Tennessee basketball has locked in a double-bye in next week’s SEC Tournament with its 75-65 win over South Carolina. It marks the second straight year that Tennessee has finished in the top four in the SEC and the fourth time in the last five seasons.
Tennessee will be the four-seed next week in Nashville after Alabama beat Auburn at the buzzer in overtime at Neville Arena. Auburn is already locked into the top-spot in the SEC Tournament while Florida is locked into the two-seed.
The Vols will face either the five-seed, 12-seed or 13-seed in their first game on Friday. If Tennessee wins its first game in Nashville then they would be in line to play Auburn in Saturday’s semifinal.
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Tennessee finished the regular season 25-6 (12-6 SEC). The Vols suffered a blowout loss at Florida but otherwise was competitive in every game, losing in the final seconds at Auburn, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss while losing competitively twice to Kentucky.
The home game at Kentucky was the only game Tennessee lost at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center this season while the Vols earned marquee victories over both Florida and Alabama. The win over Alabama could prove to be the difference in Tennessee getting a three-seed in the SEC Tournament.
Tennessee will open play at the SEC Tournament in the quarterfinals on Friday. Its opponent is uncertain while Tennessee will tip off at approximately 3:30 p.m. ET. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider on Saturday night for updates on Tennessee’s seeding and its path at the SEC Tournament.
