tennessee fell five spots to No. 6 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 ahead of a ranked clash with No. 23 Georgia at Food City Center on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
The Vols (15-1, 2-1 SEC), who matched their best start in school history at 14-straight wins before falling to the Gators behind an off shooting night in Gainesville, responded with a late push, orchestrated by Zakai Zeigler and Darlinstone Dubar off the bench to beat the Longhorns, 74-70.
Zeigler scored a team-high 16 points to go along with eight assists, while Dubar totaled 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and three 3-pointers, including the shot that put Tennessee ahead for good with four minutes left.
Felix Okpara added 7 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, reestablishing some of the Vols' previous dominance in the paint after they were out-rebounded at Florida.
The road ahead doesn't ease up for Tennessee. The SEC had nine teams included in the AP poll, with Auburn climbing to No. 1 after a road win at South Carolina, while both Alabama and Florida moved up to No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.
Kentucky (8), Texas A&M (11), Mississippi State (15), Ole Miss (21) and Georgia (23) rounded out the league in the rankings.
Oklahoma and Missouri both received top 25 votes.
The Bulldogs (14-2, 2-1) jumped into the poll for the first time after back-to-back wins over Kentucky and Oklahoma, making for an intriguing mid-week match up for the Vols on their home floor.
Tennessee have won four-straight against Georgia, including a 85-79 win in Athens last season.
The Vols will go back on the road this weekend against Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
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