ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s latest projection includes a tweak that may have upped the stakes of Tennessee—Alabama matchup
The Tennessee Volunteers picked up a huge road win on Saturday against the Texas A&M Aggies 77-69 in College Station. As a result, the Vols improved to 22-5 and 9-5 in the SEC. That also puts Tennessee into fourth in the SEC, the last spot for a coveted double bye in the SEC Tournament.
The Vols managed to hold serve as the first team out of a #1 seed in ESPN Joe Lunardi’s latest projections on Sunday. However, a tweak he made could make the stakes a touch higher for one of the biggest games on Tennessee’s schedule this season.
Lunardi pushed Duke ahead of Alabama in his latest projections, from 2 to 3.
On its face, that might not seem like too much, but it does move Alabama closer to the Vols, just two spots away. As such, the schools’ matchup on Saturday in Knoxville could end up being for a potential one seed between the two schools.
If Tennessee can get past Alabama, the rest of the remaining schedule isn’t terrible. Tennessee has LSU (4-10 in SEC play) on Tuesday and last place South Carolina to end the season. Ole Miss on the road next week could be a test.
However, the Crimson Tide’s final two weeks is the most difficult of any team in the country. After facing #22 Mississippi State on Tuesday, they face Tennessee in Knoxville, followed by games against #2 Florida and #1 Auburn to close out their regular season. A loss to Tennessee could be followed by additional losses that knock the Crimson Tide’s resume below that of Tennessee.
Regardless, it appears as though there’s not much between the Crimson Tide and Vols right now, and it’s a chance for Tennessee to potentially take a step over their rival and towards the program’s first-ever #1 seed in the big dance – if they can take care of business on home court against the Tide’s high-flying offense.
