Saturday’s last-second shot to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide didn’t just excite Tennessee Basketball fans because of the way the game played out. What it meant added to the flair: The Vols have a very real shot at their first ever No. 1 seed if they win out against two unranked teams.
Rick Barnes’ kids shouldn’t want it.
Assuming the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee does what it has done in recent years and throws out all the conference tournament results except for the automatic bids they have to give out to champions, UT will be on the fringe for a No. 1 seed if they win out. Whether or not they get it is debatable.
However, because they are on the fringe, they will not end up where they want to be. All bracketologists who have Tennessee Basketball as a No. 1 seed have them in the West region, where they’ll have to go through San Francisco to reach the Final Four, potentially in a field loaded with West Coast teams.
Both Joe Lunardi and Jerry Palm have the Vols as a No. 1 seed in the West Region. Fox Sports, however, has the Vols as a No. 2 seed in the East Region with the Duke Blue Devils as the No. 1 seed. In that scenario, UT would travel to New Jersey the second weekend, much more accessible for their fans.
Sorry, but location matters in March Madness. Time changes and fan access can have a huge impact on who wins each individual outing, and it’s a bigger deal than whether or not a team is a No. 2 or a No. 1 seed. Both set up easy paths to the Sweet 16, and anything can happen after that anyway.
As a result, the Vols would rather be healthy and close to home than have a No. 1 seed, even if it is a milestone accomplishment in school history. They’d most want to play in Atlanta in the South region if they got their wish, where their fans would pack the stadium. Indianapolis in the Midwest would work as well.
At No. 4 in the AP and Coaches Polls and ESPN BPI, No. 3 in the RPI and No. 5 in the NET rankings, Tennessee will remain on the cusp the rest of the regular season. All they have left is a visit to the Ole Miss Rebels and a home game against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Meanwhile, the Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida Gators play this week. All three of these schools are in contention for that final No. 1 seed with the Auburn Tigers, Duke Blue Devils and Houston Cougars locked into the top three seeds. The winner of that game will almost certainly bump UT. Florida is already ahead of them.
Auburn is a No. 1 seed ahead of the Vols no matter what. Duke visits the North Carolina Tar Heels this weekend, an unranked team they’ll likely beat but one good enough to not drop them below UT if they lose. Houston visits the Baylor Bears that Saturday, an almost sure win. Alabama visits Auburn Saturday, which won’t hurt their standing at all.
Simply put, Tennessee will stay in contention for that final No. 1 seed no matter what happens with no chance at getting a better top seed, and that means the worst draw possible. As a result, based on how the rankings have shaken out after that Bama win, the Vols shouldn’t want it.
