Lady Vols basketball is projected to have its second-lowest seeding in the NCAA Tournament in program history.
Tennessee (16-13) goes into Selection Sunday on a seven-game losing streak. The Lady Vols were projected to host the opening rounds as a No. 3 seed before losing 10 of their last 12 games, and now they’re widely projected as a No. 8 seed.
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The only time Tennessee has been seeded lower in an NCAA Tournament was during former Lady Vols coach Holly Warlick’s final season. Tennessee was a No. 11 seed in 2019 and lost in the first round for the second time in program history – the other first-round exit was in 2009.
Tennessee went winless at the SEC Tournament, falling 76-64 to Alabama in its first game. The Lady Vols now await their seeding during the Selection Sunday show on March 15 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Here’s where Tennessee in the final March Madness projections.
Lady Vols basketball standing in latest bracketology
ESPN’s Charlie Creme has Tennessee as the No. 8 seed in Region 2 Sacramento, facing No. 9 seed Syracuse. No. 1 seed UCLA would host the opening rounds and face No. 16 seed Stephen F. Austin. UT would have a rematch with the Bruins if it beats Syracuse.
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Tennessee’s loss to Alabama in the SEC Tournament gave Illinois the No. 7 seed in Creme’s projection after it upset Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament.
In USA TODAY’s latest bracketology, Tennessee is projected as a No. 8 seed in Forth Worth 1 and would face No. 9 seed Virginia Tech. No. 1 seed UConn would host the opening rounds and face No. 16 seed Howard, setting up a rematch with the Huskies if Tennessee advances.
CBS Sports has the Lady Vols as a No. 8 seed facing No. 9 seed Oklahoma State in Sacramento 2. No. 1 seed UCLA would host the opening rounds and face No. 16 seed High Point.
Her Hoop Stats also has Tennessee as a No. 8 seed in Sacramento 2, facing No. 9 seed Princeton. No. 1 seed UCLA would host and face the winner of High Point and Howard.
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The Athletic differs from the rest, projecting Tennessee as a No. 9 seed playing No. 8 seed Villanova in Sacramento 3. No. 1 seed UCLA would host and play the winner of High Point and Howard.
Will Lady Vols miss March Madness for first time?
Tennessee is the only program to never miss an NCAA Tournament in program history, and that streak will not be broken this season despite the losses that have piled up.
The Lady Vols still rank high in key metrics – they’re No. 22 in the NET, No. 4 in NET strength of schedule and No. 32 in Wins Above Bubble, a new metric the committee will use this season.
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“My answer to that question is always though, if you don’t think they should be in the field – and I hope the committee’s kind of asking themselves this, too – just look at the bubble teams,” Creme said on a media call March 9. “Even look at the teams in the 10-seed range. Is Tennessee better than Nebraska, Arizona State, Princeton … Clemson, Virginia? And I think right down the line, the answer to that question is yes, they are better.”
The strength of the SEC also gives the Lady Vols some breathing room for making the field. They finished 8-8 in the conference in a four-way tie for sixth place, and Creme projects 10 SEC teams to make the field.
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee women’s March Madness bracket predictions for NCAA Tournament
