The latest bracketology report from ESPN expert Joe Lunardi on Monday afternoon saw the No. 11-ranked Tennessee Volunteers fall one spot in the overall rankings, placing the Volunteers as the top three seed on the list.
Tennessee fell to Kentucky on Saturday afternoon in Lexington, which was good for the Vols’ third loss in the last four games. The fourth game, though, saw Tennessee defeat No. 1 Alabama in Knoxville.
Prior to Tennessee’s loss against Kentucky, Lunardi had the Vols as the N0. 8 overall team and the 2-seed for the East region. After the loss, Lunardi dropped Tennessee to the No. 9 overall slot, pushing Tennessee down to the three line.
The Vols currently sit as a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament according to Lunardi’s projection report on Monday afternoon.
More from RTI: Where Tennessee Basketball Ranks In Feb. 20 AP Poll Following Up-And-Down Week
Coming off of a disappointing 1-3 two-week stretch for the Vols, Tennessee will need to bounce back against a wired Texas A&M team on Tuesday night in College Station. The Aggies are looking for a strong win to cement their place in the NCAA tournament with only a handful of games remaining in the regular season.
CBS Sports expert Jerry Palm, on the other hand, has Tennessee as the 3-seed in the Midwest region, taking on 14-seed Iona in the first round.
In Palm’s latest projection, Houston would be the 1-seed in the Midwest region with Texas, a team that Tennessee beat in Knoxville, as the 2-seed.
Tennessee is 6-3 in Quad 1 games, 3-4 in Quad 2 games, 4-0 in Quad 3 games, and 7-0 in Quad 4 games. The Vols are ranked at No. 17 in strength of schedule and land at No. 3 in the current NET rankings.
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) February 20, 2023
Here’s a look at how Lunardi has recently projected Tennessee in the month of February:
- Feb. 1: 2-seed
- Feb. 2 (Post-Florida loss): 2-seed
- Feb. 4: 2-seed
- Feb. 7 (Post-Auburn win): 2-seed
- Feb. 8: 2-seed
- Feb. 9 (Post-Vanderbilt loss): 2-seed
- Feb. 10: 2-seed
- Feb. 11: 2-seed
- Feb. 14 (Post-Missouri loss): 3-seed
- Feb. 15: 3-seed
- Feb. 16 (Post-Alabama win): 2-seed
- Feb. 17: 2-seed
- Feb. 18: 2-seed
- Feb. 19 (Post-Kentucky loss): 3-seed
- Feb. 20: 3-seed
