Here are chances Dalton Knecht, Tennessee basketball will be in Memphis for March Madness

It’s the final week before March Madness gets underway, and Tennessee basketball might get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

That means it likely will get to play somewhere close to home, and the legions of Volunteers fans in Memphis are surely hoping that it will be the Bluff City, what with FedExForum hosting first- and second-round games this season.

But even though Tennessee has plenty of support in Memphis, the Volunteers are still unlikely to end up here.

That’s because Charlotte, another first- and second-round site, is closer to Knoxville, and why most bracketology projections have Tennessee starting there. CBS and ESPN both have the Volunteers heading to Charlotte to face a No. 16 seed in the first round. ESPN has them facing the winner of a First Four matchup between Merrimack and Longwood, while CBS has Tennessee facing either Merrimack or Stetson.

Tennessee won the SEC regular-season title and can probably lock up a No. 1 seed with a good performance in the conference tournament. The Volunteers have legitimate Final Four aspirations behind a veteran roster led by SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht. Tennessee will open SEC tournament play on Friday (noon, ESPN) at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville against the winner of Thursday’s game between LSU and Mississippi State.

Although the Volunteers probably won’t be heading to Memphis, Houston might. The Cougars, who are familiar with FedExForum from their time in the AAC, could be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, and Memphis is the closest site.

The full March Madness brackets will be unveiled Sunday evening after the conference title games have concluded. Memphis will host four first-round games and two second-round games.