Tennessee and Auburn receive boosts in NCAA Tournament bracketology projections

ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi has released updated preseason bracketology projections for the NCAA Tournament, providing outlooks for several SEC programs.

Tennessee is projected as a 4-seed in the East Region, slated to face 13-seed UNC Wilmington in the first round. A potential second-round matchup against 5-seed Michigan would represent a rematch of last year’s Elite Eight. Despite recent preseason losses to Xavier and Duke, Tennessee reportedly ended its preseason on a high note with a closed-door scrimmage win against Davidson. During that scrimmage, transfer guard Tyler Lundblade made his debut following a back injury, scoring 24 points in approximately 20 minutes.

Auburn has seen an increase in its projected ranking, moving from a nine-seed to an eight-seed. This shift would place the Tigers against 9-seed Indiana in the first round. The projection comes despite a difficult preseason for Auburn, which includes the loss of overseas transfer Mantas Rubštavičius and the firing of men’s basketball general manager Brian Kloman regarding academic record issues.