Under head coach Rick Barnes, the Tennessee Volunteers have established themselves as one of the best programs in the NCAA. They have made seven straight NCAA tournaments, three straight Sweet 16s, and two straight Elite Eights while winning at least one game in the tournament four years running.
Under Barnes, the Volunteers have made the second weekend twice, not yet breaking through to the Final Four. Just how successful has Tennessee been in the NCAA tournament all the time? Keep reading to find out.
How many Elite Eight appearances do the Tennessee Volunteers have?
The Vols have racked up 27 NCAA tournament appearances, including three Elite Eight appearances and 11 Sweet 16s.
Tennessee’s basketball program launched in 1908, but the team struggled on the court, only reaching postseason play once — a 1945 NIT bid — before their first NCAA tournament appearance in 1967 under head coach Ray Mears.
The ‘67 Volunteers were bounced in their first game — the Mideast region semifinal — by Dayton, who lost to the John Wooden and Lew Alcindor-led UCLA Bruins in the championship.
Mears led the Vols to two more NCAA tournament appearances—in 1976 and 1977—but lost in the first round both times before retiring due to health reasons.
Tennessee missed the tournament in 1978 under interim head coach Cliff Wettig before returning to the tournament in 1979 under Don DeVoe. The ‘79 Vols won the team’s first-ever NCAA tournament game and followed it with a second in 1980.
Tennessee finally got over the hump in 1981, making the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history, before losing to No. 1 seed Notre Dame. The team made three more NCAA tournaments under DeVoe before going on an eight-year NCAA tournament drought from 1990-1998.
Under head coach Jerry Green, the Vols made four straight tournaments, including one Sweet 16. The team hit the second weekend of the ringer Bruce Pearl in the late 2000s, finally making their first Elite Eight in 2010.
KEEP READING: WATCH: Zakai Zeigler and Rick Barnes Share Emotional Moment After Elite 8 Loss
Maybe they’ll get that Final Four appearance they’ve been looking for next year.
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