Where Tennessee basketball stands in updated March Madness bracket predictions

Tennessee basketball is battling to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history with March Madness little more than a month away.

Here is where the Vols are in the latest NCAA Tournament projections:

Tennessee basketball is projected to be a No. 2 seed

ESPN's Joe Lunardi has the Vols as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Regional, which runs through Detroit. He has UT facing No. 15 seed Drexel. No. 7 Texas Tech and No. 10 Virginia are a potential second-round opponent in the Charlotte opening weekend.

CBS Sports' Jerry Palm likewise has Tennessee as a No. 2 seed in the South Regional, but against No. 15 Vermont. Either No. 7 Butler or No. 10 Indiana State would be a second-round opponent if UT advances. Palm has UT opening in Memphis.

Tennessee basketball's NCAA Tournament résumé

Tennessee has a pair of standout road wins at Wisconsin in November and at Kentucky in February. UT also topped Alabama by 20 in January and beat Illinois in December for a pair of strong wins. The Vols also hold victories against Syracuse and N.C. State in neutral-site matchups.

UT has four Quad 1 losses to Kansas, Purdue, North Carolina and Mississippi State. The first three are all projected top seeds in the NCAA Tournament, and MSU is projected to get in. It also has a Quad 2 loss to South Carolina.

Tennessee basketball's NCAA Tournament history under Rick Barnes

The Vols have reached five straight NCAA Tournaments, a streak started in Barnes' third year in the 2017-18 season. UT hadn't been to the tournament since 2014, before Barnes took over the program.

Tennessee went to the Sweet 16 in 2019 and 2023, two of the nine appearances in program history.

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The Vols earned a top-5 seed in each of the five tournament appearances. They were a No. 2 seed for the third time in program history in 2019 when they reached the Sweet 16. They were a No. 3 seed in the 2018 and 2021 tournaments. They lost in the second round in those seasons.

Tennessee reached the Sweet 16 as a No. 4 seed in 2023 before falling to Florida Atlantic. It was a No. 5 seed in 2021 and was upset by Oregon State in the first round.

UT has 25 NCAA Tournament appearances in program history. It has reached one Elite Eight and has never been to a Final Four.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee bracketology update: Latest NCAA bracket predictions for Vols