Mid-Majors Tennessee Wants To Avoid

There are always a handful of giant killers in the NCAA Tournament. Here are some Tennessee won't want to see.

After being ranked as the number nine overall team by the Selection Committee less than a week ago, Tennessee has dropped two in a row. Tennessee may have dropped to a four seed in the committee's eyes at this moment in time, but at worst, they are likely teetering the 3 and 4 lines. That said, there are certainly some mid-major teams Tennessee will want to avoid playing in the first round.

One of the worst matchups in sports for a team is a team built to counter your style. For Tennessee, their three-point defense could be countered by Colgate. Colgate shoots 40.6% from three as a team, which is almost a full percentage point better than the team in second. 

This team, coached by Matt Langel, has been built on hitting threes for years. While Tucker Richardson and company could be problematic for the Vols, a healthy Tennessee team with Josiah-Jordan James and Julian Phillips could ultimately bother Colgate with their length.

Recently grabbing first place in the MAC was the Rockets of Toledo. Now let's make one thing clear: Tennessee should be able to get a ton of offensive rebounds if they drew Toledo. The Rockets are 261st in the country in allowing offensive rebounds. 

However, if you can make shots against the Vols, you're going to be able to stay in the game. Toledo has four guys that shoot above 40% from three, including their bigger players, Setric Miller and JT Shumate. The Rockets could certainly spread out Tennessee and cause problems.

Finally, the Gaels of Iona are not the perfect matchup for beating Tennessee, but they have a formula that could scare a lot of high-major teams. Iona has two really good guards, Walter Clayton and Dannis Jenkins. 

Big man Nelly Junior Joseph could play with many high-major bigs, and then, of course, they have Rick Pitino on the bench. Pitino is still a top-10 coach in the sport, and his Gaels have dominated the MAAC since he's been there. The factor of having him is enough to give any team problems.

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