In my posting last Thursday, I advised Tennessee Volunteer fans not to worry because the Vols likely had already locked up a number one seeding in the NCAA tournament even if they lost early in the SEC tourney.
Obviously, I was wrong. The NCAA wasn't as impressed as I was with Tennessee's overall body of work that included playing one of the toughest schedules in the country and having a high RPI ranking.
Even though that was disappointing, the Vols still earned a number two seed. In looking at this weekend's games, I see some good and bad.
The good: Tennessee gets to stay close to home. The Vols only have to travel down to Birmingham for their games, which should make it very easy for a lot of fans to drive down and cheer them on. Additionally, their opponent in the first round, American University, should be a fairly easy game. Assuming the Vols find their defense (which they seemingly lost in the SEC tournament), they should advance to the second round with little difficulty.
The bad: The second round match up will be a challenging one. If we beat American University, we will play the winner of the South Alabama/Butler game. If South Alabama wins, we will be playing them in their own backyard. Expect a significant home court advantage for them. As for Butler, this is a talented team that beat Tennessee at the start of last season in the pre-season NIT tournament. They will be filled with confidence and won't be intimidated by Tennessee.
I'm sure this will surprise no one, but I expect Tennessee to win both games and advance to the Sweet 16. If that doesn't happen, it will be a disappointing end to a tremendous season.
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3 comments:
Tennessee has peaked. They may win one or two games, but that's it.
Whether the Vols win or don't win, I encourage folks to cheer, cross fingers, twist toes, etc. to make sure that the Predators get into the playoffs this year.
Last year's roster was purged ... and then some. But the Preds are still within reach of a playoff spot.
Go Preds!
I agree. The Preds have had a much better season than I expected. Let's hope they finish with a big surge.
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