Skip to main content
Tennessee

Bracketology: Where ESPN projects Tennessee Basketball in 2026 NCAA Tournament

IMG_3593by: Grant Ramey10/03/25GrantRamey
Nate Ament, Tennessee Basketball | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
(Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Tennessee's Nate Ament at basketball practice on July 14, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Tennessee Basketball is on an NCAA Tournament run like it has never been on before. Seven straight tournament appearances, back-to-back Elite Eight trips, four Sweet 16 appearances since 2019 and never seeded lower than No. 5.

The Vols went to the Elite Eight as a No. 2 seed in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments. They were a No. 3 seed in the Sweet 16 in 2019 and a No. 4 seed in the Sweet 16 in 2023.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi expects that run to continue this season. 

ESPN’s last Bracketology update on September 23 has Tennessee as a No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region, matched up against No. 14 Charleston in Greenville, S.C. 

ESPN’s current No. 1 seeds are Florida, Houston, Duke and Purdue. The No. 2 seeds are St. John’s, UConn, Michigan and BYU. The other No. 3 seeds are Iowa State, Arizona and Kentucky. 

Vols to face 17 opponents projected to make NCAA Tournament

Sites for the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament are Greenville, S.C., Buffalo, Oklahoma City, Portland, Tampa, Philadelphia, San Diego and St. Louis. 

The regional sites are Houston (South Region), San Jose (West Region), Chicago (Midwest Region) and Washington D.C. (East Region).

The Final Four is in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Fieldhouse. 

Tennessee has 17 opponents on the 2025-26 schedule that are projected to make the NCAA Tournament, based on ESPN Bracketology: No. 1-seed Duke (exhibition), No. 1 Houston, No. 1 Florida, No. 3 Kentucky, No. 4 Illinois, No. 4 Auburn, No. 4 Arkansas, No. 5 Alabama, No. 5 Louisville, No. 7 Missouri, No. 8 Vanderbilt, No. 8 Mississippi State, No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 10 Texas, No. 10 Georgia, No. 10 Oklahoma and No. 11 Texas A&M.

A closer look at Tennessee’s 2025-26 season

After the exhibition opener vs. Duke on October 26, Tennessee will start the regular-season schedule on November 3 against Mercer at Food City Center. 

The non-conference schedule is highlighted by a trip to the Player Era Men’s Championship in Las Vegas — facing Rutgers, Houston and a third team to be determined — as well as a road game at Syracuse, a neutral-site game against Illinois in Nashville and a home date with Louisville. 

SEC play starts January 3 at Arkansas and includes other conference road games at Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina. Tennessee has home dates Texas, Texas A&M, Auburn, Ole Miss, LSU and Oklahoma and home-and-home games against Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.