And so begins another quest for the Final Four.

Tennessee has all the pieces to make a run for the first time in program history and has looked the part at times this season. The path starts late Thursday night in Charlotte where the 2-seed Vols will open their NCAA Tournament stay against Saint Peter's.

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Tennessee, coming off of an SEC championship season, enters the Midwest Region off of two uncharacteristic losses, including in the SEC Tournament in its last outing. But at its strongest, it's hard to see many teams beating the Vols.

It starts with SEC Player of the Year guard Dalton Knecht, who is averaging 21.1 points per game and a strong supporting cast that includes the league's defensive player of the year in Zakai Zeigler and All-SEC First Team forward Jonas Aidoo.

Offensively, Tennessee averages nearly 80 points per game and is ranks in the top 30 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency with 117.0 points per 100 possessions, according to KenPom.

It makes for a strong compliment to the Vols' defense, which ranks third by the same metric in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing just 91.1 points per opponents 100 possessions.

Saint Peter's, champions of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, are just two years removed from their Cinderella run to the Elite Eight in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

If the Peacocks are primed for a similar stretch, it will have to work around an offense that is averaging 65.3 points, good for 334th among 351 Division I teams. Saint Peter's will have to leave heavily on its defense, which is holding opponents to 63.4 points.

Who: 1-seed Tennessee (24-8) vs. 15-seed Saint Peter's (19-13)

When: Thursday, March 21 | 9:20 p.m. ET

Where: Spectrum Center | Charlotte, North Carolina

TV: TNT (Brian Anderson, play-by-play; Jim Jackson, analyst; Allie LaForce, reporter)

KenPom Projection: Tennessee 74, Saint Peter's 55

Series: Tennessee leads, 1-0

POINTS PER GAME:

Tennessee 79.5, Saint Peter's 65.3

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE:

Tennessee 44.4%, Saint Peter's 39.7%

THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE:

Tennessee 34.2%, Saint Peter's 33.2%

ASSISTS:

Tennessee 16.8, Saint Peter's 10.8

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Tennessee basketball's path to its first Final Four

REBOUNDS:

Tennessee 38.8, Saint Peter's 35.6

BLOCKS:

Tennessee 4.7, Saint Peter's 4.3

STEALS:

Tennessee 7.9, Saint Peter's 7.2

-- Tennessee is making its sixth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Rick Barnes. It matches its longest tournament streak in program history between 2006-11. The Vols are one of five teams to make at least six consecutive tournaments, joining Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Michigan State and Purdue.

-- Tennessee has been a top-five seed in six NCAA Tournament trips under Barnes and a top-three seed for the sixth time ever. Since Barnes took over in 2015, the Vols have been a 2-seed twice.

-- Tennessee is looking to get to .500 in the NCAA Tournament all-time. The Vols enter Thursday night 25-26 in NCAA Tournament games and are 16-9 in opening round games. Tennessee is 5-3 overall as a 2-seed and 3-0 vs. 15-seeded teams.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Dalton Knecht named Vols' fourth all-time consensus All-American

-- Tennessee and Saint Peter's will be a family affair. Vols' junior guard Zaka Zeigler's younger brother, Armoni Zeigler is a freshman guard for the Peacocks. Armoni averages 6.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game is shooting 39.1% from the field.

-- Saint Peter's was picked second to last in the 11-team MAAC in the preseason before the Peacocks finished third in the league with a 12-8 mark in the regular season. Saint Peter's won the MAAC Tournament last week to reach the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.

-- Saint Peter's is paced in scoring by Corey Washington. The 6-foot-6 forward, who was a MAAC First Team selection, averages 16.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He scored 24 points in the Peacocks 68-63 win over Fairfield in the MAAC Tournament Championship Game.

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