Tennessee May Hurt Heels, Devils

The men’s basketball polls came out Monday, and Tennessee was ranked No. 1 in men’s basketball for the first time.

That could cause an unexpected problem for Duke and North Carolina.

Fans here have assumed those ACC teams were racing for the top seed in the East Regional. That’s a huge perk this year, with the NCAA subregionals in the RBC Center and the East Regionals in Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

Duke or Carolina could reach the Final Four and never leave the state.

The ACC Tournament is also in Charlotte this year, and both Duke and UNC played regular-seaon games there to prepare them for March. By the time the Blue Devils or Tar Heels reached the East Regional in Charlotte, they would have played at least four games in that gym already.

That’s a huge advantage. The teams would have shorter trips, familiar rims, and the backing of local fans.

But the rise of Tennessee threatens that strategy. Knoxville is only 182 miles from Charlotte, and the Volunteers could have a strong claim to Charlotte.

Tennessee just beat previously No. 1 Memphis 66-62 on the road, and the Volunteers are now first in the Ratings Percentage Index, according to rpiratings.com. Tennessee hasn’t played weak teams, either. That web site had Tennessee’s strength of schedule ranked No. 2, even before the Memphis game, with Duke third and Carolina fifth.

If Tennessee sweeps through the SEC, it could enter the NCAA Tournament as the top seed overall. If so, it’d be hard to see the Selection Committee snubbing Tennessee in the East and sending them to the South (Reliant Stadium in Houston), the Midwest (Ford Field in Detroit) or the West (U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix).

Keep in mind that the East Regional is sold out, so the NCAA is under no pressure to fill the Charlotte arena by putting an ACC team there.

But tickets remain available at the NFL stadiums in Detroit and Houston. If you want to be conspiratorial, then obviously Duke and UNC would be bigger draws there than Tennessee.

There is plenty of basketball to be played between now and Selection Sunday on March 16. Tennessee plays at Vanderbilt Tuesday night and the Commodores are 17-0 at home this season. Duke and Carolina meet March 8 in Durham and perhaps again in the ACC Tournament.

But don’t be shocked if Tennessee lands in Charlotte, and the fates of Duke and Carolina are decided by the unfamiliar rims of NFL arenas.