ESPN drops Tennessee Basketball from national title contenders after 30-point loss at Florida
ESPN dropped Tennessee Basketball from a Tier I national championship contender to a Tier II Final Four contender after the 73-43 loss at No. 8 Florida Tuesday night.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf put 76 teams in the NCAA Tournament conversation into nine tiers. Auburn, Iowa State and Duke were the only three national title favorites while there were 12 Final Four candidates.
“For two months, Tennessee seemed solidly positioned in our ‘title favorites’ group,” ESPN wrote. “And then Tuesday night happened. A 30-point loss at Florida only highlighted the floor for a choppy offense that had nothing to offer in Gainesville.
“Perhaps it seems harsh, but there was no way to elevate the Vols beyond Final Four-contender status after that performance.”
ESPN: Vols one of 12 Final Four contenders
Other Final Four contenders listed alongside Tennessee were Alabama, Houston, Marquette, UConn, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Illinois and Memphis.
“If Auburn, Iowa State and Duke are a cut above the rest,” ESPN wrote, “then this group is stacked with teams that might join them with a strong push over the next month. It’s also a group that — despite its potential — must overcome hurdles to reach that perch in time to secure official ‘national championship favorite’ status. But they’re all capable of a run to San Antonio.”
Medcalf earlier this week, when ESPN updated its preseason predictions with midseason picks, had Tennessee not only making the Final Four, but winning the national title. Auburn, Duke and Kentucky were also in his Final Four.
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Borzello on Thursday dropped Tennessee from No. 2 to No. 6 in his college basketball power rankings.
“Tennessee will have to hope Tuesday was a blip,” Borzello wrote, “as the Volunteers’ loss to Florida will go down in the record books. According to ESPN Research, Tennessee’s 30-point margin of defeat was the third-most all time by an unbeaten AP No. 1 team and the most since Houston in 1968.
“The Vols’ 43 points were also the third-fewest points scored in a game by an AP No. 1 team in the shot clock era.”
Up Next: Tennessee at Texas, Saturday, 6 p.m. ET
Tennessee (14-1, 1-1 SEC) goes to Texas (11-4, 0-2) on Saturday (6 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN2) looking to avoid back-to-back road losses in the first week of conference play.
Tennessee is No. 3 in the NET rankings with a 3-1 record in Quad 1 games, a 1-0 record in Quad 2 and a 10-0 record in Quad 3 and Quad 4.
The Vols dropped to No. 6 overall in the KenPom.com ratings after the loss at Florida. They’re No. 3 in adjusted defensive efficiency and dropped to No. 33 in adjusted offensive efficiency.
