The Tennessee Volunteers had an outstanding regular season, going 28-7 overall and 12-6 in a brutally difficult SEC Conference, giving them the No. 4 seed in SEC Tournament action. The Volunteers wound up making a run all the way to the championship game despite that No. 4 seed before bowing out to the eventual champions, the Florida Gators.
Thanks to their strong regular season and their outstanding SEC Tournament performance, the Volunteers were rewarded with a 2-seed in the Midwest region of the NCAA Tournament. The Volunteers were always going to be seeded highly, but given their run to the SEC Tournament title game, they were able to earn an outstanding spot, and were handed a fairly simple path to the second weekend in the process.
Their journey began on Thursday with a matchup against 15-seed Wofford. The Terriers hung around a bit in the first half, but Tennessee pulled away and wound up winning their Round of 64 matchup by a final score of 77-62. Senior guard Chaz Lanier hit six three-pointers and scored 29 points overall, leading the Volunteers to a rather comfortable win. The Vols did what they were supposed to do.
Of course, this win was what the Volunteers hope is the first step of a deep NCAA Tournament run. The odds are not in their favor to win the whole thing as a 2-seed, but they certainly have a clear path to, at the very least, make it to the second weekend and play in the Sweet 16.
Who does Tennessee play in the second round of the NCAA Tournament?
The Volunteers will face off against 7-seed UCLA in the Round of 32. The Bruins went through an up-and-down regular season in the Big Ten, but they showed how good they can be on Thursday.
UCLA knocked off 10-seed Utah State in blowout fashion, taking the contest by a score of 72-47. The Bruins had three players in double figures, including Skyy Clark and Eric Dailey Jr. who each had 14 points. Aday Mara chipped in with 10 points, six rebounds, and five blocks in just 21 minutes off the bench. Yes, the Bruins were able to win this game handily despite their leading scorer in the regular season, Tyler Bilodeau, being held to nine points on 4-for-9 shooting.
This was an impressive win for UCLA undoubtedly, but the Volunteers should still feel confident about their matchup against the Bruins. While talented, the Bruins don't measure up to a battle-tested Volunteers squad. It should be a good one, but it's hard to picture Tennessee bowing out this early given the year they've had.
When did Tennessee last make the Sweet 16?
The Volunteers were in a very similar spot to the one they're in now last season. They were a 2-seed in the Midwest Region, and won their first game handily, punching their ticket to the Round of 32. There they faced off against a tough Texas Longhorns squad, the 7-seed in the region. The Longhorns kept the game close in the second half, but Tennessee did enough to advance to the Sweet 16.
The Volunteers would continue their run past the Sweet 16 and into the Elite Eight, but saw their run end at the hands of the No. 1 seed in their conference, the Purdue Boilermakers. All Longhorns fans can do is hope that history repeats itself in the Round of 32, but not beyond the Sweet 16.