I remember that last year it was a big deal because they hadn't been to the semifinals in forever, and I was actually at their game with South Carolina, where they barely survived Devan Downey. Downey put SC on his back and almost carried them to victory.
UT was the SEC champs last year, so they were the 1 seed just like this year, and it only takes one win to get to the semis if you're a 1 seed.