Why UT Vols should make deep run in NCAA tournament

On the brink of another NCAA tournament, it’s an appropriate time to review Tennessee’s Final Four history in men’s basketball.

Just kidding. Tennessee has no Final Four history.

But that could change in the next few weeks. 

Could Tennessee make the Final Four? As strange as that might read, the question isn’t far-fetched. It’s only strange if you can’t discount UT’s basketball history or can’t shake those preseason projections that it was close to being the worst team in the SEC.

Turns out the Vols were the best team in one of the nation’s best conferences. They tied Auburn for the SEC regular-season championship and reached the championship game of the SEC tournament before losing to Kentucky 77-72 on Sunday.

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Next stop: Dallas, where the third-seeded Vols (25-8) will play 14th-seeded Wright State (25-9) on Thursday in the South Regional of the NCAA tournament.

The regional is loaded with outstanding teams, including No. 1 overall seed Virginia and No. 2 Cincinnati. It also includes two hot teams – No. 4 Arizona, which has won eight of its past nine games, and No. 5 Kentucky, which has won seven of its past eight games.

But the Vols should be ready for this.

They didn’t just prove themselves in the SEC. They beat second-seeded Purdue, which has spent the regular season in the top 10. They had Villanova, a No. 1 seed, down by 12 points before faltering in the second half.

Consider the general landscape of college basketball, too. There’s no super team – no team that physically overwhelms anyone that comes its way.

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Virginia has been the most consistent, mainly because it plays such stifling defense. The Cavaliers have held 75 percent of their opponents to fewer than 60 points while winning 31 of 33 games.

But none of their five most productive players is taller than 6-foot-7. And in one preseason poll, they were picked to finish seventh in the ACC.

Tennessee’s strength is also defense. Its best post player is 6-foot-7 Grant Williams, the SEC Player of the Year. It was picked to finish as low as 13th in the SEC.

I’m not suggesting UT is as good as the best team in the country. But it can be competitive against the best team in the country. And it shouldn’t feel out of place no matter how far it advances in the NCAA tournament.

The Vols played three nonconference games against teams currently ranked 12th or higher. They won 11 of their last 13 regular-season games in a conference that placed seven other teams in the NCAA tournament.

After Tennessee’s second regular-season victory over South Carolina, Gamecocks coach Frank Martin said the Vols reminded him of his 2016-17 team. Not only did those Gamecocks exceed preseason expectations, but they also became the first team in school history to make the Final Four.

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Maybe this NCAA tournament will bring out the best in Tennessee. The Vols certainly shouldn’t be fazed by the pressure that the lose-and-you’re-out format can foster.

Just making the NCAA field is a big deal for the Vols. Their season is already a success.

They’re 25-8 and the fourth-winningest team in school history. They excelled in both the SEC regular season and tournament.

And they’re good enough to excel in the NCAA tournament, too.  

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: Twitter.com/johnadamskns.