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Field of Eight: ESPN has Tennessee basketball as one of eight possible national champions

IMG_3593by: Grant Ramey03/13/24GrantRamey
Dalton Knecht, Tennessee Basketball | Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
(Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports) Feb 28, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Dalton Knecht (3) reacts after dunking the ball against the Auburn Tigers during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.

Tennessee basketball is one of eight programs that can win a national championship this season, according to ESPN’s John Gasaway. The Vols were listed alongside Arizona, UConn, Creighton, Duke, Houston, Kentucky and Purdue as the eight true title contenders entering the NCAA Tournament.

Gasaway has predicted eight national championship-worthy teams the last seven years and has gone a perfect 7-for-7 with Villanova (twice), North Carolina, Virginia, Baylor, Kansas and UConn all winning titles after being one of ESPN’s eight championship teams. 

Gasaway listed 20 “near misses” that didn’t make the cut this year: Alabama; Auburn; Baylor; BYU; Clemson; Dayton; Florida; Gonzaga; Illinois; Iowa State; Kansas; Marquette; Michigan State; Nevada; North Carolina; Saint Mary’s; San Diego State; South Carolina; Utah State; Washington State.

Up Next: SEC Tournament, Friday, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN

Tennessee (24-7) will open the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament on Friday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena. The Vols will play at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN against the winner of Thursday’s game between No. 8 LSU and No. 9 Mississippi State.

Mississippi State is the only SEC team Tennessee did not beat during the regular season, losing 77-72 at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville on January 10. The Vols beat LSU 88-68 at home on February 7 at Thompson-Boling Arena. 

Auburn is the No. 4 seed on the Tennessee side of the bracket. South Carolina is the No. 5 seed and awaits the winner of Wednesday’s game between No. 12 Arkansas and No. 13 Vanderbilt.

Kentucky is the No. 2 seed on the bottom side of the bracket and will play either No. 7 Texas A&M or No. 10 Ole Miss on Friday. Alabama is the No. 3 seed and Florida is the No. 6 seed, awaiting the winner between No. 11 Georgia and No. 14 Missouri.

BetOnline lists Tennessee as the favorite to win the SEC Tournament

BetOnline this week listed Tennessee as the favorite to win the SEC Tournament with odds of 5/4 (+125). Auburn was listed second at 5/2 (+250) and Kentucky was third at 4/1. Alabama has 9/2 odds, Florida was listed at 16/1 and South Carolina was 40/1.

Tennessee enters the postseason as a projected No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament according to both ESPN and CBS Sports. Joe Lunardi and Jerry Palm both have the Vols as the No. 1 seed in the West Region and opening play in Charlotte for the first weekend. 

The Vols  has never been a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They have been a No. 2 seed three times (2006, 2008 and 2019) and a No. 3 seed twice (2018, 2022).

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