Tennessee basketball ranked No. 6 overall in March Madness Bracket Preview Show on CBS

Tennessee basketball is ranked No. 6, according to the “March Madness Bracket Preview Show” on CBS. That slots the Vols as a projected No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

“I look at this and I like Tennessee,” CBS analyst and former Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “I am thinking this is a little bit of an eye-test by the committee because they could be a Final Four team. They are rated high here.”

Purdue was the No. 1 overall seed followed by UConn, Houston and Arizona. North Carolina was the No. 5 overall seed followed by the Vols, Marquette and Kansas. The bracket preview put UT in the Midwest Region in Detroit with Purdue as the top seed, Baylor as the No. 3 seed and San Diego State as the No. 4 seed.

“Tennessee is definitely strong and we will continue to look at them through this process,” said Charles McClelland, the chairperson of the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee

Selection Sunday is March 17.

Tennessee was ranked No. 11 in the initial rankings in 2022. It landed as a No. 3 seed. The Vols were the No. 9 seed in the primary rankings in 2023 and were a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Tennessee has made five straight NCAA Tournaments. It has never been lower than a No. 5 seed in those appearances.

What is Tennessee basketball’s NCAA Tournament resume?

Tennessee has a 4-5 record in Quad 1 games, a 6-1 record in Quad 2 games and a combined 8-0 record in Quad 3 and Quad 4 games.

Tennessee has a pair of standout road wins at Wisconsin in November and at Kentucky in February. UT also topped Alabama by 20 in January and beat Illinois in December for a pair of strong wins. The Vols also hold victories against Syracuse and N.C. State in neutral-site matchups.

UT has five Quad 1 losses to Kansas, Purdue, North Carolina, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. The first three are all projected top seeds in the NCAA Tournament, and MSU and Texas A&M are projected to get in. It also has a Quad 2 loss to South Carolina.

Where Tennessee basketball is in NCAA Tournament projections

Tennessee is widely projected to be a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Vols as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Regional, which runs through Detroit. He has UT facing No. 15 seed Colgate. No. 7 Colorado State and No. 10 TCU are a potential second-round opponent in the Charlotte opening weekend.

CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm likewise has Tennessee as a No. 2 seed in Boston’s East Regional, but against No. 15 Oakland. Either No. 7 Florida Atlantic or No. 10 Virginia would be a second-round opponent if UT advances. Palm has UT opening in Memphis.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.