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Tennessee Lady Vols bracketology: 3-seed is the likely outcome

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 17: Tennessee Volunteers fans get ready before 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 fans get ready before 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) /
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The Tennessee Lady Vols are looking at a No. 3 seed in the updated bracketology projections after another huge win by the women’s basketball Volunteers.

Related Story: Women's SEC Power Rankings: Lady Vols still rising

They are back on a winning streak with two wins against Top 25 teams. But the Tennessee Lady Vols can’t seem to shake those four losses in six days among human experts analyzing them. That’s at least the case for this moment.

Tennessee is No. 7 in the RPI due to their 21-4 record and No. 12 ranked strength of schedule. Seven wins against Top 50 teams and five wins against Top 25 teams is even more impressive, so the quality wins are there as well. That on paper looks like a No. 2 seed.

However, Holly Warlick’s team is No. 11 in both polls, outside of the Top 10. And their position in those polls appears to be more indicative of where they’re headed for now in the NCAA Tournament. That’s at least according to the Bracketology experts.

All the major bracketology projections for this week, even after their dominant win over the Georgia Bulldogs, have the Tennessee Lady Vols as a No. 3 seed and hosting the first weekend in Knoxville. The only difference is who whey’ll face.

Fellow FanSided site Summit Hoops has them opening against Drake in the first round with Michigan and Dayton in that opening bracket. In these projections, they’d be in the bracket that has the Louisville Cardinals as the No. 1 seed.

Charlie Creme of ESPN has Tennessee as the No. 3 seed in the Lexington region, still with the Louisville Cardinals as the No. 1 seed. They would open against American and be in an opening bracket that also includes Oregon State and South Dakota State.

Meanwhile, CollegeSportsMadness has the Tennessee Lady Vols as a No. 3 seed in the bracket with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as the No. 1 seed. In this match-up, they’d host the Belmont Bruins in the first round. And they’d be in the same opening bracket as the Michigan Wolverines and Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Tennessee still has the SEC Tournament and two huge regular season games left against the Missouri Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks. Wins in both of them would probably catapult them to a No. 2 seed. Heck, a win in one just would.

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If they somehow won out and made a deep run in the SEC Tourney, like getting to the championship game, they could be in contention for a No. 1 seed. That would especially be true if they actually won the SEC Tournament championship, but it’s hard to see anybody beating the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Still, this team has a great shot at a No. 2 seed or higher. So they have more basketball left to play.