NASHVILLE -- Let the debate begin. The next 48 hours will be filled with rampant speculation from all quarters regarding Tennessee's status as an NCAA Tournament team and just how much damage today's loss to Alabama did to their prospects.

The Vols started the day as a member of the Field of 68 according to most projections. Sentiment had already begun to shift in the eyes of some shortly after today's 58-48 loss to Alabama.

Adding some intrigue to the situation is that some 'experts' had today's meeting pegged as a de facto elimination game between two teams fighting for a spot in the field.

How accurate that view is remains to be seen, but not surprisingly it wasn't an opinion shared by Tennessee's players and coaches.


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