Tennessee basketball's path to another SEC Tournament title

The 2024 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament will officially begin on Wednesday.

While Tennessee basketball won't get its run started until Friday, the bracket will narrow down to eight teams by the time the Vols take the court in Nashville.

Here's the likely path to Tennessee's second SEC Tournament title under Rick Barnes.

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Due to winning the SEC regular season crown, the Vols have earned a double-bye into the quarterfinals. Tennessee will face the winner between 8-seed LSU and 9-seed Mississippi State.

If the Tigers win the matchup on Thursday, the Vols will be looking to take a second win over Matt McMahon and company. The first game was played in Knoxville on Feb. 7 where Tennessee won 88-68. Dalton Knecht led the way with 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

If it is the Bulldogs coming out on top, the Vols will have the chance to avenge a prior loss. Tennessee's first falter in SEC play came in Starkville on Jan. 10 as Knecht's 28 points and Zakai Zeigler's 26 weren't enough to top the 25 from Josh Hubbard and 23 from Tolu Smith.

If the Vols take down Mississippi State, it will mark a win over every SEC program in the 2023-24 season.

In the semifinals, there are four possible matchups for the Vols. First, 12-seed Arkansas and 13-seed Vanderbilt will play for a spot in the second round. The winner gets 5-seed South Carolina.

The winner of the second-round game will meet 4-seed Auburn in the quarterfinals. If the Tigers can use the extra rest to their advantage, they will move on to the semifinals. This would put them on a collision course with Tennessee if the Vols can also avoid an upset.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: team-by-team outlook

A Tennessee vs. Auburn matchup would be the second of the season. The first match featured the Tigers taking a second-half lead before Knecht took over. He scored 39 points while single-handedly willing the Vols back.

If it is the Gamecocks taking down Auburn, it'd be the third battle between the teams. Both teams dropped their game at home and won on the road. For Tennessee, it was an SEC regular season title clinching win down the stretch in Columbia.

The Vols also defeated Arkansas on the road by 29 points and Vanderbilt at home and on the road.

The title game could be against one of seven teams on the other side of the bracket if the Vols manage wins on both Friday and Saturday. Likely opponents are 2-seed Kentucky and 3-seed Alabama, though.

Tennessee is coming off a Senior Day loss to the Wildcats despite a strong last-minute effort. The Vols got 40 points from Knecht but couldn't get the job done. However, Tennessee did win in Lexington behind a team-effort led by Josiah-Jordan James' 26 points.

Both Kentucky freshmen Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard have given the Vols issues this season, though. While the Wildcats' defense has struggled, the offense has kept them in games and could be a challenge for Tennessee in a third meeting.

If it is the Tide making a run to the championship, it'd also be a third meeting between the squads. However, the Vols swept the set in the regular season with one at home and one on the road.

In Knoxville, Tennessee won by 20 behind Knecht's 25 points. In Tuscaloosa, the highly-anticipated rematch was claimed by the Vols after a strong defensive effort to close the game. Zeigler led the team with 18 points to seal it, as well.

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