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What is the farthest Tennessee has gone in the NCAA Tournament?

One more win will get the Tennessee Volunteers to a place they've never been.

By Zachary Rotman

Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler (5) makes a jump shot against Creighton during the second half of the
Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler (5) makes a jump shot against Creighton during the second half of the / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The Tennessee Volunteers have become a staple in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, making it to the dance in each of the last four years and six of the last seven overall.

The Volunteers were the best team in the SEC during the regular season, locking up the top seed but they lost embarrassingly in the SEC Tournament to the No. 9 seed Mississippi State. Even with their early exit, Tennessee was given the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region thanks to their impressive 27-8 record overall, and their 14-4 conference record. Not too shabby.

A sneakily popular upset pick in the first round was selecting former Cinderella story St. Peter's to upset the Volunteers in the Round of 64. Tennessee wanted no part of the shame that Purdue still deals with, winning that game by 34 points. They've continued to play at a high level throughout the tournament, showing that the early loss in the SEC tournament meant nothing.

How far have the Tennessee Volunteers gone in the NCAA Tournament?

The Volunteers gutted out tough wins against No. 7 Texas and No. 3 Creighton to advance to the Elite Eight. This is the second time that Tennessee has made it to the Elite Eight, with the other time coming in 2010. They wound up losing a heartbreaker that year, 70-69, against No. 5 Michigan State. The Volunteers were the No. 6 seed in the Midwest region that year.

Now, the Volunteers are the No. 2 seed, but remain the underdog as they're facing off against No. 1 Purdue on Sunday, March 31 at 2:20 pm EST. The Boilermakers have their history of embarrassing losses in the tournament, but Zach Edey looks like a man on a mission and Purdue has won each of their first three games by double figures.

The Volunteers have never made it to a Final Four, let alone won a National Championship, despite making it to the tournament more often than not, especially in recent years. The Elite Eight has been the end of the road in the past. They hope to change that, thinking star guard Dalton Knecht can lead them to an upset victory over Purdue and the first Final Four appearance in school history.

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