As Tennessee Basketball heads into its Nov. 3 regular-season opener against Wofford, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has already put the Vols in an intriguing spot in his latest bracketology projection.
Lunardi slotted Tennessee as a 4-seed in the East Region in New York, with a first-round matchup against 13-seed UNC Wilmington out in Spokane, Washington. If the Vols get through that opening game, the next step could bring a familiar and potentially nasty rematch.
Tennessee is projected to face either 5-seed Michigan - in a repeat of last year’s Elite Eight matchup - or the winner of 12-seed Creighton and 12-seed New Mexico. The Vols also met Creighton in the Sweet 16 of the 2024 tournament.
The East Region is loaded with heavy hitters beyond Tennessee’s path. Lunardi’s bracket also includes 1-seed Duke, 2-seed UConn, 3-seed Iowa State, 6-seed Nebraska, 7-seed Ohio State, and 8-seed Texas A&M.
Tennessee is one of 12 SEC teams included in Lunardi’s final preseason bracketology. The league list features 1-seed Florida, 3-seed Texas, 5-seed Arkansas, 5-seed Alabama, 6-seed Kentucky, 6-seed Vanderbilt, 8-seed Missouri, 8-seed Auburn, 8-seed Texas A&M, 10-seed Georgia, and 11-seed Oklahoma. The Bulldogs and the Sooners are listed as play-in teams, while LSU and Ole Miss are among the first eight teams out.
The preseason results have already shown how much work Tennessee still has to do with its revamped roster. The Vols went 1-2, falling at home to Xavier and getting blown out at Duke on the road, while also notching a reported closed-door win over Davidson at home. The two public losses exposed some early growing pains as the staff continues trying to get the pieces to fit.
Tennessee added a lot of talent through the transfer portal and high school ranks, but that group hasn’t clicked yet in the preseason losses. The early schedule should provide chances to keep building, with games against Wofford, Radford, Tennessee State, Coastal Carolina, Morehead State, Marist, and Norfolk State on the slate.
Terrence Hill led Tennessee with 22 points against Xavier, while Dai Dai Ames paced the Vols with 19 points against Duke. Injured guard Tyler Lundblade also returned in the closed-door Davidson scrimmage and, according to the report, posted big scoring numbers in his first action.
Rick Barnes’ team opens the 2026-2027 regular season at home against Wofford at the Food City Center on Nov. 3.
The Vols won’t have long to settle in before another major test, with No. 6 Michigan State coming to town on Nov. 17 and the Players Era Tournament in Las Vegas waiting on Thanksgiving week.
In Other News...
Lady Vols Showed Off A Depth Tennessee Fans Will Notice Fast
The only exhibition game on Tennessees schedule offered an early look at how many different ways this Lady Vols roster can beat you, and Florida A&M had no answer for it. Tennessee rolled to a 132-63 win while forcing 37 turnovers and turning those takeaways into 45 points, the kind of pressure-to-points formula that can make a deep team even harder to handle once the games start to count.
Eight players finished in double figures, a sign that the scoring load could be spread around in a way Tennessee fans are likely to appreciate fast. White filled the box score with 16 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals, Minus added 12 points and seven rebounds, Smikle led the way with 19 points, and Janneh controlled the glass with 13 rebounds, giving the Lady Vols a glimpse of the balance they can lean on this season. [Read more 🡒]
DeSean Bishop Update Matters For Tennessees Stretch Run
DeSean Bishops day at South Carolina ended early, but Tennessee got a reassuring sign afterward. Josh Heupel said the running back is expected to be in good condition for the upcoming week, which matters as the Volunteers head into the stretch run with Bishop playing a bigger and bigger role in the offense.
Bishop has been pushing toward 1,000 rushing yards this season, and his presence gives Tennessee another reliable option as the games get tighter. With one year of eligibility still left after this season, keeping him available now and down the stretch looms as an important piece of the bigger picture for the Volunteers. [Read more 🡒]
Vols Suddenly Have A Real Shot At Key 2027 DB Target
Preston Glascos recruitment is moving into the home stretch, and Tennessee has positioned itself squarely in the mix for one of the more intriguing 2027 defensive backs in the region. The Grayson High School cornerback from Georgia is expected to make his college choice soon, and his list has been trimmed to Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee after a process that has already brought multiple scholarship offers and steady attention from major programs.
For the Vols, the encouraging part is that Glasco has remained in regular contact with the coaching staff and came away from a recent visit with Tennessee firmly in the conversation. That kind of late momentum matters in a battle like this, especially when the competition includes two heavyweight SEC neighbors, and it leaves Tennessee with a real opening as his decision approaches. [Read more 🡒]