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Tennessee Lady Vols finally put 1-seed on table in latest bracketology projections

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee coach Kellie Harper during a time out during an NCAA women's college basketball game between Tennessee and Georgia in Athens, Ga., on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022.News Joshua L Jones
Tennessee coach Kellie Harper during a time out during an NCAA women's college basketball game between Tennessee and Georgia in Athens, Ga., on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022.News Joshua L Jones /
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It’s been seven years since the Tennessee Lady Vols were legitimate contenders for a No. 1 seed. in the NCAA Tournament. However, with an 18-1 record and a road win over another top 25 team this past weekend, the talk has finally begun for Kellie Harper’s team.

UT moved up to No. 4 in the AP Poll on Monday and No. 5 in the Coaches Poll. Their most recent win was at the Georgia Bulldogs, who remain in the top 15 of both polls, at No. 15 in the AP Poll and No. 12 in the Coaches Poll.

When it comes to analytical rankings, the Tennessee Lady Vols are up to No. 3 in the RealTime RPI, and they are No. 6 in the women’s basketball NET rankings, which is the primary metric used by the Selection Committee. Their No. 5 ranked strength of schedule is helping them in the RPI.

All this data makes it pretty clear that right now, the Lady Vols should be no lower than a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, the respect for them is strong enough that they aren’t even flirting with that right now.

Charlie Creme of ESPN has UT as a No. 1 seed in the Wichita Region, where they would take on the No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson Knights. They would be in a weekend-opening bracket with the No. 8 seed Kansas Jayhawks and No. 9 seed UCF Knights, two teams they have already beaten.

College Sports Madness also has Rocky Top as a No. 1 seed. The Tennessee Lady Vols would face the No. 16 seed Montana Grizzlies in the first round of that tournament and be in a weekend-opening bracket with the No. 8 seed Utah Utes and Kansas once again, as a No. 9 seed.

In both brackets, the South Carolina Gamecocks and N.C. State Wolfpack are also No. 1 seeds. UT has connections to both, as South Carolina is an SEC rival, one they play Feb. 20, and Harper was fired by N.C. State back in 2013 before rebuilding her career with the Missouri State Lady Bears.

The Stanford Cardinal are the fourth No. 1 seed in Creme’s bracket. They are the one team to beat UT this year. Meanwhile, College Sports Madness has the Louisville Cardinals as the No. 1 seed, and their head coach, Jeff Walz, was a candidate for the Lady Vols job back in 2019 as Hollie Warlick’s replacement. Nobody is complaining now that Phillip Fulmer hired Harper.

UT hasn’t been a No. 1 seed since 2014, their longest drought without a top seed since the NCAA Tournament was officially recognized back in 1982. They haven’t even been a No. 2 seed since 2015, so this would be a big deal for the program.

Next. Lady Vols all-time team. dark

There is a lot of basketball left to play, and Harper’s team has a chance to firmly cement its qualifications for a top seed with games coming up. In addition to South Carolina Feb. 20, the Tennessee Lady Vols play the UConn Huskies and Missouri Tigers back to back Feb. 6 and Feb. 10, so things are about to get interesting.