It’s safe to say that Tennessee basketball is one of the most disappointing programs of the year. Rick Barnes team started the season flirting with the top 10 but has now lost two games to schools that are below .500 on the year.
After Saturday’s debacle at the Auburn Tigers, UT fell to 16-7 and a mere 9-7 in the SEC. They also dropped out of the top 25 of both polls, receiving just 19 votes in the AP Poll and nine votes in the Coaches Poll.
If the NCAA Selection Committee were sticking to its old method of picking teams, Tennessee basketball would be squarely on the bubble. The Vols are No. 60 in the RealTime RPI with the No. 93 ranked strength of schedule. Those would not be favorable metrics.
However, the organization’s switch to the NET Rankings and last season’s update to the formula have saved the Vols. Somehow, someway, this team is still No. 21 in the NET rankings, with the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Arkansas Razorbacks being the only SEC teams ahead of them.
Taking that into account, they are squarely in the Big Dance, and bracketology projections released over the past couple of days prove that. In fact, they show that the Vols could still get a relatively high seed given their recent struggles.
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Joe Lunardi of ESPN has UT as a No. 6 seed facing the VCU Rams in the first round and in a weekend-opening bracket with the No. 3 seed Kansas Jayhawks, a team they beat, and the No. 14 seed Eastern Washington Eagles. The Gonzaga Bulldogs are the top seed in that region.
Mike DeCourcy of FOX Sports also has the Vols as a No. 6 seed. His projection had them facing the No. 11 seed Drake Bulldogs in the first round and in a weekend-opening bracket with the No. 3 seed Villanova Wildcats and No. 14 seed Liberty Flames. The Illinois Fighting Illini were the top seed in that region.
Jerry Palm of CBS, meanwhile, has Tennessee basketball as a No. 7 seed facing the No. 10 seed Wichita State Shockers in the first round and in a weekend-opening bracket with the Iowa Hawkeyes and, once again, Eastern Washington, although this time they are a No. 15 seed. Gonzaga, again, is the top seed in that region.
Flirting between a No. 6 seed and a No. 7 seed given their record and schedule strength is pretty impressive for the Vols right now. What probably helps is the quality wins they have. Even by RPI standards, they have beaten four top 25 teams: Arkansas, Kansas, the Missouri Tigers and Colorado Buffaloes. Arkansas and Kansas are in the top 25 across all major rankings.
Of course, Auburn and the Kentucky Wildcats are still bad losses, and getting blown out by Kentucky was an even worse look. However, Josiah-Jordan James is banged up, and the Vols only have one loss this year when playing at full strength, a shocker at the Ole Miss Rebels.
With a week off before facing the Florida Gators to close out the regular season this Sunday, Tennessee basketball has time to get right just as postseason play begins. The Vols, as of right now, are still in the NCAA Tournament. If they lose to UF and then in the first round of the SEC Tourney, though, that could change.