SEC play has arrived, and Lady Vols basketball has passed its first two tests. After opening the conference slate at home with a win over Florida, Tennessee downed Auburn on the road.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Charlie Creme updated his bracketology, which predicts the seeding for the NCAA Tournament. This projection kept the Lady Vols as a 6-seed in the bracket.
In this prediction, Tennessee would open with 11-seed Rhode Island. The winner would then play the winner between 3-seed TCU and 14-seed Western Illinois. Each of those opening games would be played on the Horned Frogs’ home floor.
If Kim Caldwell can steer the team to another Sweet 16, likely opponents would be 2-seed Kentucky or 7-seed Stanford. Other top teams on a path to a potential Final Four include 1-seed South Carolina, 4-seed Michigan and 5-seed South Carolina.
Tennessee is one of 11 SEC teams in the projected field by ESPN. This is the second-most of any conference, trailing only the Big Ten’s 12 teams.
More From RTI: Everything Lady Vols Basketball HC Kim Caldwell Said After Blowing Out Auburn
The recent win at Auburn was a strong effort for the majority of the game for Tennessee. Despite crumbling and giving up a 17-point advantage in the win over Florida the game prior, the Lady Vols managed to cling to their edge on The Plains and win comfortably.
This came despite turning the ball over 25 times over the course of the game.
“I think anytime you can turn the ball over 25 times on the road in the SEC and come out with a win, you should take it,” Caldwell said after the game. “We have a lot to clean up.”
Next, the Lady Vols, which are now 10-3 (2-0 SEC), will head west to play Mississippi State on the road. Tip-off is set for Thursday, Jan. 8, at 7:30 p.m. ET. It will air on SECN+.
