Tennessee is the No. 1 team in college basketball, according to one metric.

The Vols, who are off to a commanding, unbeaten start through the first month of the 2024-25 season, sit atop the latest NET rankings before their final non-conference stretch.

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The NET rankings take several factors into account, including win percentage, game results, strength of schedule, where games were played and offensive and defensive efficiency.

Tennessee (7-0) has excelled in all of those categories so far. Its resume includes wins over Louisville, Virginia and Baylor, two of which were at neutral sites Quad 1 wins.

The Vols won their first seven games by an average of more than 26 points.

Tennessee is one of several SEC teams in the top 30 of the rankings. In fact, nearly half of the league is represented, including five teams in the top 12 in No. 2 Auburn, No. 6 Florida, No. 8 Kentucky and No. 12 Alabama.

The Vols are currently ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press Top 25 and in position to move up when the rankings are released on Monday. Tennessee is also the No. 2 team nationally according to KenPom ratings, trailing only Auburn.

KenPom rates the Vols' at No. 2 in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing just 88.7 points per opponents 100 possessions, while accounting for 119.6 points per 100 possessions, good for No. 11 in adjusted offensive efficiency.

Transfer guard Chaz Lanier leads Tennessee in scoring through seven games with 17.7 points per game, while fellow transfer forward Igor Milicic Jr. is averaging 12.7 points.

Headlined by Jahmai Mashack, the Vols are allowing just 5.7 points per game.

Tennessee hosts Syracuse (4-2) in the ACC/SEC Challenge at Food City Center on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) before playing Miami in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City next week.

Both Syracuse and Miami are among the worst power conference teams according to NET, ranking 177th and 191st, respectively.

KenPom projects the Vols to beat the Orange, 83-62.

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