With five nonconference games still remaining on his team’s schedule, Tennessee coach Rick Barnes has the newest No. 1-ranked team in the country primed for the rigors of Southeastern Conference competition.The Volunteers (8-0) return to action Tuesday night when they take their top ranking to New York City for a matchup against Miami in the Jimmy V Classic.Tennessee has overwhelmed opponents this season and the early run earned the team the top spot in the polls after previous No. 1 Kansas lost twice since Wednesday.The Volunteers’ slimmest margin of victory was a 15-point win over then-No. 13 Baylor on Nov. 22 in the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas title game. In the 77-62 win, Tennessee led 47-20 at halftime and was never threatened even as it was outscored by Baylor 42-30 in the second half.Transfer guard Chaz Lanier, who arrived from North Florida, showed his shooting prowess in the Bahamas and was stellar again last Tuesday in a 96-70 victory home win over Syracuse in the SEC/ACC Challenge.A 3-point specialist from Nashville, Lanier was 4 of 10 from deep and totaled 26 points as the Volunteers used a 10-0 run in the first half to lead 45-35 at the break and never let up against the Orange.Lanier made 44.0 percent of his 241 attempts from 3-point range for North Florida last season when he averaged 19.7 points per game.Lanier gave plenty of credit to teammate Zakai Zeigler for his ability to fit in with the Volunteers.”He just makes the game so much easier,” Lanier said. “He’s a leader on and off the court and in the locker room. He just drops knowledge to me and gives me great insight on the game.”Coming off a 15-17 campaign after making the Final Four two years ago, the Hurricanes (3-6) look more like the 2023-24 squad than the one that advanced to a national semifinal game in 2023 before losing to eventual national champion UConn.