Tennessee vs Vanderbilt round three could be coming in the SEC Tournament – All for Tennessee

Tennessee has finished the regular season on 21-10, and now Rick Barnes and the Vols will shift their focus to winning an SEC Tournament title. Tennessee will have its first game on Thursday at 3 p.m. when it will take on the winner of former Vols Steven Pearl's Auburn team or Mississippi State. Auburn has been one of the most talked-about teams in the SEC this year, as Bruce Pearl gave up his job for his son, and they are now on the verge of missing the big dance.
Tennessee assistant Justin Gainey already linked to an ACC job that just opened up
Tennessee defeated both of these teams during the regular season. However, when the Vols faced Mississippi State on the road, they nearly let the game slip away after blowing a large lead. Josh Hubbard scored 31 points, putting the Bulldogs on his back, but ultimately it wasn't enough. I think Mississippi State is actually the better matchup for Tennessee, but we will see what happens. Auburn is fighting for its life on the bubble, and that is never an easy game.
The 2026 SEC Tournament Bracket. pic.twitter.com/8xqUkqnQLr
If the Vols can take care of business against Auburn or Mississippi State, it would set up a rubber match with Vanderbilt. This time, Tennessee will hope to have Nate Ament available, as his absence played a major role in Saturday’s loss.
Even more encouraging for the Vols, Ja'Kobi Gillespie had one of his worst games of the season, and Tennessee still nearly pulled off the win. Vanderbilt is a great team, and I know many Vols fans want to settle this on who is the better team, and barring an upset, fans will get a rubber match.
Tennessee will have to improve defensively and limit its turnovers if the Vols want to make any kind of run in the SEC Tournament. If the Vols were to knock off Vanderbilt, they would likely run into the No. 1 seed and SEC Tournament favorites Florida. The Gators absolutely dominated the Vols in their only regular-season meeting. Even if Tennessee were to fall to Florida, winning two games and pushing the SEC's top team would still give the Vols valuable momentum heading into the NCAA Tournament.
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