Tennessee basketball is back on the rise-just in time for the heart of SEC play.
After slipping to a season-low 7-seed in last week’s bracketology projections, the Vols responded with a statement win over No. 17 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. That road victory-Tennessee’s first true road win of the year-was enough to bump them back up to a 6-seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest NCAA Tournament forecast.
In the updated bracket, Tennessee lands in the East Region, where they’re projected to face the winner of a play-in game between New Mexico and Virginia Tech. A win there would likely set up a second-round clash with 3-seed Texas Tech, assuming the Red Raiders take care of business against 14-seed Portland State.
The East Region is stacked with familiar faces for Tennessee. Top-seeded Duke, 2-seed Illinois, 4-seed Kansas, and 5-seed Arkansas all share the bracket-and all have already faced the Vols this season.
The results haven’t gone Tennessee’s way: a preseason exhibition loss to Duke, a tough outing against Kansas in the Players Era Thanksgiving tournament, a December defeat to Illinois in Nashville, and a conference-opening loss to Arkansas in Fayetteville. So while the Vols have seen top-tier competition, they’re still looking for that signature win against one of the nation’s elite.
Still, there’s been consistency in their tournament outlook. This marks the fourth time in the last five bracketology updates that Tennessee has been slotted as a 6-seed. Before that stretch, they spent four consecutive weeks as a projected 5-seed, reflecting a team that’s hovered around the top 20-25 mark nationally.
Tennessee currently sits at 13-6 overall and 3-3 in SEC play, with a road trip to Georgia looming on Wednesday night. The Vols have been alternating wins and losses through their first six conference games-beating Texas, Texas A&M, and Alabama, while falling to Arkansas, Florida, and Kentucky. That inconsistency has kept them from gaining serious momentum, but Saturday’s win in Tuscaloosa could be a turning point.
A big reason for that optimism? Nate Ament.
The sophomore forward has found another gear offensively. After a slow start to conference play and some quiet performances against ranked opponents, Ament has erupted over the last four games.
He dropped 17 on Florida, poured in 23 against Texas A&M, added another 17 versus Kentucky, and then exploded for a career-high 29 in the win over Alabama. He’s been more aggressive, more decisive, and simply more confident with the ball in his hands.
That surge has been crucial, especially with Ja’Kobi Gillespie drawing so much defensive attention.
If Ament keeps producing at this level, Tennessee becomes a much tougher out-not just in the SEC, but come March as well.
After Wednesday’s game in Athens, the Vols will return home for a Saturday night showdown with Auburn at the Food City Center to close out the month of January. Georgia, sitting at 16-4 overall and 4-3 in the SEC, won’t be an easy out, especially at home. But Tennessee has a chance to string together back-to-back wins for the first time in conference play-and maybe start turning the corner toward a stronger second half of the season.
For now, the Vols are back in the 6-seed conversation, trending upward with a key stretch ahead.