Tennessee Has a Rough Road to Final Four

The Volunteers have their work cut out for them during March Madness but they're intent on making history.

The Tennessee Volunteers thought they'd have it easy going to the Final Four. The didn't draw the Number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament like they thought, rather sharing the Number 2 seed with North Carolina. The East is very strong and Carolina is the Number 1 seed in the tournament. That makes going to the Final Four even harder. The Volunteers have done a lot this year. Their 29 wins are the most they've wound in the history of the team. They haven't won a Southeastern Conference regular season title since 1967.

Earning a top seed in the NCAA tournament would greatly improve the team's chances of reaching the Final Four for the first time. Going into the SEC tournament as the 4th ranked team, the Volunteers knew that they might have to win the championship in order to position themselves for a top seed. However, they were upset by Arkansas 92-91 in the SEC semifinals which pushed them down a spot in the Associated Press poll to Number 5.

Not getting the Number 1 seed and their loss to Arkansas was a big blow for Tennessee. They face Number 15 seed American in Birmingham who won the Patriot Leage championship. If the Volunteers win that game, they'll play Buttler or South Alabama. Any of the first and second round match-ups could upset Tennessee. The Patriot League has gone 2-1 in the first round in the last three tournaments. Tennessee lost to Butler last season.

If the site of the first two games is a factor, Tennessee should be in good shape. They won two NCAA games in Birmingham in 2000, making one of their only 2 trips to the regional semifinals. Tom O'Connor, the NCAA selection committee chair said that the site was a factor in the committee's decision to place Tennessee in the East Region, which will hold its semifinals in Charlotte, North Carolina. The first 8 teams in the country were viewed as teams that could win the national championship. The committee tried to balance the top four lines in each region and having Tennessee in Charlotte made geographic sense.

If Tennessee reaches the regional semifinals, they could face a number of tough match-ups in a bracket that also includes Louisville and Washington State. They could make history if they reach the regional finals.