Tennessee basketball will be the No. 5 seed in the SEC Tournament.
The Vols landed in the fifth-spot following their 86-82 loss to Vanderbilt, which squandered the opportunity to have a double-bye in Nashville as a top-four seed.
The Vols (21-10, 11-7 SEC) will play on Thursday against the winner of the first-round game between the No. 12 seed and No. 13 Mississippi State on Wednesday. Either Auburn or Oklahoma will be the No. 12 seed.
UT will play in the second game in the early session Thursday.
The tournament starts Wednesday. The championship game is on Sunday prior the NCAA Tournament selection show.
Tennessee won the SEC Tournament in 2022, its first conference tournament title since 1979. It has reached the finals four times under Rick Barnes, losing to Florida in 2025, Kentucky in 2018 and Auburn in 2019.
Dick Vitale rips Cats over roster
Suspension for ref contact?
LIU punches first ticket
Hubert Davis gives update
Executive Order on college sports
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
It had a double-bye in each of the past two seasons and had earned one six times in the prior eight seasons under Barnes.
UT was the No. 1 seed in 2024 as the SEC regular-season champions. It was the No. 2 seed in 2018 and 2022. It was the third seed in 2019 and No. 4 seed in 2021 and 2025.
The Vols advanced to the semifinals in all but one of the six years it earned a double-bye. It was upset as the No. 1 seed in 2024.
Dick Vitale rips Cats over roster
Suspension for ref contact?
LIU punches first ticket
Hubert Davis gives update
Executive Order on college sports
© 2026 On3 Media, Inc. All rights reserved. On3 is a registered trademark of On3 Media, Inc.
