After Kevin O’Neill’s departure, the Tennessee basketball team brought in Oregon Ducks head coach Jerry Green. Green inherited a young and talented roster and immediately turned the team's fortunes around. Under Green's leadership, the team improved significantly, producing a 20-9 overall record in the 1997-1998 season, which was a nine-win improvement over O'Neill's third and final UT team. The team also finished third in the SEC MBB East with a conference record of 9-7, and advanced to the NCAA tournament as an 8th seed in the West. However, the team's tournament run was cut short after losing in the West First Round to the 9th seed, Illinois State, by a close score of 82-81. In terms of statistical performance, the team had a PS/G of 75.9 and PA/G of 70.6, ranking 60th and 170th respectively in the nation. The team had an SRS of 11.15 and SOS of 5.91, ranking 40th and 63rd in the nation. The team had an offensive rating of 100.5 and a defensive rating of 93.6, ranking 149th and 32nd in the nation respectively.