Tennessee basketball moves up in ESPN's latest Bracketology update
Tennessee basketball is up to a No. 2 seed in ESPN’s latest edition of Bracketology from Joe Lunardi, with the Vols recently moving up from the No. 3 seed line. The updated earlier this week had the Vols playing the opening weekend in Charlotte in the South Region.
Lunardi had Tennessee matched up against No. 15-seed Vermont in the first round, playing opposite of No. 7-seed Colorado and No. 10-seed Providence.
The Friars are off to an 11-2 start under first-year Providence head coach Kim English, the former Tennessee assistant coach who spent the last two seasons as the head coach at George Mason.
Tennessee (9-3) has won five straight and is off until facing Norfolk State (9-6) on January 2, a 7 p.m. Eastern Time start (TV: SEC Network) at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Lunardi’s bracket projection had Kansas as the No. 1 seed, just ahead of the Vols in the South Region. Illinois was the No. 3 seed, Florida Atlantic was the No. 4 and Kentucky was the No. 5.
Where the Vols are ranked
Tennessee on Monday climbed four spots to No. 8 in the Associated Press Top 25. The highest the Vols have been ranked in the AP Top 25 this season is No. 7, on both November 13 and No. 20. They dropped as low as No. 17 two weeks ago. Tennessee moved up three spots to No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches Poll on Monday.
The Vols are up to No. 6 in the NET ranking, moving up one spot in the latest update on Friday. The NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) replaced the RPI five years ago and is used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee to help seed the 68-team NCAA Tournament.
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Tennessee is 2-3 in Quad 1 games, 3-0 in Quad 2 games and 4-0 in Quad 4 games, having not yet played a Quad 3 game.
Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament under Rick Barnes
Tennessee under head coach Rick Barnes has been a No. 2 seed, a No. 3 seed (twice), a No. 4 seed and a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Last season the Vols beat Louisiana 58-55 in the first round and beat No. 5-seed Duke 65-52 in the second round before losing to No. 9-seed Florida Atlantic during FAU’s run to the Final Four.
Two years ago, No. 3-seed Tennessee lost to No. 11-seed Michigan in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis. The Vols lost as a No. 5 seed to Oregon State in Indianapolis in 2021 and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen as a No. 2 seed in 2019, before losing to No. 3-seed Purdue in overtime in Louisville.
No. 11-seed Loyola Chicago, the NCAA Tournament’s Cinderella team, made a run to the Final Four in the 2018, taking out No. 3-seed Tennessee in the second round.
