Why The SEC Tournament Is Huge for Tennessee

Yes, the Vols have March madness to worry about. But, the SEC Tournament is going to be massive for what direction they go in.

Following this final game in Auburn against the Tigers, the Vols have the SEC tournament in Bridgestone Arena in Nashville from March 8-12.

Although the season has been a good one for Tennessee, sitting with a 22-8 record, the last month or so of the regular season has been topsy-turvy, to say the least. Since the start of February, the Vols are 4-5.

The Vols found success winning the 2022 SEC Tournament in Tampa Bay. They defeated Mississippi State in the quarterfinal round, Kentucky in the semi-final round, and then a red-hot Texas A&M team to win the championship.

A good SEC tournament this year would help the Vols with seeding come selection on Sunday, March 12th. Tennessee is poised for a quarterfinal bye in Nashville with a win against Auburn on Saturday, which would also help the team get rested for any SEC team they face. Even without it, wins in the tournament are what matters for the Vols.

Any team they'd play would be challenging, as it has been a rocky year for the Volunteers outside of Knoxville. On the road and at neutral sites, they are 7-7 compared to their .875 percentage in Thompson-Boling Arena.

The momentum gathered from a few tournament wins would also help the team get more adjusted without Zakai Zeigler, who has been ruled out for the season with an ACL injury. No matter the team and no matter the round, wins will be needed to help Tennessee's seed and momentum for the NCAA tournament. 

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