Could this be the year that Tennessee basketball breaks through to the Final Four? According to the college basketball analyst Andy Katz, there’s a possibility.
He named his ‘dark horse Final Four‘ on Monday. He had the 6-seed Vols advancing alongside Wisconsin, UCLA and Vanderbilt. That doesn’t mean that’s his projection, but under-the-radar teams he thinks have a chance to make a special run despite their seeding.
This would mark the first Final Four in Tennessee men’s basketball history. The program has previously made three Elite Eight appearances, including in each of the past two seasons.
.@TheAndyKatz drops his dark horse Final Four 👀
Let us know who’s making that dark horse run in YOUR bracket: https://t.co/Jt9eXr7MVr pic.twitter.com/DWX7g7nGXp
Advertisement— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 16, 2026
More From RTI: What Tennessee AHC Justin Gainey Said Before Vols Leave For NCAA Tournament
Tennessee will open the run against the winner of the play-in game between 11-seeds SMU and Miami (OH). That game is scheduled for 9:15 p.m. ET in Dayton, Ohio, on TruTV on Wednesday.
“It’d be from a scouting perspective, obviously,” Vols associate head coach Justin Gainey said about scouting two teams. “And two really good teams. I think it’ll be a good matchup because they both want to play fast. They both want to play in space and shoot a lot of three. So it’ll be an interesting game to watch.”
Tip-off for the Vols’ ensuing game in the Round of 64 is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET on Friday on TBS. The winner of that game matches up with the winner between 3-seed Virginia and 14-seed Wright State in the Round of 32.
If Tennessee can advance to another Sweet 16, the likely opponent would be 2-seed Iowa State or 7-seed Kentucky. A third-straight Elite Eight would likely match the Vols up with 1-seed Michigan, 4-seed Alabama or 5-seed Texas Tech.
