Tennessee basketball’s NCAA Tournament projections have improved after securing back-to-back SEC victories.
The Vols (18-7, 8-4 SEC) bounced back from their second loss to Kentucky with wins at Mississippi State and against LSU. Tennessee remains unranked and has been outside the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll since a blowout loss at Florida on Jan. 10.
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Tennessee is tied for third place in the SEC with No. 18 Vanderbilt, Alabama and Kentucky. The Vols are two games behind top-seeded Florida, yet only a half a game up on fifth-place Texas.
Tennessee finishes its stretch against the bottom of the SEC on Feb. 18 as it hosts Oklahoma (13-12, 3-9) at Food City Center (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2). The Vols go back on the road to face No. 18 Vanderbilt (21-4, 8-4) at Memorial Gymnasium on Feb. 21 (2 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Here’s a look at where the Vols stand in March Madness projections as of Feb. 17.
Tennessee basketball March Madness bracket predictions
USA TODAY’s Erick Smith, Eddie Timanus and Paul Myerberg kept Tennessee as a No. 5 seed in the West Region. The Vols would play No. 12 Belmont in Portland, Oregon. The winner would play No. 4 Gonzaga or No. 13 Hawaii.
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ESPN’s Joe Lunardi moved Tennessee down to a No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region. The Vols would take on the winner of a First Four game between No. 11 UCLA and No. 11 San Diego State. The victor would then await No. 3 Gonzaga or No. 14 California Baptist.
CBS Sports raised the Vols up slightly to No. 6 in the Midwest Region. There, Tennessee would play undefeated No. 11 Miami (Ohio), which is currently the only remaining unbeaten team in the country. The winner would take on No. 3 Florida or No. 14 North Dakota State.
Tennessee basketball’s résumé, NET ranking
NET ranking: No. 22
KenPom ranking: No. 19
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Quad 1 record: 4-7
Quad 2 record: 5-0
Quad 3 record: 3-0
Quad 4 record: 6-0
Tennessee basketball’s NCAA Tournament history under Rick Barnes
Tennessee basketball is in its best stretch in program history under Barnes, now in his 11th season with the Vols. Entering the 2025-26 season, the Vols were coming off consecutive Elite Eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament. They’ve made the tournament seven times and have qualified for the past five years.
Before Barnes, Tennessee only made it to the Elite 8 once under former coach Bruce Pearl in the 2009-10 season. Overall, the Vols have 27 NCAA Tournament berths with three Elite Eight appearances but have never made it to the Final Four.
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Tennessee basketball’s upcoming games
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Feb. 18: vs. Oklahoma, 7 p.m. ET (Quad 2)
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Feb. 21: at No. 20 Vanderbilt, 2 p.m. ET (Quad 1)
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Feb. 24: at Missouri, 9 p.m. ET (Quad 1)
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Feb. 28: vs. Alabama, 6 p.m. ET (Quad 1)
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Mar. 3: at South Carolina, 6 p.m. ET (Quad 2)
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball bracketology, latest NCAA bracket predictions
