Tennessee basketball is headed to a program-tying sixth straight March Madness appearance and its eighth under coach Rick Barnes.
It's unclear, though, how much Tennessee's performance in the SEC Tournament can help or hurt its seeding in the NCAA Tournament. The Vols (21-10) will try to improve their place in the bracket as the No. 5 seed in the SEC Tournament when they play No. 12 Auburn (17-15) at Bridgestone Arena on March 12 (3 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
With a win, they'll get a rematch against No. 4 Vanderbilt (24-7) in the quarterfinals on March 13 (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). Tennessee split the season series against the Commodores. It won 69-65 at Memorial Gymnasium on Feb. 21, then dropped its last game to Vanderbilt, 86-82, at Food City Center on March 7.
Here's a look at Tennessee's resume, and where it lands in March Madness bracket projections before playing in the SEC Tournament.
Tennessee basketball March Madness bracket projects before Auburn game
USA TODAY's Erick Smith, Eddie Timanus and Paul Myerberg's latest projections place Tennessee as a No. 5 seed in the South Region. The Vols would play No. 12 Hofstra in Tampa, Florida, and the winner would take on either No. 4 Kansas or No. 13 Stephen F. Austin.
ESPN's Joe Lunardi also has the Vols as a No. 5 seed, but in the Midwest Region playing in Portland, Oregon. In this prediction, Tennessee and No. 12 Northern Iowa would play for the chance to play either No. 4 Texas Tech or No. 13 Utah Valley.
He also told Knox News he expects Tennessee to stay around the No. 5 seed, assuming it doesn't make a deep run in the SEC Tournament.
CBS Sports has a different perspective. It's slightly lower on Tennessee, projecting them as a No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region. In St. Louis, the Vols would await the winner of a First Four game between No. 11 California and No. 11 VCU. On the other side of the bracket is No. 3 Iowa and No. 14 North Dakota State.
Tennessee basketball ranking, NET ranking
NET ranking: 20
KenPom ranking: 15
Quad 1 record: 5-9
Quad 2 record: 6-1
Quad 3 record: 3-0
Quad 4 record: 7-0
Tennessee basketball's NCAA Tournament history under Rick Barnes
Tennessee basketball is in its best stretch in program history under Barnes, now in his 11th season with the Vols. Entering the 2025-26 season, the Vols were coming off consecutive Elite Eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament. They've made the tournament seven times and have qualified for the past five years with Barnes.
Before Barnes, Tennessee only made it to the Elite 8 once under former coach Bruce Pearl in the 2009-10 season. Overall, the Vols have 27 NCAA Tournament berths with three Elite Eight appearances but have never made it to the Final Four.
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: [email protected]
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball March Madness bracket predictions, live updates