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Tennessee basketball is assured of at least a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament for the third time under coach Rick Barnes.
The Vols (27-6) play Florida (29-4) in the SEC tournament title game Sunday (1 p.m. ET, ESPN) as they continue to position themselves for a top seed in March Madness.
ESPN's Joe Lunardi believed Saturday night that Tennessee will not ascend to a No. 1 seed even with a win against the Gators. He stated that Florida secured the fourth No. 1 seed with its 104-82 win against Alabama on Saturday in the SEC tournament semfinals.
Auburn, Duke and Houston are the other No. 1 seeds.
Tennessee is playing for proximity to Knoxville when it plays Florida.
Lunardi put Tennessee ahead of Alabama on the overall seed line with their win, which positions the Vols to potentially play the opening weekend in Lexington, Kentucky, instead of Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland was the popular pick for the Vols when they were seeded behind the Crimson Tide. It appeared the SEC tournament would settle which team received the favorable first-weekend location.
The Vols have an 11-6 record in Quad 1 games.
Tennessee notched three Quad 1 wins with road victories at Louisville and Illinois, as well as a neutral site win against Baylor in the Baha Mar Championship. Its home wins against Florida, Missouri and Alabama were Quad 1 wins. Its road wins at Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M also were Quad 1 wins. Its win against Texas and Auburn in the SEC Tournament gave UT two more.
UT is 5-0 in Quad 2 games with a road win at LSU and home wins against Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.
The Vols are 5-0 in Quad 3 games and 6-0 in Quad 4 games.
The Vols have reached six consecutive NCAA tournaments, a streak started in Barnes' third year in the 2017-18 season. Before he took over the program, UT hadn't been to the tournament since 2014.
The Vols reached the program's second Elite Eight in the 2024 season. They went to the Sweet 16 in 2019 and 2023, two of the 10 appearances in program history.
OKPARA: How Felix Okpara escaped international basketball's 'dark side' — and found family in Tennessee
The Vols earned a top-5 seed in each of the six tournament appearances under Barnes. They were a No. 2 seed for the fourth time in program history in 2024. They also were a No. 2 seed when they reached the Sweet 16 in 2019. They were a No. 3 seed in the 2018 and 2021 tournaments. They lost in the second round in those seasons.
Tennessee reached the Sweet 16 as a No. 4 seed in 2023 before falling to Florida Atlantic. It was a No. 5 seed in 2021 and was upset by Oregon State in the first round.
UT has 26 NCAA tournament appearances in program history. It has reached two Elite Eights and has never been to a Final Four.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee March Madness bracket predictions for 2025 NCAA Tournament
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The Vols (27-6) play Florida (29-4) in the SEC tournament title game Sunday (1 p.m. ET, ESPN) as they continue to position themselves for a top seed in March Madness.
Can Tennessee basketball gain a No. 1 seed with win against Florida?
ESPN's Joe Lunardi believed Saturday night that Tennessee will not ascend to a No. 1 seed even with a win against the Gators. He stated that Florida secured the fourth No. 1 seed with its 104-82 win against Alabama on Saturday in the SEC tournament semfinals.
Auburn, Duke and Houston are the other No. 1 seeds.
What is at stake for Tennessee against Florida in bracketology?
Tennessee is playing for proximity to Knoxville when it plays Florida.
Lunardi put Tennessee ahead of Alabama on the overall seed line with their win, which positions the Vols to potentially play the opening weekend in Lexington, Kentucky, instead of Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland was the popular pick for the Vols when they were seeded behind the Crimson Tide. It appeared the SEC tournament would settle which team received the favorable first-weekend location.
Tennessee basketball's NCAA tournament résumé
The Vols have an 11-6 record in Quad 1 games.
Tennessee notched three Quad 1 wins with road victories at Louisville and Illinois, as well as a neutral site win against Baylor in the Baha Mar Championship. Its home wins against Florida, Missouri and Alabama were Quad 1 wins. Its road wins at Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M also were Quad 1 wins. Its win against Texas and Auburn in the SEC Tournament gave UT two more.
UT is 5-0 in Quad 2 games with a road win at LSU and home wins against Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.
The Vols are 5-0 in Quad 3 games and 6-0 in Quad 4 games.
Tennessee basketball's NCAA tournament history under Rick Barnes
The Vols have reached six consecutive NCAA tournaments, a streak started in Barnes' third year in the 2017-18 season. Before he took over the program, UT hadn't been to the tournament since 2014.
The Vols reached the program's second Elite Eight in the 2024 season. They went to the Sweet 16 in 2019 and 2023, two of the 10 appearances in program history.
OKPARA: How Felix Okpara escaped international basketball's 'dark side' — and found family in Tennessee
The Vols earned a top-5 seed in each of the six tournament appearances under Barnes. They were a No. 2 seed for the fourth time in program history in 2024. They also were a No. 2 seed when they reached the Sweet 16 in 2019. They were a No. 3 seed in the 2018 and 2021 tournaments. They lost in the second round in those seasons.
Tennessee reached the Sweet 16 as a No. 4 seed in 2023 before falling to Florida Atlantic. It was a No. 5 seed in 2021 and was upset by Oregon State in the first round.
UT has 26 NCAA tournament appearances in program history. It has reached two Elite Eights and has never been to a Final Four.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee March Madness bracket predictions for 2025 NCAA Tournament
Continue reading...
