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Tennessee basketball surprisingly stable in Feb. 9 bracketology

By Caleb Calhoun

Jan 19, 2021; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes (C) huddles up with his players against the Florida Gators during the first half at Billy Donovan Court at Exactech Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 19, 2021; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes (C) huddles up with his players against the Florida Gators during the first half at Billy Donovan Court at Exactech Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Last week, Tennessee basketball suffered an embarrassing 52-50 road loss to the Ole Miss Rebels and then beat the Kentucky Wildcats, who fell to 5-12 in the process. A bad loss and unimpressive win cost them in a few ways, including dropping five spots in both polls, which we wrote about here.

However, in bracketology projections, things haven’t changed much. At 13-4 and 6-4 in the SEC, the Vols are still hanging around as a top four seed across the board, and to many people, they may even be in a better position.

Joe Lunardi of ESPN’s Feb. 9 projections are the same as they were on Feb. 5. In both cases, Tennessee basketball is a No. 4 seed. Before their loss at Ole Miss, they were a No. 3 seed. Dropping only one seed after that loss was a bit surprising.

On Tuesday, Lunardi had Rocky Top facing the No. 13 seed Wofford Terriers in the first round and in a season-opening bracket with the No. 5 seed West Virginia Mountaineers and No. 12 seed Toledo Rockets. He had them in a region where the Michigan Wolverines were the No. 1 seed.

College Sports Madness also had the Vols as a No. 4 seed. That breakdown had them facing the No. 13 seed Furman Paladins in the first round and in a season-opening bracket with the No. 5 seed UCLA Bruins and No. 12 seed Vermont Catamounts. They were in a region in which the Baylor Bears were a No. 1 seed.

More surprisingly, though, Jerry Palm of CBS had UT as a No. 3 seed in his projections. Rocky Top would be facing the No. 14 seed UNC Greensboro Spartans and in a season-opening bracket with the No. 6 seed Xavier Muskateers and No. 11 seed Oregon Ducks. They were in a region in which the Villanova Wildcats were the No. 1 seed.

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With the Georgia Bulldogs on Wednesday and the LSU Tigers on Saturday, Tennessee basketball has a  couple of intriguing tests this week. Winning would help them remain stable in these projections, but if they lose, they could fall dramatically. Keep an eye on how this all plays out.

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