Can Tennessee be No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament? Vols' chances after win vs Auburn
Tennessee has a proud men's basketball history, with more than two dozen NCAA Tournament appearances to its name.
This year, though, the Vols could accomplish something they've never done before.
With a 70-65 victory Saturday against Auburn in the semifinals of the men's SEC tournament in Nashville, Tennessee advanced to Sunday's conference championship game, where it will face off against either Florida or Alabama.
REQUIRED READING: NCAA Tournament bubble gets major shakeup in Bracketology days before March Madness
The win improved the Vols' record to 27-6 and, perhaps more than that, kept it in the conversation for what would be a historic feat for the program: earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, something that Tennessee has never done before.
Where does coach Rick Barnes' team stand in that effort? Here's a closer look at the Vols' candidacy for a No. 1 seed:
With the victory against Auburn, Tennessee kept its hopes of earning a spot on the top line of the NCAA Tournament bracket alive.
Entering the day, the Vols were widely projected as a No. 2 seed, including by ESPN, CBS Sports and Fox Sports. USA TODAY Sports' latest bracketology also has them as a No. 2 seed, facing off against Robert Morris in the first round. Bracket Matrix, a website that compiles and averages the seeding of dozens of mock brackets, had Tennessee as the second No. 2 seed, behind Alabama.
Saturday's triumph could change that.
Tennessee now has 11 Quadrant One wins, tied for the fourth-most of any Division I team. It also doesn't have any bad losses that could thwart its hopes for a No. 1 seed, with no defeats outside of that first quadrant. The Vols came into the weekend as the No. 6 team in the NCAA's NET rankings.
Auburn, at 28-5 and No. 2 in the latest NCAA NET rankings, is unlikely to fall from the No. 1 seed line after spending the majority of the season as the No. 1 team in the major national polls. Nor is Duke, which is 30-3 heading into Saturday's ACC championship game against Louisville. Even if the Blue Devils lose, the NCAA Tournament selection would likely take into account that they played without injured star Cooper Flagg, which would probably be enough to keep them as a No. 1 seed.
If Houston, at 29-4 and No. 3 in the NET, beats Arizona in Saturday's Big 12 championship game, it will lock up a No. 1 seed, as well. If the Cougars lose, it could open up an opportunity for the Vols or another SEC team.
Tennessee's main competition for a No. 1 seed can be found in its own conference, with Alabama and Florida also vying for that fourth and final available top seed (presuming favorites win elsewhere in other major conference tournaments).
The other SEC semifinal between the Crimson Tide and Gators could serve as an elimination game for a No. 1 seed, with the loser ending up as a No. 2 seed. That same logic would likely apply to the SEC championship game, with the victor earning a No. 1 seed and the loser being a No. 2 seed.
REQUIRED READING: Tennessee basketball won't be a No. 1 seed in March Madness bracket, Joe Lunardi predicts
Here's a look at where the Vols rank in the major metrics used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee when picking and seeding squads for the 68-team field.
Some of these metrics, like the NET, haven't yet taken the win against Auburn into consideration.
NET ranking: 6
KenPom ranking: 5
Torvik ranking: 6
KPI ranking: 5
Wins above bubble ranking: 5
Strength of record ranking: 7
BPI ranking: 6
Quad One record: 11-6
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee case for No. 1 seed: What to know after Vols' win vs Auburn
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