Where Lady Vols basketball stands in updated NCAA tournament bracket predictions

Lady Vols basketball continues to climb in seeding after a 25-point win on the road over in-state rival Vanderbilt.

Tennessee (16-9, 9-4 SEC) has the most challenging schedule left of any SEC team, facing LSU on Sunday, followed by Texas A&M and South Carolina again. But the only loss that would hurt its seeding is the Aggies. Here's where the Lady Vols stand in the latest NCAA Tournament projections:

Lady Vols projected as No. 8, No. 10 seed

Tennessee climbed one seed line in both ESPN and The Athletic's bracketology updates Tuesday. Its highest projected seeding is No. 8 in Mark Schindler's projections, where the Lady Vols would face No. 9 seed UNC in the Portland 2 region.

Being an 8-seed has its downfalls, though. Tennessee would face a No. 1 seed in the second round – in this case, No. 1 Stanford if it beat the Tar Heels. That projected first-round matchup would also be a battle of the sisters between Tennessee senior center Tamari Key and Teonni Key, who's a redshirt sophomore at UNC.

Tennessee's potential Sweet 16 matchups in Schindler's projections include No. 4 Colorado, No. 5 Notre Dame – which Tennessee lost to in November – No. 12 FGCU and No. 13 Jackson State.

ESPN's Charlie Creme has the Lady Vols as a No. 10 seed in Portland 4. They would face No. 7 seed Michigan State in the first round in No. 2 seed NC State's bracket, where Tennessee coach Kellie Harper used to coach. Potential Sweet 16 matchup's in Creme's bracket include No. 3 Colorado, No. 6 Oklahoma, which Tennessee beat in November, and No. 11 Michigan.

Lady Vols basketball's NCAA Tournament résumé

Tennessee's one ranked win from a loaded nonconference schedule has aged well. The Sooners still sit atop the Big 12 standings at 12-2 in conference play, and they're now ranked No. 27 in the NCAA NET.

Tennessee lost all its other ranked matchups, most played without Rickea Jackson, and has dropped games to Middle Tennessee State, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Alabama. All of the teams it has lost to are in the top 50 of the NET – and six are in the top 30. UT ranks No. 4 in strength of schedule.

The Lady Vols have a chance to add to their résumé in their final three games. They face LSU (No. 9 NET), Texas A&M (No. 36) and South Carolina (No. 1) on the road.

Lady Vols basketball's NCAA Tournament history

The Lady Vols are the only program never to miss an NCAA Tournament.

The postseason was canceled in Tennessee coach Kellie Harper's first season at her alma mater due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lady Vols have been a top-16 seed in every season since and hosted the opening weekend. The only exception was the 2021 NCAA Tournament, which was hosted in one location. Tennessee was a No. 3 seed in 2021 and made it to the second round.

FROM NASHVILLE: How the Lady Vols proved they're hitting their stride in 25-point win over Vanderbilt

The Lady Vols have been a No. 4 seed the past two NCAA Tournaments. They made back-to-back trips to the Sweet 16 the past two seasons for the first time since since 2015 and 2016.

Tennessee has won eight NCAA championships and made 18 trips to the Final Four. All of those happened under coach Pat Summitt, and the last time they did either was in 2008.

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lady Vols basketball bracketology: Latest NCAA bracket predictions