標籤: Tennessees

Coming off of their third consecutive trip to the Elite Eight, Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers have hit the college basketball transfer portal hard this summer and another significant change could be coming.

On3.com’s Joe Tipton wrote Friday that he would give the Volunteers “the edge” in the fight to remove VCU guard Terrence Hill Jr. from the portal.

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The 6-foot-3 Hill arrived in Knoxville earlier this week and is staying for a long time. That’s what happened to Tennessee’s four current commits — Miles Rubin, Dai Dai Ames, Jalen Harrelson and Tyler Lundblad, who all attended the program at the end of their official visits.

The Kansas Jayhawks and Oklahoma Sooners have also been linked to the VCU transfer. However, Tipton says it “does not seem likely” Hill will travel to Norman.

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On3 and Rivals.com ranked Hill as the 24th-best player and eighth-best guard in the college basketball transfer portal this offseason. Jeff Borzello of ESPN ranked him the 21st best player available.

“Hill undoubtedly boosted his stock with his performance against North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He led VCU to a 19-point comeback and upset victory with 34 points, five rebounds and five assists. He earned first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors last season after averaging 15.0 points while shooting 37% from 3.”

ESPN’s Jeff Borzello defends Terrence Hill Jr.

In his final season with VCU, the 20-year-old emerged as one of the biggest breakout stars outside of the Power 4 conferences. He earned first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors and was named Atlantic 10 Tournament MVP, Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year and the conference’s Most Improved Player.

In his final 15 games with the program, he averaged 15.7 points, 3.1 assists and 3 rebounds per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field. Hill also played a key role in VCU’s conference title, averaging 17.3 ppg, and in the first round win over the North Carolina Tar Heels where he scored 34 points on 23 shots in an 82–78 overtime win.

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With Barnes looking to add more scoring ahead of next season, Hill will certainly help in that regard. He also provides perimeter shooting – 2.3 three-pointers per game at 37 percent – ​​for a team that ranks 296th nationally in three-pointers made per game (6.6) and 208th in three-point percentage (33.4 percent).

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

The Tennessee Volunteers have been one of the most active programs so far in the college basketball transfer portal, signing three key players. With Rick Barnes and the coaching staff getting the nod of an even bigger NIL wallet this offseason, another change could be on the horizon.

On3.com’s Joe Tipton reports that former VCU guard Terrence Hill Jr. is set to visit Knoxville on Wednesday. Both the Volunteers and Kansas Jayhawks are reportedly “building positive momentum” with the 6-foot-3 sophomore guard.

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Hill is rated as a four-star transfer recruit this cycle by On3.com and Rivals. He is ranked sixth among shooting guards and 25th nationally among current players in the college basketball transfer portal.

Last season, the 20-year-old guard earned numerous honors in the Atlantic 10 Conference as a breakout player. He made the first-team All-Atlantic 10, was named the conference’s Most Improved Player and earned Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year.

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In three games in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, he averaged 17.3 points and 3 assists per game, while shooting 53.8 percent from the field. Although he was not an effective perimeter shooter at 28.6 percent, he averaged 1.3 three-pointers per game during the tournament.

They then had an outstanding performance in VCU’s first-round upset of the North Carolina Tar Heels. In the 82–78 overtime win, Hill scored 34 points with 5 rebounds and 5 assists, shooting 7 of 10 from beyond the arc with a 71.7 percent effective field goal percentage.

RELATED: Insider sheds light on Tennessee’s approach to transfer portal

As Tipton said, this is important any time a player visits campus. This is one reason why Tennessee is viewed as an emerging threat to get a commitment from Hill by the end of the weekend.

If Hill commits, he will join an incoming class that includes four-star big man Miles Rubin (Loyola), four-star point guard Dai Dai Ames (California) and four-star shooting guard Tyler Lundblad (Belmont). Hill will likely push Lundblad into a role off the bench.

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Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson