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Tennessee basketball: Vols’ road to Final Four in the 2022 NCAA Tournament

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee guard Josiah-Jordan James is greeted by a cheering crowd after the UT basketball team returns to Knoxville after winning the SEC tournament on Sunday, March 13, 2022.Kns Ut Hoops Return RANK 1
Tennessee guard Josiah-Jordan James is greeted by a cheering crowd after the UT basketball team returns to Knoxville after winning the SEC tournament on Sunday, March 13, 2022.Kns Ut Hoops Return RANK 1 /
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Longwood head coach Griff Aldrich reacts during a NCAA non-conference men’s basketball game against Iowa, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.211109 Longwood Iowa Mbb 021 Jpg
Longwood head coach Griff Aldrich reacts during a NCAA non-conference men’s basketball game against Iowa, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.211109 Longwood Iowa Mbb 021 Jpg /

Fans on Rocky Top are rightly upset about Tennessee basketball only earning a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They finished second in the SEC regular season and won the SEC Tournament but were behind two teams they were 3-1 against on the year, as the Auburn Tigers and Kentucky Wildcats earned No. 2 seed.

However, the Vols’ best chance to embarrass the Selection Committee for that decision is to win. After all they’re in the Big Dance, and they enter March Madness as champions. Because of that, Rick Barnes’ team shouldn’t worry about an arbitrary number by their name.

If they reach the Final Four, nobody will remember the seed. How do they get there, though? Well, this post will break that down, looking at their potential opponent in every round of the tournament that they may have to face before coming out of the South Region. Starting with their first game, here is Tennessee basketball’s road to the Final Four.

Round of 64 matchup

No. 14 seed Longwood Lancers (26-6)

The Longwood Lancers are the one team the Vols know they’ll play. These two will face off Thursday afternoon in Indianapolis. Longwood comes in under fourth-year head coach Griff Aldrich as Big South regular season and tournament champions. Similar to Rocky Top, they have been red-hot as of late. In fact, they have been hotter.

Currently on an eight-game winning streak, Longwood has won 16 of 17. Coming out of Farmville, Va., their one skill is shooting the three. They don’t have anybody over 6’7″ who plays significantly, but they make over eight threes a game and shoot 38 percent from beyond the arc. As a result, Tennessee basketball had better watch out.

This is the first NCAA Tournament appearance for Longwood since they joined Division I in 2004. In fact, it’s only their second winning season since then, and it’s obviously their first Big South title. Their last tournament title came in 2001, when they won the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference, now the Conference Carolinas, and made the Division II NCAA Tournament.

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