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NCAA Tournament: Five reasons Tennessee basketball could lose to Oregon State

By Caleb Calhoun

Mar 12, 2021; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Oregon State Beavers forward Warith Alatishe (10) celebrates with forward Rodrigue Andela (34) after defeating the Oregon Ducks at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 12, 2021; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Oregon State Beavers forward Warith Alatishe (10) celebrates with forward Rodrigue Andela (34) after defeating the Oregon Ducks at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 13, 2021; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes talks in a huddle during the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 13, 2021; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes talks in a huddle during the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

There is a long history of No. 5 seeds being the most vulnerable to first-round upsets, and Tennessee basketball could be one of them in 2020-2021. Rick Barnes himself should know it’s possible. In his first NCAA Tournament appearance ever, back in 1989, his No. 12 seed Providence Friars almost upset the No. 5 seed Virginia Cavaliers, only losing 100-97.

When UT takes the court Friday against the Oregon State Beavers, it will obviously want to avoid being part of that trend. However, the Vols need to be careful. Beyond just being a No. 5 seed, there are plenty of reasons they could lose this game.

Issues related to Rocky Top, matchup problems and positives related to Oregon State are all part of why Tennessee basketball could lose this game. Let’s go ahead and break down everything that could prove costly once March Madness arrives. Here are five reasons UT could be upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

5. Vols are prone to inconsistency.

This one is obvious to anybody who has watched Tennessee basketball on the year. The Vols are as capable of reaching the Final Four as they are of losing in the first round of the Big Dance. We’re talking about a team that has three top 25 wins but also lost to a horrendous Kentucky Wildcats team at home in a blowout.

We don’t know what to make of these guys day to day. Not only did they lose to Kentucky, by the way, but the also have losses to the Auburn Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels. This means that for every top 25 win they have, they have a loss to a team that didn’t make it to March Madness.

Of those, losing a close one to Ole Miss on the road is the most forgivable. But even that one was still inexcusable, and it leads to a lot of questions as to what this team is capable of doing in the NCAA Tournament.

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