Where Lady Vols basketball stands in updated March Madness bracket predictions

Lady Vols basketball is rising in bracket projections after being one second away from upsetting No. 1 South Carolina.

Tennessee (19-12) jumped one seed line in both ESPN and The Athletic's bracketology updates after most conference tournaments finished Monday. The Big 12 championship will be played Tuesday, which matters for the Lady Vols with Iowa State playing Texas. The Cyclones are in the mix for a No. 7 seed, and a win over Texas could slot them in over Tennessee if it comes down to it.

Here's where Tennessee stands in the latest NCAA Tournament projections:

Tennessee rises to No. 7 seed, No. 8 seed

Tennessee rose to a No. 7 seed in Portland 4 in ESPN's bracketology updates since nearly upsetting the Gamecocks in the SEC Tournament. ESPN's Charlie Creme has Tennessee playing No. 10 seed Michigan in No. 2 Texas' region. USC is the projected No. 1 seed in Portland 4 after winning the last Pac-12 Tournament.

The Athletic's Mark Schindler moved the Lady Vols back up to the 8-seed line in Albany 3, where they would face No. 9 seed North Carolina in No. 1 seed Iowa's region. Tennessee would travel to Iowa City and potentially face 2023 National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark in the second round.

Lady Vols basketball's NCAA Tournament résumé

Tennessee's one ranked win from a loaded nonconference schedule was against Oklahoma. The Sooners still sit atop the Big 12 standings at 14-2, and they're now ranked No. 25 in the NCAA NET.

Tennessee lost all of its other ranked matchups, most of them played without star forward Rickea Jackson, and has dropped games to Middle Tennessee State, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Alabama. All of its losses have been to teams in the top 50 of the NET, and seven have been to teams in the top 15.

UT ranks No. 1 in strength of schedule after playing South Carolina three times, with the Gamecocks escaping an upset in the third matchup off a buzzer-beater 3-pointer from Kamilla Cardoso. Tennessee is No. 30 in the NET.

Lady Vols basketball's NCAA Tournament history

The Lady Vols are the only program never to miss an NCAA Tournament.

The postseason was canceled in Tennessee coach Kellie Harper's first season at her alma mater due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lady Vols have been a top-16 seed in every season since and hosted the opening weekend. The only exception was the 2021 NCAA Tournament, which was hosted in one location. Tennessee was a No. 3 seed in 2021 and made it to the second round.

The Lady Vols have been a No. 4 seed the past two NCAA Tournaments. They made back-to-back trips to the Sweet 16 the past two seasons for the first time since since 2015 and 2016.

Tennessee has won eight NCAA championships and made 18 trips to the Final Four. All of those happened under coach Pat Summitt, and the last time it did either was in 2008.

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.