Advertisement

Where Lady Vols basketball stands in updated NCAA tournament bracket predictions

cora hall, knoxville news sentinel
·3 min read

Lady Vols basketball is off the bubble for now in the most recent bracketology reports.

Tennessee (15-9, 8-4 SEC) hasn't fallen in projections due to losses to Alabama on the road and to No. 1 South Carolina at home. Here's where the Lady Vols stand in the latest NCAA Tournament projections:

Lady Vols projected to be a No. 9 seed, No. 11 seed

ESPN's Charlie Creme has the Lady Vols as a No. 11 seed in two updates this week, which is where Her Hoop Stats' Megan Gauer has them.

But Tennessee held steady in the group of the Last Four Byes in ESPN's bracketology, while Her Hoop Stats has it in a play-in game. They Lady Vols are projected to play No. 6 West Virginia in Los Angeles in No. 3 seed USC's region in ESPN's bracketology. Her Hoop Stats has Tennessee in a play-in game against Saint Joseph's in the Albany 3 region.

In the Athletic's new bracket watch by Mark Schindler, the Lady Vols are a No. 9 seed playing No. 8 seed Nebraska in the first round in Portland 1. Tennessee is projected to play in No. 1 seed NC State's region. It would have potential Sweet 16 matchups with No. 4 seed Oregon State, No. 3 seed Notre Dame or No. 12 seed Ole Miss/Maryland, which are slotted in a play-in game.

Lady Vols basketball's NCAA Tournament résumé

Tennessee has one ranked win from a loaded nonconference schedule, but it's one that has begun to age well. The Lady Vols beat then-No. 22 Oklahoma in a neutral site game while star forward Rickea Jackson was out with an injury. Oklahoma fell out of the rankings shortly after, but the Sooners recovered to go 12-1 in Big 12 play. They are now No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 28 in the NCAA NET rankings.

Tennessee's next-best win is a 75-64 victory over Mississippi State on the road. The Bulldogs are No. 32 in the NET.

The Lady Vols lost their other ranked matchups, most played without Jackson, and have dropped games to Middle Tennessee State, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Alabama. All of the teams Tennessee 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.

Tennessee's Sara Puckett (1) with the shot attempt while guarded by South Carolina's Ashlyn Watkins (2) during an NCAA college basketball game on Thursday, February 15, 2024 in Knoxville, Tenn.
Tennessee's Sara Puckett (1) with the shot attempt while guarded by South Carolina's Ashlyn Watkins (2) during an NCAA college basketball game on Thursday, February 15, 2024 in Knoxville, Tenn.

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.

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