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Tennessee Lady Vols drop another seed in NCAA Tournament bracketology projections

By Caleb Calhoun

Jan 14, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Lady Vols guard Rae Burrell (12) and guard Jordan Horston (25) wears jerseys in support of We Back Pat during the second half against the Georgia Lady Bulldogs against the Georgia Lady Bulldogs at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 14, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Lady Vols guard Rae Burrell (12) and guard Jordan Horston (25) wears jerseys in support of We Back Pat during the second half against the Georgia Lady Bulldogs against the Georgia Lady Bulldogs at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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With three losses in four games and their only win a 13-point comeback at home in overtime over the Arkansas Razorbacks after the Hogs lost their leading scorer, the Tennessee Lady Vols are a different team than the one unanimously forecast as a No. 1 seed two weeks ago. Keyen Green’s injury has wrecked their biggest advantage.

Now, coming off back to back blowout road losses at the Florida Gators and UConn Huskies, Kellie Harper’s team has dropped to No. 13 in the AP Poll and No. 10 in the Coaches Poll. with a 19-4 overall record and 8-2 SEC record. That’s after being in the top five of both polls two weeks ago.

In the analytical rankings, crazy enough, the Tennessee Lady Vols are still a top five team in the RealTimeRPI, coming in at No. 5 thanks to their No. 9 ranked strength of schedule. They are down to No. 18 in the NET Rankings, though, largely because of that bad loss at the Auburn Tigers.

Before these two losses, UT was looking at a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament across all major bracketology projections. However, they now range from a No. 2 seed to a No. 5 seed based on which metric the Selection Committee chooses to go by. Right now, that has forecasters all projecting them as a No. 3 seed.

Charlie Creme of ESPN has Rocky Top as a No. 3 seed in the Bridgeport Region, facing the No. 14 seed in Charlotte 49ers in the first round and hosting a weekend-opening bracket that also includes the No. 6 seed North Carolina Tar Heels and No. 11 seed Kansas Jayhawks. The N.C. State Wolfpack are the top seed in that region.

College Sports Madness also has the Tennessee Lady Vols as the No. 3 seed in the Bridgeport Region. In that forecast, the Michigan Wolverines are the region’s No. 1 seed. UT would face the No. 14 seed Stony Brook Seawolves in the first round and host a weekend-opening bracket with, again, No. 6 seed North Carolina. The No. 11 seed Princeton Tigers would be the other team.

Of course, given the dramatic drop-off of this team without Green, their seeding could continue to fall. The schedule doesn’t get any easier, as they are about to host a dangerous Missouri Tigers team in a nothing to gain but a good bit to lose matchup. A trip to the South Carolina Gamecocks, and visits from the Mississippi State Bulldogs and LSU Tigers are also on the slate.

dark. Next. Lady Vols' all-time team

All of those games would be losses for the Tennessee Lady Vols if they play the way they have the past two weeks, and don’t count out the Vanderbilt Commodores at home or the Alabama Crimson Tide on the road. At this point, everything’s a toss-up. Harper needs to work quicker to figure out how to offset the loss of Green.