Tennessee Vols move up to the top line in latest bracket from ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi
The Tennessee Volunteers turned some heads on Saturday night with their decisive 103-92 win over the Kentucky Wildcats in Rupp Arena. However, they managed to turn one more very well-known head on Wednesday night during their 88-68 win over the LSU Tigers inside Thompson-Boling Arena. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi bumped the Vols up from a […]
The Tennessee Volunteers turned some heads on Saturday night with their decisive 103-92 win over the Kentucky Wildcats in Rupp Arena.
However, they managed to turn one more very well-known head on Wednesday night during their 88-68 win over the LSU Tigers inside Thompson-Boling Arena. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi bumped the Vols up from a 2 seed to a 1 seed in his latest projected NCAA tournament bracket.
The Vols moved up as the fourth and final 1 seed, displacing the Arizona Wildcats, who fell to the top 2 seed. Lunardi notes in his comments that the Vols move up after their 20-point win over LSU. Interestingly, Arizona hasn't lost since January 25, when they fell to unranked Oregon State 83-80.
The metrics absolutely support Tennessee's inclusion as a top seed. According to WarrenNolan.com, Tennesse has an RPI of 5 and a strength of schedule of 3.
One area where the Vols could stand to get stronger to maintain that seed is picking up more quad 1 victories, which are defined as wins over teams ranked 1-30 in the RPI at home, ranked 1-50 at a neutral site, or ranked 1-75 on the road. Tennessee has a 4-4 mark in Quad 1 games, with a better 5-1 record in Quad 2 games.
The Vols will get a chance to pick up several resume-strengthening Quad 1 games at the end of the year, as they face currently ranked Auburn, Alabama, South Carolina, and Kentucky to close the regular season. If Tennessee can make noise during that stretch, then the goal of the Vols' first-ever #1 tournament seed could become closer to a reality.
Meet the Tennessee-Kentucky couple who went viral in true house-divided fashion
The two became social media sensations during the Vols vs. Wildcats clash
