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How To Watch: No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Wofford in the first round of the NCAA Tournament

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•about 17 hours•

GrantRamey

NCAA Tournament, March Madness | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
(Jordan Prather-Imagn Images) Mar 19, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; A ball goes through the hoop as the Utah State Aggies practice at Rupp Arena.

LEXINGTON — Tennessee is in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh straight year and is a No. 2 seed for a second straight year, facing No. 15 Wofford in the first round in the Midwest Region Thursday at Rupp Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:50 p.m. Eastern Time on TNT. 

Tennessee (27-7) is coming off a run to the Elite Eight as a No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region a year ago. Wofford (19-15) had to win three games in three days to win the Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville to earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Last season the Vols went through No. 15 Saint Peter’s, No. 7 Texas and No. 3 Creighton before falling to No. 1-seed Purdue at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

How To Watch: No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Wofford

Start Time: Thursday, 6:50 p.m. Eastern Time

TV: TNT

Streaming: ESPN App or WatchESPN.com

Radio: WNML-FM 99.1 in Knoxville. The Vol Network radio broadcast can be heard on local affiliates across the state of Tennessee.

KenPom Prediction: Tennessee 76, Wofford 59 (93% chance to win)

The Line: Tennessee -18.5 (Total: 133.5)

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.

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. 

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