Tennessee Basketball will begin its NCAA Tournament run from Philadelphia on Friday afternoon with a first-round game against either Miami (OH) or SMU. Those two teams will battle in a First Four game on Wednesday night to determine which squad earns the right to be the 11-seed in the Midwest Region and take on 6-seed Tennessee in the first round.
From there, Tennessee’s likeliest opponents include 3-seed Virginia and 2-seed Iowa State before a potential spot against 1-seed Michigan in the Elite Eight. As always, though, this is March, and March means chaos. It’s ultimately just a wait-and-see process, and the most important thing to make all of this matter is Tennessee winning.
Here’s a look at Tennessee Basketball’s futures odds with the NCAA Tournament right around the corner.
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Tennessee enters the NCAA Tournament as the 16th-best team in the nation, according to the KenPom rankings. The Vols boast the 34th-ranked offense and the 15th-ranked defense in the country. Virginia, a likely opponent if Tennessee makes it to the second round on Sunday, lands as the 13th-best team in the nation, according to the rankings.
Tennessee finished the regular season and the SEC Tournament with a 22-11 overall record. The Vols recorded key wins over Houston, Alabama, Vanderbilt, and Texas A&M throughout the season, while also dropping games to Kentucky (x2), Alabama, Vanderbilt (x2), Arkansas, and Illinois. The Vols finished fifth-place in the SEC before the conference tournament last week in Nashville, in which they went 1-1 with a win over Auburn and a loss to Vanderbilt.
By the time Thursday morning rolls around, Tennessee will know its first round opponent. Miami (OH) and SMU are set to square off at 9:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday night in a First Four game.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Basketball news, notes, and coverage from the NCAA Tournament.
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