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'Every tournament is worth winning': Tennessee going to SEC Tournament to win

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•about 10 hours•

GrantRamey

Tennessee Basketball | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
(Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) The Tennessee Volunteers calm down Tennessee Volunteers forward Igor Milicic Jr. (7) after he was called for a foul against the Vanderbilt Commodores during their game at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.

If there’s talk that winning the SEC Tournament doesn’t matter, Igor Milicic Jr. hasn’t heard it. Well, Tennessee’s senior forward hadn’t heard it before being asked about it before practice Wednesday morning at Food City Center. 

“Every tournament is worth winning,” Milicic said. “Who said that? I don’t think any of us are from Tennessee (said it). 

“(None) of them people are from Tennessee. I know none of our coaches would say that, none of our players would say that. Whatever they’re saying, keep it going, but we need to win.”

Up Next: Tennessee in the SEC Tournament, Friday, 3:30 p.m. ET

Tennessee (25-6) is the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament bracket and will play on Friday afternoon (approximately 3:30 Eastern Time, TV: ESPN) against either No. 5 Texas A&M, No. 12 Vanderbilt or No. 13 Texas.

Vanderbilt faces Texas Wednesday afternoon, with the winner advancing to face Texas A&M Thursday afternoon.

The Vols would face No. 1 Auburn on Saturday in the semifinal round, should both teams advance on Friday. Florida is the No. 2 seed and Alabama is the No. 3 on the bottom half of the bracket. 

“We’re going to be ready to fight,” Milicic said. “And we need to win this thing, you know? I just feel like we deserve it after the whole season of SEC play and how we practice. I feel like we need to be ready and go get it.”

There’s plenty to play for in Nashville.

Tennessee is currently projected for a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, along with Alabama, with both teams trying to chase down Florida, which is projected to get the fourth and final No. 1 seed. 

Tennessee beat Alabama 79-76 in Knoxville on March 1 and Florida won at Alabama on March 5, the same day the Vols lost at Ole Miss. The Gators, after jumping in Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament projections, beat Ole Miss on Saturday. 

ESPN has Florida as its No. 4 overall seed, with Alabama at No. 5 and Tennessee at No. 6.

Joe Lunardi’s most recent Bracketology updates have Tennessee as the No. 2 seed in the East Region (Newark), where Duke is the No. 1 seed. He has the Vols playing the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament in Cleveland. 

‘You’ve got to go in and focus like we have all year and deal with the result when it’s over’

Tennessee went 8-2 over the final 10 games of the regular season, bouncing back from a 3-4 stretch over three weeks in January. 

Barnes wants to see the winning continue in Nashville, before the Vols turn their attention to the NCAA Tournament. 

“I don’t think there’s a team out there that’s not going to go to Nashville wanting to win every game,” Barnes said. “Winning is a habit, so is losing. 

“If you let down and your players see you’re not trying to go at it, I just think it sends the wrong message. So you’ve got to go in and focus like we have all year and deal with the result when it’s over with.”

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