Lady Vols basketball dropped in seeding, but it’s still in the projected NCAA Tournament field after its road loss to Ole Miss on Sunday.
Tennessee (12-7, 5-2 SEC) stayed put in the Last Four In the tournament in ESPN’s bracketology update Tuesday. Minnesota, Alabama and Washington were also in the Last Four. The Lady Vols dropped to a No. 12 seed after losing 80-75 to the Rebels on Sunday, and Ole Miss rose to a No. 7 seed. Tennessee’s projected play-in game against Washington is in the Portland 2 region.
The Lady Vols are currently ranked No. 56 in the NCAA NET rankings after losing to the Rebels, which only dropped them two spots. Tennessee dropped as low as No. 98 after losing to Middle Tennessee State in December.
This is the Lady Vols’ second week in the projected tournament field after being dropped from the projected tournament field after its 5-5 start. They hovered on the bubble between the First Four Out and the Next Four Out after starting SEC play 3-1, dropping a road game to Texas A&M.
Tennessee moved back into the tournament field after a road win at Mississippi State – which just upset reigning champ LSU on Monday – and a home win over in-state rival Vanderbilt. Tennessee was one of the Last Four In and was slotted in a play-in game as a No. 11 seed.
When the Lady Vols moved into the First Four Out after starting SEC play 3-0 in the Jan. 12 bracketology, ESPN’s Charlie Creme said the next four games could “make or break NCAA Tournament hopes for Tennessee.” The Lady Vols went 2-2 in that stretch, which included three road games. Staying in the projected tournament field after that is a good sign for the Lady Vols.
When Tennessee first dropped out of the field in December, Creme said it wasn’t time to panic yet. If the Lady Vols put together a substantial SEC record and finished in the top six or seven teams, they wouldn’t need to worry about missing March Madness for the first time. Tennessee is currently tied for second in the SEC with Ole Miss and has nine SEC games left – three of them are against LSU and South Carolina.
A signature win over LSU or South Carolina would boost Tennessee’s seeding significantly, and staying competitive if they lose all three matchups is crucial.
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The Lady Vols have never missed an NCAA Tournament in program history. The program has won eight NCAA championships and made 18 trips to the Final Four. All of those trips happened under legendary coach Pat Summitt, and the last time they did either was in 2008. Tennessee has advanced to the Elite Eight 28 times, and last advanced to the regional championship in 2016.
The pandemic canceled the NCAA Tournament during Lady Vols coach Kellie Harper’s first season leading her alma mater. Tennessee has made the tournament each season since under Harper and made it to the Sweet 16 the last two seasons. It was the first time the Lady Vols made back-to-back trips to the Sweet 16 since 2015 and 2016.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.