Where Tennessee is ranked in the updated Associated Press Top 25
Tennessee dropped five spots in Monday’s Associated Press Top 25, entering the postseason ranked No. 17. The Vols, as the No. 5 seed in the SEC Tournament, face either No. 12 South Carolina or No. 13 Ole Miss on Thursday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
South Carolina and Ole Miss play Wednesday night, with the winner advance to face Tennessee around 3 p.m. Eastern Time Thursday on SEC Network. The winner of that game will advance to play No. 4 Missouri on Friday afternoon.
Tennessee (22-9, 11-7 SEC) split a home game against Arkansas and a road game at Auburn during the final week of the regular season. The Vols beat Arkansas 75-57 on Tuesday, despite losing starting point guard Zakai Zeigler to a torn ACL three minutes into the game, then lost 79-70 at Auburn on Saturday.
Tennessee enters postseason with 4-6 record over last 10 games
The Vols are No. 3 in the NET rankings with a 7-6 record in Quad 1 games. They’re 3-3 in Quad 2 games and a combined 12-0 in Quad 3 and Quad 4 games.
Tennessee is No. 5 in the KenPom.com ratings. The Vols have been ranked No. 1 in adjusted defensive efficiency, currently giving up 87.8 points per 100 possessions, and are ranked No. 49 in adjusted offensive efficiency, scoring 113.2 points per 100 possessions.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had Tennessee as a No. 3 seed in the East Region in his latest bracket projection. The Vols were matched up against No. 14 Louisiana in Greensboro, N.C., playing opposite of No. 6 Duke and No. 11 Rutgers.
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Tennessee started at No. 11 in the preseason polls and dropped as low as No. 22 after the loss to Colorado at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on November 13. The Vols climbed as high as No. 2 on January 30, after the win over Texas in the Big 12-SEC Challenge game at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Up Next: SEC Tournament, March 8-12, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville
Tennessee has played in three SEC Tournament championship games under Barnes, losing against Kentucky in St. Louis in 2018 and Auburn in Nashville in 2019. Last Mach in the championship game at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Tennessee beat Texas A&M to win the conference tournament for the first time since 1979.
The Vols lost in the semifinal round against Alabama in 2021, after beating Florida in the quarterfinal round, and lost to Georgia in their first game at the tournament in 2017. Tennessee was a No. 12 seed in 2016, the first season under Barnes, and beat No. 13 Auburn (97-59) and No. 5 Vanderbilt (67-65) before losing to No. 4 LSU, 84-75.
Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament under Barnes has been a No. 2 seed, has twice been a No. 3 seed and has also been a No. 5 seed. The Vols lost in the second round to Loyola Chicago in 2018 as a No. 3, lost to Purdue in overtime in the Sweet Sixteen as a No. 2 seed in 2019 and lost in the opening round to Oregon State as a No. 5 seed in 2021. Last year Tennessee, as a No. 3 seed, lost in the second round to Michigan.
