Tennessee basketball falls off the No. 1 seed line after losing to Ole Miss last week. The loss dropped the Vols back to a No. 2 seed and put them back behind Florida and Alabama in Joe Lunardi's updated Bracketology.
The Vols are the second No. 2 seed, which matches them with Duke, the second No. 1 seed in the East, which would be a bigger advantage than Tennessee being the No. 1 seed in the West.
Lunardi notes that Auburn, Duke, and Houston are locked into a No. 1 seed, leaving the final spot up for grabs. That final spot could go to one of four teams: Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, or Michigan State.
For the three SEC teams, Lunardi said it could come down to who makes a deeper run in the SEC Tournament. "The only race left is among three SEC teams — Florida, Alabama, and Tennessee — for the last spot on the top line and a trip to the West Region. If it were me, I'd pick whichever of the three advances the furthest in Nashville."
All three teams earned double byes in the conference tournament, giving each of them an opportunity to win the SEC Tournament in three games.
Tennessee has one of the more favorable draws in this year's tournament. The Vols will likely face Texas A&M in the quarterfinals and Auburn in the semifinals. If the Vols can get past the Tigers, it could be a championship game rematch for the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The SEC Tournament tips off on Wednesday at 1:00 PM, with South Carolina and Arkansas starting the tournament. Tennessee's first game will be Friday afternoon at 3:30 PM against the winner of Texas A&M and Vanderbilt/Texas.