Lady Vols Basketball Jumps Up Seed Line in NCAA Tournament Bracketology

Tennessee is now projected as a 3-seed, hosting the opening rounds in Knoxville.

Jan. 27, 2026 at 1:55pm

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Despite not playing a game since the most recent ESPN Bracketology, Lady Vols basketball has jumped up a seed line and is now projected to be a 3-seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. If that seed holds, Tennessee would host the opening two rounds of the tournament at home in Knoxville.

Why it matters

A 3-seed would give the Lady Vols home-court advantage for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, which can be a significant advantage in advancing to the Sweet 16 and beyond.

The details

ESPN's latest bracketology has Tennessee opening the tournament against 14-seed High Point. If the Lady Vols advance, they would then play the winner between 6-seed Princeton and 11-seed Virginia Tech/Arizona State. Those games would all be played in Knoxville. The Lady Vols would then head to Fort Worth, Texas for the Sweet 16, where they could potentially face 2-seed Louisville and 7-seed Georgia.

  • Tennessee now sits at 14-3 (6-0 SEC), the final team in the SEC without a conference loss.
  • The Lady Vols' next game is against Mississippi State on Thursday, Jan. 29 in Knoxville.
  • Tennessee then travels to face UConn on Feb. 1, followed by a road game at Georgia on Feb. 5, and a matchup at South Carolina on Feb. 8.

The players

Kim Caldwell

The head coach of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team.

Talaysia Cooper

A guard for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team.

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What they’re saying

“It definitely matters. It worked out in our favor to where we could stack some games and build some confidence. And I think that was big for us and we're not really playing great at home. So, I don't really want to jinx it as we go on the road, but you gotta beat the teams that you can beat and because it does only get harder and you try to get one that maybe you shouldn't.”

— Kim Caldwell, Head Coach, Tennessee Lady Volunteers (rockytopinsider.com)

What’s next

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The takeaway

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