The Madness Report: Tennessee bracket projections one week from NCAA Tournament

ANDREW PETERS AND CALEB JARREAU Sport Editor and Staff Writer

Just over a week from the NCAA Tournament, Tennessee’s standing in the bracket is becoming clearer every day.

The Vols are preparing to begin their final push towards getting a higher seed as they begin the SEC Tournament in Nashville this week. A deep run could move them as high as a No. 2 seed, but an early exit could knock them down.

The Lady Vols only did themselves favors in the SEC Tournament, making a run to the championship with a win over LSU on the way.

Here is where major bracket projections put the Vols and Lady Vols.

In ESPN’s Bracketology, the Vols are projected as a No. 3 seed, where they have been consistently over the past few weeks following a five-loss February.

Tennessee would play in the East Region, where the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds are Houston and Baylor, respectively. The Vols would take on Louisiana in the first round in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Why this bracket favors the Vols Tennessee’s path to the Elite Eight would be a fairly clear one in this bracket. Tennessee’s defense would have no problems with Louisiana in the first round, and the Vols should be able to handle one of Rutgers, Nevada or Creighton — all teams who have cooled down over the past month.

Baylor has defeated some good teams this year, but the Vols match up well on paper. The Bears don’t score the ball at an incredibly high mark, so Tennessee could likely outscore them if the Vols’ defense shows up.

Why this bracket doesn’t favor the Vols If Tennessee makes the Elite Eight, its run will probably end there.

Assuming it doesn’t get upset in an earlier round, the Vols would have to get through Houston to make it to the Final Four. The Cougars have looked like one of the best teams in basketball this season and boast a highly-athletic, high-scoring roster that also defends at a high mark.

The Cougars have all the makings of a Final Four team, with a top-five offense and defense in KenPom. The only slight against Houston is that it hasn’t faced the same level of competition as its Power 5 counterparts.

The Lady Vols (23-11) made a run in the SEC Tournament, upsetting LSU and finishing runner-up to undefeated South Carolina. Their run earned them No. 23 in the AP Poll.

In most projections, Tennessee is hovering between being a four-seed and a fiveseed. A chance to host the first weekend of the tournament comes with earning one of the coveted top-16 seeds, or for the Lady Vols, a four-seed.

Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper was adamant over the weekend that the Lady Vols have done enough to host the first weekend. She cited Tennessee’s NET Ranking, which has consistently been in the top16. Currently, it sits at No. 15.

Charlie Creme of ESPN however has held firm in his Bracketology this week. Despite Tennessee’s SEC Tournament run, he has not moved them from being a five-seed in Villanova’s region.

Why this bracket favors the Lady Vols Tennessee’s first-round matchup is 12th-seeded Toledo. Toledo does not pose much of a threat to the Lady Vols. They are a smaller team and dropped games to midmajor opponents

Not to count out the Rockets, they gave both Duke and Penn State a scare during the regular season, but their lack of size would hurt them against Tennessee.

Fourth-seeded Villanova awaits the Lady Vols in the round of 32. Tennessee would likely outsize the Wildcats, but it would be a tough away matchup.

The one-seed on this side is Virginia Tech. The Lady Vols took the Hoosiers down to the wire in Thompson-Boling before losing by three.

Why this bracket doesn’t favor the Lady Vols

Traveling to Villanova is not ideal for Tennessee. The Wildcats finished runnerup to UConn in the Big East and have consistently been one of the better teams in college basketball and finished the year 26-8.

If the Lady Vols made it out of the region, they would be forced to travel to Seattle for the Sweet-16 as opposed to Greenville.

The ACC Champions in Virginia Tech also stand in-between Tennessee and a ring. The Hoosiers are hot right now and would be a tough matchup.

Tennessee will find out its seeding on Sunday, March 12, after the men’s bracket is released.