Well, that was a depressing Saturday for Tennessee fans.
The Vols imploded yet again in the second half, losing 71-69 to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Nate Ament suffered a knee injury and tweaked the ankle he hurt earlier in the week in the loss to Missouri.
So, now where do things stand for the Vols as they enter the final week of the regular season?
First, let’s look at what’s ahead. Tennessee has a trip to South Carolina on deck on Tuesday night. I’d say that should be a lock, but without Ament, I can’t say they’d be a lock to beat anybody anywhere in the SEC at this point. After that, they close out on Saturday at home against Vanderbilt. That will be a very tough game to win without Ament.
The Vols might need to win both of them if they’re going to get back into the picture for a double bye in the SEC Tournament.
Tennessee now sits at 10-6 in SEC play, and that drops them to the 6 seed in the SEC at the moment. Both Missouri and Kentucky leapfrogged the Vols, as both teams are 10-6 but both hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Tennessee.
Kentucky still has to go to Texas A&M midweek, which could be tough. The close out at home against Florida, which certainly will be very difficult. One or two losses are possible there. Missouri goes to Oklahoma midweek before closing out at home against Arkansas, the latter of which will be particularly tough.
As far as NCAA tourney projections, the Vols are still hanging around as a 5 seed in both ESPN and CBS Sports’ projections. Not a bad spot to be in, but if Tennessee can’t take care of business if Ament misses time, then that will drop as well.
Have to take care of business first, starting on Tuesday night in Columbia.