Is Tennessee basketball cursed?
It may seem that way for Vols fans — at least, when it comes to the NCAA Tournament and the team's seeming inability to break through a certain round of March Madness en route to a national championship.
That, of course, being the Sweet 16.
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Tennessee has only made it past the regional semifinals once in program history, in the 2009-10 season under then-coach Bruce Pearl. This, despite the fact the Vols have twice won more than 30 games in a season — and still lost in the Sweet 16. They were 2 seeds in both instances.
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Rick Barnes' Tennessee team (24-8, 14-4 SEC) lost out on a 1 seed in the in the NCAA Tournament, instead finishing as the top overall 2 seed in the Midwest Region following a big loss to Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament. But Barnes, entering Year 9 at Tennessee, still has the roster to make a deeper run in the tournament.
Whether it's good enough to break the program's Sweet 16 curse remains to be seen. With that, here's a look at Tennessee's NCAA Tournament history:
Vols NCAA Tournament history
Including the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Tennessee basketball has 26 March Madness berths, having entered the postseason as winner of the SEC Tournament five times. Yet, it is just 25-26 all-time once there.
Moreover, the Vols' best finish was when they reached the Elite Elight during the 2010 tournament.
Tennessee made its first-ever NCAA Tournament during the 1966-67 season, where it lost in the regional semifinal. The Vols didn't make it back to the tournament again until the 1975-76 season. That started their earliest string of postseason success, as they reached the NCAA Tournament in seven of eight seasons, culminating in a second-round loss in 1980-81.
Following the 1984 NCAA Tournament, Tennessee again went cold, making March Madness just once between 1983 and 1997. Jerry Green took over the program before the 1997-98 season and led the Volunteers to four straight appearances before he resigned.
Again, Tennesee underwent a four-year drought from the tournament. But the program has been to the Big Dance 13 times since the 2005-06 season, the longest stretch of sustained success for the program.
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Tennessee basketball Sweet 16 record
Despite its run of NCAA Tournament berths, Tennessee has never made it past the second weekend of postseason play. Moreover, the Vols have made it to the Sweet 16 a total of nine times, winning just one game in that span: good for a 1-8 all-time record.
The Vols' one Sweet 16 win — and the closest they came to making it to a Final Four — came in 2010, when 6-seed Tennessee upset 2-seed Ohio State out of the Midwest Region, 76-73. Pearl's team came agonizingly close to making the program's first Final Four, but ultimately fell to Tom Izzo and 6-seed Michigan State in the Elite Eight, 70-69.
Even in Tennessee's two best seasons — a 31-5 record under Pearl in 2007-08 and 31-6 record under Barnes in 2018-19 — the Vols suffered relatively early exits. They lost to 13 seeds in the Sweet 16 in both seasons: Louisville in 2008, and Purdue in 2019.
Tennessee basketball Sweet 16 results
The Vols have had their fair share of heartbreaks when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. Here's a look at each of their Sweet 16 games:
- 1967: Dayton 53, Tennessee 52
- 1981: (1) Virginia 62, (4) Tennessee 48
- 2000: (8) North Carolina 74, (4) Tennessee 69
- 2007: (1) Ohio State 85, (5) Tennessee 84
- 2008: (3) Louisville 79, (2) Tennessee 60
- 2010: (6) Tennessee 76, (2) Ohio State 73
- 2014: (2) Michigan 73, (11) Tennessee 71
- 2019: (3) Purdue 99, (2) Tennessee 94 (OT)
- 2023: (9) Florida Atlantic 62, (4) Tennessee 55
And here's a look at some of Tennessee's more agonizing defeats in the regional semis:
2010: Raymar Morgan's last-second field goal propels Michigan State past Tennessee
Tennessee's Scotty Hopson rebounded the front end of a one-and-one free throw and was fouled with the Vols trailing by one point. He made the first free throw and then missed the second following a Spartan timeout. Morgan was then fouled with 1.8 seconds left. He made the first free throw and, following timeouts from both teams, intentionally missed the second to run the clock out on Tennessee.
The Spartans led by as many as eight in the second half before the Vols got back, only to lose the game.
2019: Close calls cost Tennessee vs. Purdue
After missing the tournament in the first two seasons under Barnes, the Vols showed gradual improvement during his third season, reaching the second round. Entering Year 4 in Tenneessee, Barnes took the program to the next level, tying for the most wins in a single season with 31.
As a No. 2 seed, the Volunteers made it back to the Sweet 16 to face No. 3 Purdue. The Boilermakers led by as many as 18 points at one point, but saw Tennessee storm back to take an 82-80 lead with 2.7 seconds left. Purdue narrowly avoided a five-second inbounds violation and then missed the go-ahead 3-pointer at the buzzer. But Carsen Edwards was fouled on his shot and sunk two of three free throws to send the game to overtime.
The Boilermakers were able to take advantage of those calls to outscore the Volunteers 19-12 in overtime, advancing to the Elite eight and giving Tennesee fans another Sweet 16 loss.
2023: Cinderella FAU takes down Vols
Tennessee's No. 1-rated defense in the country, according to KemPom metrics, looked like it had slowed down the upstart Cinderella team in FAU, limiting it to 22 first-half points. With a five-point halftime lead, Barnes' team looked poised to make their second Elite Eight in program history.
But the Owls started hitting 3-pointers and used an 18-2 run to turn a six-point deficit into a 10-point lead over 6 minutes. Tennessee had a stretch in the second half where it shot 1 of 10 from the field and scored four points. The Vols hit just 6 of 23 triples and struggled only shooting 33% from the field in the 62-55 defeat.
