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Women’s bracketology Jan. 23: Tennessee Lady Vols remain 2 or 3 seed

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 14: Tennessee Volunteers fans cheer during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 14, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Kentucky defeated Tennessee 65-62. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 14: Tennessee Volunteers fans cheer during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 14, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Kentucky defeated Tennessee 65-62. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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The Tennessee Lady Vols remain a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in women’s basketball bracketology projections. Here’s what the Volunteers are looking at.

Related Story: Women's SEC Power Rankings Jan. 23

After losing three of four games in their rough, testing stretch of the year, the Tennessee Lady Vols have fell out of respectability among analysts looking at elite NCAA teams. Holly Warlick’s team is raising concerns now that it might be just like the previous two teams.

However, bracketology projections seem to be coming at it a different way. Nothing really changed this week for Tennessee despite the embarrassing losses to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Sure, those are two good teams, but with now only one really quality win over the Texas Longhorns and a win with an asterisk over the South Carolina Gamecocks, you would think this team doesn’t deserve as much respect. But they’re getting it.

Part of that could be due to the RPI. The Tennessee Lady Vols’ losses didn’t drop it at all in that ranking index because their schedule strength spiked into the Top 20, which is why they are the No. 9 ranked team there. And yes, that spot falls into the 2-3 seed range.

Looking at projections, Charlie Creme of ESPN has the Tennessee Lady Vols in as a No. 3 seed. They would face Drake in the first round and host the first weekend in Knoxville with Oregon State and Dayton on the other side. The Mississippi State Bulldogs are the No. 1 seed in that region.

Fellow FanSided site SummitHoops, however, is giving the Tennessee Lady Vols more respect. There, they are listed as a No. 2 seed playing in Knoxville against American in the first round with Syracuse and South Dakota State on the other side. That bracket would have the Louisville Cardinals as the No. 1 seed.

What’s clear, though, is this team is not looking at what it was looking at two weeks ago. A No. 1 seed is no longer in the question, so they are just at a lower tier than the top talent in the country. That’s at least true for now.