All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee basketball bracketology projections: Vols firmly a No. 4 seed

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 17: Tennessee Volunteers players celebrate after a turnover in the first half of a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 17, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 17: Tennessee Volunteers players celebrate after a turnover in the first half of a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 17, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The latest bracketology projections for Tennessee basketball have the Volunteers almost unanimously as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Related Story: Men's SEC Power Rankings 2/12: Vols back in the pack

Just a few days ago, they were pushing for a No. 2 seed. But a terrible loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide brought Tennessee basketball back down to reality.

The recent bracketology projections almost all have the Vols, 18-6 overall and 8-4 in the SEC, as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This week, though, it was a bit odder than usual.

That’s because the NCAA Selection Committee itself listed the Top 4 seeds of each region as things currently stand. You can see that list here.

In that projection, the Vols were a No. 4 seed in the South Region with No. 3 seed Michigan State Spartans, the No. 2 seed Cincinnati Bearcatsand the No. 1 seed Virginia Cavaliers. Such a projection is consistent with where they stand everywhere else.

The BracketMatrix composite average of all current projections out there has Tennessee basketball’s score at 3.94 That’s almost squarely at the 4-spot with just a couple of brackets putting them at No. 3.

But all major brackets have them at No. 4, and they are clearly responding to the Selection Committee’s current projection. Delphi Bracketology, the most accurate projection of the last three years, also has them as a No. 4 seed. However, the question becomes which team will they face in the first round?

Joe Lunardi of ESPN has the Vols facing the No. 13 seed Vermont Catamounts in the first round. They would play the first weekend in Boise with Rhode Island as the No. 5 seed and Middle Tennessee as the No. 12 seed.

Dave Ommen of Yahoo Sports has almost the exact same projection. However, in his, Tennessee basketball would face East Tennessee State in the first round. Everything else is the same.

Jerry Palm of CBS Sports has the Vols facing Vermont in Boise like Lunardi, but they are in a bracket with the Gonzaga Bulldogs as the No. 5 seed and the winner of the USC Trojans and Kansas State Wildcats in a play-in game for the No. 12 seed.

Meanwhile, CollegeSportsMadness broke with the Selection Committee’s own projections. They still have Tennessee basketball as a No. 4 seed. But Rick Barnes’s team would face Charleston in the first round in the region with the Villanova Wildcats as the No. 1 seed.

Next: 5 most underrated Vols 2018 football recruits

No matter what, though, it’s clear that Tennessee basketball is currently staring down a No. 4 seed. That is consistent with their No. 13 ranking in the RPI. At No. 18 in the AP Poll and No. 17 in the Coaches Poll, however, it looks like they could fall to a No. 5 seed as well if they keep this pace. But for now, they are clearly a 4-seed.

Home/Vols Basketball