Bracket expert says he’s ’95 percent’ sure where the Lady Vols will be seeded in the NCAA Tournament

The Lady Vols have lost seven games in a row ahead of the NCAA Tournament.

Zach Ragan — Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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The Lady Vols have never missed the NCAA Tournament.

Tennessee is the only women’s college basketball program that’s never missed the tournament (a streak that dates back to 1982).

The Lady Vols, which have lost seven games in a row, are 16-13 with Selection Sunday coming up on March 15.

According to CBS Sports’ Isabel Gonzalez, 16 wins would tie the fewest amount of wins by an at-large tournament team in the last 40 years.

Gonzalez also noted that Tennessee would be “the first team in at least 20 years to enter the tournament on a seven-game losing streak”.

Despite the rough season, Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell believes her team deserves to make the tournament.

“I think we’ve played the hardest schedule in the country,” said Caldwell Thursday after Tennessee’s loss to Alabama in the SEC Tournament. “I think the majority of that came in February, but we have significant wins….we hope to get in and continue to try to be a different team.”

CBS Sports bracketologist is confident the Lady Vols will make the NCAA Tournament

The Lady Vols won’t learn their fate until March 15, but the general feeling is that Tennessee’s tournament streak will continue.

CBS Sports bracketologist Connor Groel, in fact, says he’s “95 percent” sure the Lady Vols will be a No. 8 or No. 9 seed.

“At the end of the day, they keep playing teams better than them and aren’t getting blown out,” said Groel. “The metrics still look good, they’ll 95% be seeded eighth or ninth.”

The latest bracket projection from ESPN has Tennessee as a No. 8 seed playing Iowa State in Los Angeles in the first round.

A strong tournament run could help quiet the noise that Caldwell will inevitably face this offseason, though she’s already received a message of support from Tennessee athletic director Danny White.

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