Will Tennessee basketball be a No. 1 seed at NCAA Tournament?
- Advertisement -
Rick Barnes on Tennessee basketball’s loss to Kentucky on senior day
Tennessee basketball fell 85-81 in its regular-season finale against Kentucky.
All signs point to Tennessee basketball fighting with Arizona and North Carolina for the final No. 1 seed selection of the NCAA Tournament.
The No. 4 Vols (24-7, 14-4 SEC), No. 5 Wildcats (24-7, 15-5 Pac-12) and No. 7 Tar Heels (25-6, 17-3 ACC) boast nearly identical records and resumes this season. Perhaps for all three programs, a few more resume-boosting wins in the SEC, Pac-12 and ACC tournaments, respectively, would give one team the edge.
REQUIRED READING: After Kentucky loss, Rick Barnes had a subtle warning for Tennessee basketball | Estes
Tennessee’s No. 1 seed hopes appeared to take a hit on Saturday after the Vols fell to No. 13 Kentucky 85-81 at home, however, Arizona also lost 78-65 to USC, which would need an unlikely Pac-12 Tournament win to reach March Madness. North Carolina seemed out of the No. 1 seed picture, but the door was opened after the Vols and Wildcats’ losses and the Tar Heels’ win over No. 8 Duke.
Experts predict Houston, UConn and Purdue have all but locked up their spots as 1 seeds at the NCAA Tournament.
Regardless of their seeding, the Vols, led by first-year Northern Colorado transfer Dalton Knecht, will still be among the strongest contenders to make a deep run at the NCAA Tournament.
Here’s a look at Tennessee’s No. 1-seed resume heading into the SEC tournament:
REQUIRED READING: The lesson Dalton Knecht got from Rick Barnes after scoring 40 points against Kentucky
Will Tennessee be a 1 seed for March Madness?
The seedings for the NCAA Tournament have yet to be determined, but Tennessee seems positioned for a No. 1 seed selection, according to ESPN’s “Bracketelogy” expert Joe Lunardi.
After Tennessee’s Saturday night loss to Kentucky – which is rising up the seedings itself – Lunardi said he has Tennessee, Arizona and now North Carolina tied for the fourth and final No. 1 seed.
“Tennessee is back in a virtual tie with Arizona and surging North Carolina for the fourth and final No. 1 seed,” Lunardi wrote Saturday night. “The Vols were in the driver’s seat before Saturday, but they will now carry a little extra burden at the SEC tournament.”
Lunardi later added that North Carolina would need some help to surpass Tennessee or Arizona, however.
“UNC will need an ACC tourney title — and probably a little help — to land on the NCAA’s top line, but an effort like the one at Cameron Indoor Stadium makes all things possible,” he wrote.
REQUIRED READING: I don’t think less of Tennessee basketball after loss. I think more of Kentucky | Adams
Tennessee basketball resume
- NET ranking: 5th
- Quad 1 matchups: 7-6
- Quad 2 matchups: 6-1
- Quad 3 matchups: 6-0
- Quad 4 matchups: 5-0
- Best wins: at Kentucky (103-92), vs. Auburn (92-84), at Alabama (81-74), at South Carolina (66-59), vs. Illinois (86-79).
- Losses: vs. Purdue (71-67), vs. Kansas (69-60), at North Carolina (100-92), at Mississippi…
Read More: Will Tennessee basketball be a No. 1 seed at NCAA Tournament? 2024-03-10 15:58:40