Get your pencils and erasers ready, because the 2026 March Madness tournament is right around the corner. The Tennessee basketball team will play its regular season finale this Saturday in Knoxville before the SEC Tournament the NCAA Tournament rolls around later this month. The college basketball season is almost over, and things will be happening pretty quickly from here on out.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi revealed his latest bracketology update on Friday morning, with Tennessee coming in as a 5-seed in the South Region. The Vols have been a 5-seed for the last five straight updates, with just a differing opinion on what region they land in. Lunardi has Tennessee with a projected first-round game against 12-seed Liberty, and a potential second-round game against either 4-seed Virginia or 13-seed California Baptist. Both games are slated to take place in Portland, OR.
Other notable projected entries in Tennessee’s South Region include 1-seed UConn, 2-seed Florida, 3-seed Purdue, 6-seed Louisville, 7-seed Villanova, 8-seed St. Louis, and 10-seed Texas A&M. The South Region’s Sweet 16 and Elite 8 paths will run through Houston, TX, before the Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, IN.
Here’s a look at the full schedule for this year’s men’s NCAA Tournament:
First Four
- March 17, 18
- Host Site: Dayton, OH
First and Second Rounds
- March 19, 21
- Host Sites: Buffalo, NY | Greenville, SC | Oklahoma City, OK | Portland, OR
– – – - March 20, 22
- Host Sites: Tampa, FL | Philadelphia, PA | San Diego, CA | St. Louis, MO
South Regional (Sweet 16, Elite 8)
- March 26, 28
- Host Site: Houston, TX
West Regional (Sweet 16, Elite 8)
- March 26, 28
- Host Site: San Jose, CA
Midwest Regional (Sweet 16, Elite 8)
- March 27, 29
- Host Site: Chicago, IL
East Regional (Sweet 16, Elite 8)
- March 27, 29
- Host Site: Washington, D.C.
Final Four/Championship
- April 4, 6
- Host Site: Indianapolis, IN
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Tennessee Bracketology
The Tennessee Volunteers are 21-9 overall and 11-6 in SEC play with one game remaining in the regular season. The Vols will host in-state rival Vanderbilt this Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. ET before heading to Nashville next week for the SEC Tournament.
Tennessee has four ranked wins on the season, including No. 3 Houston, No. 11 Louisville, No. 17 Alabama, and No. 19 Vanderbilt. The team will have another chance to capture a ranked win this weekend against the 24th-ranked Commodores before the SEC Tournament ramps up next week.
Tennessee is one of 10 teams from the SEC currently slated in the field of 68 in Lunardi’s projection on Friday morning: 2-seed Florida, 4-seed Alabama, 5-seed Arkansas, 5-seed Tennessee, 6-seed Kentucky, 6-seed Vanderbilt, 8-seed Georgia, 10-seed Missouri, 10-seed Texas A&M, 11-seed Texas. The Aggies, Missouri Tigers, and Longhorns are listed as three of the last four teams to earn a First Four round bye, while the Auburn Tigers are listed as one of the first four teams to miss the overall 68-team cut.
No. 23 Tennessee will host No. 24 Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. ET in the Food City Center. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for live, on-site coverage of the game this weekend.
