The Vols are oh-so-close to that No. 1 seed.
Tennessee remains on the razor’s edge of a projected No. 1 seed in next month’s NCAA Tournament. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi offered an update yesterday BEFORE Thursday night’s action, placing Tennessee as a No. 2 seed. The Volunteers were placed as the fifth overall seed, needing a slip-up from one of the top four teams to move up a line.
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) February 22, 2024
Tennessee got that slip-up from Arizona last night, as the Wildcats fell to Washington State. However, Lunardi noted that a loss would not take Arizona off of the top line. Purdue, UConn and Houston joined Arizona as No. 1 seeds. Marquette, Kansas and North Carolina joined Tennessee on the 2-line.
The Volunteers host Texas A&M on Saturday night, looking for some revenge after an ugly loss on the road a couple of weeks ago.
Tennessee will have a chance to go get that No. 1 seed, set to play Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky and South Carolina to wrap up the regular season. The Vols currently rank 6th in the NCAA’s NET rankings, sitting 5-5 in Quad 1. However, as just noted, Tennessee will finish their regular season with five straight Quad 1 matchups — a big chance to bolster that resume entering tournament season. The SEC Tournament in Nashville will be another.
The SEC placed eight teams in Lunardi’s latest projection, trailing only the Big Ten with nine. Texas A&M and Ole Miss remain on the bubble, with the Aggies looking for another big win over Tennessee this weekend to pad their chances. Ole Miss will host South Carolina on Saturday.
Selection Sunday is fast approaching, set for March 17th.