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Tennessee basketball still No. 5 seed an analyst’s bracketology

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 15: General view of the arena during the pregame introductions the game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 15, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 106-87. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 15: General view of the arena during the pregame introductions the game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 15, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 106-87. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Joe Lunardi of ESPN hasn’t budged on the Tennessee basketball Volunteers.

While many analysts are debating if Tennessee basketball is a top 10 or a top five team given all the incoming and returning talent, one analyst still is not hinting at that with his preseason posts. He has them barely as a top 20 team.

In his Oct. 7 preseason NCAA Tournament bracketology, Joe Lunardi of ESPN had the Vols remain a No. 5 seed, which is exactly where the program was at two months ago. They remained in the Midwest region, facing the No. 12 seed Loyola-Chicago Ramblers, who upset UT as a No. 11 seed in the 2018 NCAA Tournament en route to its Cinderella Final Four run.

Lunardi mysteriously dropped Tennessee basketball by one seed when he had them as a No. 5 seed back in August despite the news of Yves Pons’ decision to return for his senior season just days before. You’d think having the SEC Defensive Player of the Year back means something.

Of course, having your leading scorer back in John Fulkerson, your point guard back in Santiago Vescovi, all but one regular contributor back in general and adding a top five recruiting class should raise expectations. Throw in a graduate transfer who averaged a double-double and the added eligibility of another transfer, and it’s easy to see why people are so high on UT.

At the same time, it’s baffling to see why Lunardi remains so low on them. Dropping the Vols after Pons’ returning and continuing to keep them as a No. 5 seed while the Kentucky Wildcats are a No. 4 seed makes no sense.

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Anyway, if this bracket held, Tennessee basketball and Loyola-Chicago would play their first round in Providence, R.I. along with the Illinois Fighting Illini, who would be a No. 4 seed, and the Yale Bulldogs, who would be a No. 13 seed. The Virginia Cavaliers would be the top seed.

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