The Tennessee Volunteers are carrying a 27-7 record into NCAA tournament play, having finished runner-up to Florida in this past weekend’s stacked Southeastern Conference tournament.
Tennessee has been one of four elite SEC teams all season and went 3-3 against the other three – Alabama, Auburn and Florida. The Vols have been seeded second in the Midwest Region and will open NCAA play Thursday night (6:50 on TNT) against 15th-seeded Wofford at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
“I like the way we’ve responded all year,” Tennessee 10th-year coach Rick Barnes said. “We have a group that really cares, and they work hard. They prepare well, and they have good leadership.
“We’ve got a lot of great things going, but we’ve got to get everybody – everybody – doing their job.”
That certainly includes senior forward Igor Milicic Jr.