March Madness: Tennessee lands as a No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament
Tennessee Basketball is a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. The Vols are headed to Lexington for the first weekend, playing in the Midwest Region.
The Vols (27-7) will face No. 15 Wofford in the first round on Thursday. The No. 7 seed is UCLA and the No. 10 is Utah State.
Houston is the No. 1 seed in the Midwest and Kentucky is the No. 3 seed.
No. 8 Tennessee lost 86-77 to Florida Sunday afternoon in the SEC Tournament championship at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The team watched the selection show at the team hotel Sunday evening before traveling back to Knoxville.
The Vols entered Sunday ranked No. 5 in the NET with an 11-6 record in Quad 1 games, a 6-0 record in Quad 2 and a 5-0 record in both Quad 3 and Quad 4.
Tennessee started the season 14-0 and was ranked No. 1 for five straight weeks. After going 3-4 during a three-week stretch in January, the Vols rebounded by going 8-2 over the final 10 games of the regular season.
Tennessee’s NCAA Tournament history under Rick Barnes
Tennessee under Rick Barnes has been a No. 2 seed twice, a No. 3 seed twice, a No. 4 seed and a No. 5. Barnes has led the program to the NCAA Tournament seven straight times.
Last season the Vols went to the Elite Eight for just the second time after going through No. 15 Saint Peter’s, No. 7 Texas and No. 3 Creighton, before falling to No. 1 Purdue in the Midwest Regional final at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
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Two years 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.
Tennessee’s history as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament
Tennessee has been a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament four times in program history: 2006, 2008, 2019 and 2024.
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.
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.
