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With a 1-2 record in conference play over the last week, Tennessee Basketball has taken a one-spot slide in Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology report from ESPN. The Vols moved from being projected as a 5-seed in the Midwest Region to being a 6-seed in the West Region.
Lunardi’s projection has Tennessee taking on 11-seed Miami-OH in the first round, with a potential matchup against 3-seed Illinois or 14-seed Wright State in the second round. These games are tagged to take place in Buffalo.
Other notable teams in Lunardi’s West Region projection include 1-seed Arizona, 2-seed Gonzaga, 3-seed Illinois, 4-seed Florida, 5-seed Louisville, and 8-seed Auburn.
Tennessee has seen three of those teams already this season, with losses against Illinois and Florida and a win over Louisville. The Vols will also host Auburn later this month on Jan. 31 in Knoxville.
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The 6-seed projection for Tennessee isn’t new this season, but it is the first time that we’ve seen it in a while. The Vols have been tabbed as a 5-seed in Lunardi’s last four projections, but did hold the 6-seed spot in mid-December following a three-game losing streak to Kansas, Syracuse, and Illinois. The Vols’ big win over Louisville propped them back to a 5-seed before the end of the month.
Tennessee has a chance to get back in the winning column with a game on Tuesday night against Texas A&M, and fortunately for the Vols, the game is in Knoxville. Rick Barnes’ squad has a perfect 9-0 record in home games this season, but has really struggled away from the Food City Center. The Vols have a 0-3 record in true road games and a 2-2 record in neutral site games so far this season.
Following home games against Texas A&M (Tuesday) and Kentucky (Saturday) this week, Tennessee will close out the month with a road game at Alabama on Jan. 24, a road game at Georgia on Jan. 27, and a home game against Auburn on Jan. 31.
Tennessee will host Texas A&M at 7:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday night in the Food City Center. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Basketball coverage.