What Tennessee's 73-56 loss to Mississippi State means for its NCAA Tournament seeding
Tennessee basketball’s first No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament history will have to wait. After the 73-56 loss to Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals Friday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena, the Vols out of the running for the top-seed line.
“Vols eliminate themselves from 1-seed contention with (the quarterfinal) loss to Mississippi State,” ESPN’s Joe Lunardi wrote.
Lunardi’s NCAA Tournament bracket update overnight Friday moved Tennessee (24-8) to a No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region with No. 1 Purdue. He has the Vols playing the first weekend in Charlotte, matched up against No. 15 Longwood in the first round with possibility of advancing to face either No. 7-seed Gonzaga or No. 10 Michigan State.
The updated seed list Saturday morning from Lunardi had Tennessee back up to the No. 5 overall seed and in the East Region (Boston) with No. 1 UConn, No. 3 Duke and No. 4 Kansas.
Vols now 8-7 in Quad 1 games after loss to Mississippi State
Tennessee dropped one spot in the NET to No. 6 with an 8-7 record in Quad 1 games. The Vols are 5-1 in Quad 2 and a combined 11-0 in Quad 3 (6-0) and Quad 4 (5-0).
Three times in program history Tennessee has been a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament: 2006, 2008 and 2019.
In 2019, the Vols beat No. 15-seed Colgate 77-70 in the first round in Columbus, Ohio, survived No. 7-seed Iowa 83-77 in overtime in the second round, then lost to No. 3-seed Purdue 99-94 in overtime in Louisville in the Sweet Sixteen.
Tennessee in 2008 beat American 72-57 in the first round and Butler in the second round, 76-71 in overtime, before losing 79-60 to Louisville in the Sweet Sixteen.
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The Vols in 2006 beat Winthrop 63-61 in the first round in Greensboro, then lost 80-73 to No. 7-seed Wichita State in the second round.
Tennessee’s NCAA Tournament history under Rick Barnes
Under Rick Barnes, Tennessee has been a No. 2 seed, a No. 3 seed twice, a No. 4 seed and a No. 5.
A year ago the Vols went to the Sweet sixteen as a No. 4 seed, beating No. 13-seed Louisiana in the first round and No. 5 Duke in the second round. They lost 62-55 to No. 9 Florida Atlantic in the third round.
They were a No. 3 in 2022, beating Longwood in the first round before being upset by No. 11-seed Michigan in the second round. They were a No. 3 in 2018, beating Wright State before losing to No. 11-seed Loyola-Chicago.
