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Tennessee basketball: Scenarios for Vols to win SEC regular season title

By Caleb Calhoun

ST LOUIS, MO - MARCH 10: Rick Barnes the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers gives instructions to his team against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the semifinals of the 2018 SEC Basketball Tournament at Scottrade Center on March 10, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO - MARCH 10: Rick Barnes the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers gives instructions to his team against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the semifinals of the 2018 SEC Basketball Tournament at Scottrade Center on March 10, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images /

2. Vols lose one game but not to Kentucky

If Tennessee basketball loses another game but not to the Kentucky Wildcats, they will finish the year 27-4 and 15-3 in the SEC. This is very plausible with the Kentucky game being in Knoxville. Assuming they beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs, this means they’d lose one of their two road games to the Ole Miss Rebels or Auburn Tigers.

All of a sudden, they could be in position to not only not win the SEC Championship outright but possibly lose it outright. So they need help on both fronts if this happens. Here’s what they will need to win the title outright if this is how they end their season.

-LSU loses two games

Right now, the Tigers have two SEC losses. So if the Vols finish with three, LSU would naturally need two more to give UT the title outright. They need at least one for UT to have a chance to share it. Anyway, this is still feasible.

Ideally, the Tigers would just lose both of their road games to the Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida Gators. Again, they are hurt, and Florida just won in Baton Rouge. So they’ll likely underdogs in both games, making losses in both very possible. If they steal one, you could maybe see them canceling it out with an upset loss to the Texas A&M Aggies at home given their injuries.

-Kentucky loses another game outside of the Vols

Should this be the final result for the Vols, they will have at least three SEC losses, as will the Kentucky Wildcats. Meanwhile, Kentucky and Tennessee will have split the series with each other. As a result, to move ahead for good, UT needs Kentucky to lose another game.

The good news for the Vols is that can happen. Again, the Wildcats are banged up right now, and although the Arkansas Razorbacks at home are among their final four games, they also visit the Ole Miss Rebels and host a red-hot Florida Gators team to close out the year. If the Vols are one of their losses, they could certainly suffer another loss to Ole Miss or Florida.

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