Tennessee Basketball Seeded Fifth for SEC Tournament

Vols to face 8-seed, 9-seed or 16-seed in opening round

Published on Mar. 7, 2026

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Tennessee basketball has been seeded fifth for next week's SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The Vols will begin play on Thursday afternoon, facing either the 8-seed, 9-seed or 16-seed. If Tennessee wins its first game, they will advance to face 4-seed Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals.

Why it matters

Tennessee had earned a double-bye in the SEC Tournament in recent seasons, but finished the regular season tied for fourth place in the conference standings this year. The Vols will now have to win an extra game to reach the semifinals, where they could face regular-season champion Florida.

The details

Tennessee finished the regular season with a 22-10 (11-7 SEC) record. The Vols tied Vanderbilt for fourth place in the SEC standings, splitting their two regular-season meetings. Tennessee had been surging late in the season, winning 8 of 9 games, but then dropped 3 of their final 4 to close the year.

  • Tennessee's SEC Tournament opener is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 13.
  • If the Vols win their first game, they would face 4-seed Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals on Friday, March 14.
  • The SEC Tournament semifinals are set for Saturday, March 15.

The players

Rick Barnes

Head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers basketball team.

Nate Ament

Star freshman for Tennessee who has been battling a right leg injury.

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What they’re saying

“Tennessee played the last 2.5 games of that four game stretch without star Nate Ament which certainly played a major role in its struggles. The star freshman is battling a right leg injury but Barnes expressed optimism Saturday that Ament would be back for the SEC Tournament.”

— Rick Barnes, Head Coach (rockytopinsider.com)

What’s next

If Tennessee wins its SEC Tournament opener, they will face 4-seed Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals on Friday, March 14.

The takeaway

Tennessee's late-season struggles and failure to earn a double-bye in the SEC Tournament means the Vols will have to win an extra game to reach the semifinals, where they could face regular-season champion Florida. The return of star freshman Nate Ament from injury will be crucial to Tennessee's tournament hopes.