Tennessee’s men’s basketball program has crossed a threshold that underscores the financial arms race reshaping college sports. The acquisition of Juke Harris, a transfer from Wake Forest, pushed the Volunteers’ projected roster payroll past $15 million, according to CBS Sports. That spending vaulted Tennessee into the top 15 of the publication’s early “Top 25 And 1” rankings. The investment reflects a deliberate strategy to leverage the transfer portal and name-image-likeness funds to compete at the highest level of the Southeastern Conference. But it also raises a tension that hangs over the entire sport: whether six-figure payrolls can reliably produce March success, or whether the widening gap between haves and have-nots will simply recalibrate which programs bear the pressure of unmet expectations.