The Tennessee men’s basketball team left the Maui Invitational with its first two losses of the season, falling to both the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in back-to-back games.
The result was a drop in the latest Associated Press Top 25, three spots to No. 10 on Monday.
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The Vols (4-2) entered the invitational in Honolulu unbeaten and started the three-game stretch with a 73-56 win over Syracuse before falling to No. 2 Purdue in the semifinal game, 71-67 and top-ranked Kansas, 69-60 in the third place game.
Leading-scoring guard Dalton Knecht averaged 19.6 points over three games.
Tennessee will play No. 17 North Carolina (5-1) in the ACC/SEC Challenge at the Dean Smith Center at 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Lady Vols split pair of top 25 games
The Tennessee women’s basketball team faced two top 25 teams in as many games at the Elevance Health Women’s Ft. Myers Tip-off in Florida.
The Lady Vols, who have been without standout forward Rickea Jackson since Nov. 13, dropped their first game against No. 21 Indiana, 71-57 on Thanksgiving Day but followed it up with a 76-73 win over No. 22 Oklahoma on Saturday to emerge from the event, 1-1.
The results dropped Tennessee (4-2) in the AP poll, falling one spot to No. 20.
Jewel Spear led the Lady Vols with 16 points against the Sooners.
A daunting stretch continues for the Lady Vols against No. 18 Notre Dame (5-1) at Food City Center on Wednesday.
Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
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