On Thursday night, Lady Vols basketball put together its best win yet of the 2025-26 season under Kim Caldwell. Tennessee defended its home court in Knoxville, downing Kentucky 60-58. The Wildcats came into the game as the No. 11 team in the country, giving the Lady Vols a nice boost to their resume.
On Friday, ESPN’s Charlie Creme updated their NCAA Tournament projection. However, with Tennessee already making a jump on the seed line heading into the game, the Lady Vols stayed as a projected 4-seed.
In Creme’s projection, Tennessee would open things up in Knoxville against 13-seed Miami (OH). The winner of that game would get the winner between 5-seed West Virginia and 12-seed UC Irvine. That game would also be played in Knoxville at Food City Center.
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The likely opponent in the Sweet 16 would then be 1-seed UCLA. The Lady Vols already played the Bruins on the road and lost by 22 points this season. If Tennessee could pull off that upset, likely opponents for a spot in the Final Four would be 2-seed LSU or 3-seed Michigan State.
The Lady Vols are one of 11 SEC teams projected to make the field. That is the second most of any conference, trailing just the Big Ten’s 12.
Next, Tennessee has the chance to further improve its resume, as well. The Lady Vols head to Ole Miss for another top-20 showdown. Tip-off in Oxford has been pushed up to 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT due to inclement weather. While it is confirmed that the game will air on national television, the exact broadcast details are yet to be determined and will be announced this weekend.
