Dick Vitale sees Tennessee getting some sweet revenge in the NCAA Tournament, but predicts an unwelcome repeat occurrence for the Vols
March Madness is in full swing, as the NCAA Tournament is set to get underway with the play-in games on Tuesday and Wednesday before the event gets underway in earnest on Thursday afternoon. Second-seeded Tennessee will be one of those teams getting underway on Thursday, tipping off against 15 seed Wofford at 6:50 pm ET […]
March Madness is in full swing, as the NCAA Tournament is set to get underway with the play-in games on Tuesday and Wednesday before the event gets underway in earnest on Thursday afternoon.
Second-seeded Tennessee will be one of those teams getting underway on Thursday, tipping off against 15 seed Wofford at 6:50 pm ET in Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Vols are an interesting team, one which has folks believing they can make it to their first ever Final Four. ESPN's Dick Vitale is among the experts who sees the Vols as having a look at making that program first. Vitale put up his bracket predictions this week, and he has the Vols making some noise.
Vitale sees the Vols and Kentucky – the 3 seed in the Midwest Region – matching up in the Sweet 16. He sees the third time as the charm for Tennessee:
In the final minutes, Tennessee's veteran leadership shows up and the Vols close it out like champions. Tennessee WINS!
As Tennessee knows too well, things have been tough for the Vols against the Wildcats in 2025. Tennessee's shooting performance was dismal in a 78-73 loss in Knoxville back on January 25 (25-72 from the field, 11-45 from three) as well as the return 75-64 loss in Lexington (3-18 from three). If Tennessee can actually find a way to get a few more of those shots to fall – and their perimeter defense gets shored up – a third matchup could go the Vols' way later this month.
As for whether Tennessee earns that first-ever trip to the Final Four, Vitale sees the same result as last year, a close, painful loss in the Elite Eight, this time to Houston:
The Cougars hit big shots and clutch free throws and win with elite execution down the stretch. Houston WINS!
At this point, it's Final Four or bust for this program, who's stood ready to take the next step as a program for years now. And the Vols' draw really isn't a bad one, as opposed to the murderer's row that Auburn got with Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa State, and Louisville.
We'll find out soon enough if Vitale is right in that the Vols fall short of the Final Four again – or if 2025 is a particularly special year for Tennessee basketball.
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