August Bracketology: ESPN's Joe Lunardi updates his early projections for Tennessee Basketball

Joe Lunardi’s early projection for Tennessee Basketball is a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. ESPN updated Lunardi’s ‘Bracketology’ on Tuesday, with the Vols in the Midwest Region.

Regional sites for the 2025 NCAA Tournament are Indianapolis (Midwest), Newark (East), Atlanta (South) and West (San Francisco). 

Lunardi had Tennessee as the No. 4 seed in the Midwest opposite of No. 5-seed Indiana. The Vols on Tuesday announced a charity exhibition game against the Hoosiers on October 27 at Food City Center.

Tennessee’s new-look roster for the 2024-25 roster includes four new additions from the NCAA Transfer Portal: guard Chaz Lanier (North Florida), wing Darlinstone Dubar (Hofstra), wing/forward Igor Milicic Jr. (Charlotte) and center Felix Okpara (Ohio State).

The Vols lost three players to graduation (Dalton Knecht, Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi) and four players left the program via the portal. Jonas Aidoo went to Arkansas and Freddie Dilione V transferred to Penn State. Tobe Awaka went to Arizona and DJ Jefferson landed at Longwood.

Tennessee Basketball’s 2024-25 Schedule

Tennessee released its non-conference schedule last week, with the most notable matchups being a road game at Louisville on November 9, a home game against Syracuse on December 3 in the ACC-SEC Challenge, a neutral-site game against Miami in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York on December 10 and a road game Illinois on December 14.

The regular-season starts on November 4 against Gardner-Webb. Other Tennessee home games in November include Montana on November 13, Austin Peay on November 17 and UT Martin on November 27. In December the Vols host Western Kentucky on December 17, Middle Tennessee State on December 23 and Norfolk State on December 31.

Matchups have not yet been announced for the Continental Tire Baha Mar Championship November 21-22 in the Bahamas. Tennessee is part of a four-team field that includes Baylor, St. John’s and Virginia. 

Tennessee starts SEC play at home against Arkansas on January 4 and goes to Florida on either January 7 or 8. The Vols will play at Texas on January 11, host Georgia on either January 14 or 15 and go to Vanderbilt on January 18. They’re back home to host Mississippi State on January 21. The Vols go to Auburn on January 25 and hosts Kentucky on January 28 to end the month. 

February starts with a home dates against Florida on February 1 and Missouri on February 4 or 5. The Vols go to Oklahoma on February 8 and Kentucky on either February 11 or 12. Tennessee hosts Vanderbilt on February 15 and are then off until playing at Texas A&M on February 22. The month ends at LSU on February 25 or 26. 

Tennessee’s final three regular-season games are in March. The Vols play Alabama at home on March 1, go to Ole Miss on March 4 or 5 and end will have senior day at home against South Carolina on March 8.

Tennessee’s NCAA Tournament history under Rick Barnes

Tennessee under Rick Barnes has been a No. 2 seed, a No. 3 seed twice, a No. 4 seed and a No. 5. 

The Vols are coming off just the second Elite Eight appearance in program history. They advanced as a No. 2 seed to the East Regional Final against No. 1-seed Purdue in Detroit on March 31.

Tennessee was a No. 2 seed in 2019, but lost to No. 3 Purdue in the Sweet sixteen. They were a No. 3 in 2018, losing to No. 11-seed Loyola-Chicago, and again in 2022, losing to No. 11 Michigan in the second round.

Two years ago Tennessee went to the Sweet Sixteen as a No. 4 seed before falling to No. 9-seed Florida Atlantic. The Vols were a No. 5 seed in 2021, losing to No. 12 Oregon State in the first round.