A big number.
Let the madness begin.
Tennessee came up just short of a No. 1 seed on Sunday, dropping a foul-fest to the Florida Gators in the SEC Tournament title game. The result was a No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region, paired up with No. 1 seed Houston. The Volunteers will open with 15-seed Wofford. No. 7 UCLA or No. 10 Utah State awaits the winner.
Wofford went 19-15 on the year, winning the SoCon after finishing 6th in the regular season. They dropped three of their last five before catching fire and winning the SoCon Tournament. They’ll now face Tennessee, KenPom’s fifth-best team and top No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Tennessee has opened as an 18.5 point favorite over Wofford, according to Fanduel Sportsbook.
Wofford has played only one top tier school this season, and it didn’t go well. They traveled to Duke and lost 86-35 back in November. They’re led by senior guard Corey Tripp, who averages 14.3 points per game. Junior guard Justin Bailey can fill it up from deep, shooting 45 percent from three-point range.
The Terriers rank 120th in Kenpom, checking in 67th offensively and 231st defensively.
Tennessee will travel to a familiar location, set to play in Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.
“You’ve gotta be ready,” Rick Barnes said of the tournament draw. “They wouldn’t be, anybody playing right now has to be playing good basketball to get in and punch their ticket. So it’s about, not only respect for yourself, but for your opponents. You’ve gotta be ready to go.”
Tennessee and Wofford will play on Thursday night at 6:50 p.m. ET on TNT.