Every year, college basketball fans find something to gripe about when the selection committee releases the bracket, but this year, they got almost everything right. The bubble was weak, and adding Miami (OH) RedHawks was the right call. Unfortunately for Tennessee, that means they could run into a mid-major powerhouse early in the tournament.
A stat uncovered by Steve Layman of NewsChannel 5 makes it hard not to feel like the Vols got the short end of the stick. Vanderbilt and Tennessee are the two teams in the No. 7 seed line or better that are seeded furthest below their current metric rating.
According to KenPom, Vanderbilt and Tennessee are the two teams among the top seven seed lines that are seeded furthest down from their metric rating.
— Steve Layman (@SteveLayman) March 16, 2026
Vandy is 12th in KenPom and a five seed.
Tennessee is 16th and a six seed.
This stinks. One positive you can at least take away from this is that Vanderbilt also got a raw deal. That at least will make Vols fans happy. Tennessee did, however, get the "easiest' No. 3 seed in Virginia, but that will still be a gritty clash between two defensive powerhouses if both teams are able to win in round one.
Tennessee playing a First Four team isn't ideal, either, in my opinion. We've seen it time and time again where a First Four team gets hot and makes a big run. UCLA did it, almost made the championship game, Oregon State, NC State, etc. There is always one team that gets hot and stays hot, and if I were Rick Barnes, I would've liked to avoid this at all costs.
Furthermore, Tennessee is rated higher in KenPom than Kansas, Wisconsin, Texas Tech, Alabama, and St. John's, and still received a worse seed. It's hard to ignore that Tennessee made their own bed losing games they shouldn't have, but this team has metrics that back up how good they can be.
The March recipe for success for Tennessee
Sure, the eye test tells you Tennessee has flaws; nobody will argue you on that. But the numbers suggest they’re actually a really strong team that could make some noise. They’ve got a seasoned point guard in Ja'Kobi Gillespie, a future top-10 NBA pick in Nate Ament, and a future Hall of Fame coach in Rick Barnes leading the way. Tennesse's draw might not be fair, but at this point, all they can do is put their head down and win and prove the committee wrong.