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TV, Tip-Off Time Set For Tennessee's Round of 64 Matchup

TV, Tip-Off Time Set For Tennessee's Round of 64 Matchup
Matt Ray|
TV, Tip-Off Time Set For Tennessee's Round of 64 Matchup
TV, Tip-Off Time Set For Tennessee's Round of 64 Matchup

Yesterday, Tennessee was announced as the No.5 seed in the Midwest Region. Rick Barnes's team will faceoff against 12-seed Oregon State on Friday. 

The tip-time and TV station has now been officially announced by the university. Tennessee will play at 4:30 ET on TNT this Friday. 

"To be honest, when it came up, there were a couple claps and then everybody got up and walked away," Rick Barnes said of his team finding out their seeding. "I just think it's different. We're all in to that right now. They fought hard to be a part of this tournament and they knew they would be a part of it, obviously. We felt like we would probably be seeded somewhere between five and six. I don't want you to think that they're not excited, because they really are excited to play, but it's just different. It's very different. We're here in a big ballroom where you could put down two basketball courts. And we're spread out and everybody's there. We were all sitting there from the very beginning of the show, but once it popped up there were some claps and then everybody was going out getting ready to eat. That's being honest with you."

"But to be where we were a year ago, I'd like to thank the SEC for doing their part, but I'd also like to thank all of the players in this league and around the country, because they were the ones that had to work through what we're going through right now, it's not over. And the fact that we have a chance in the national tournament—I just think the players around the country, what they're gone through, we should really appreciate it, and the people that have worked so hard to get us to this point. But it is different. And it's going to be different there, but I think that when the games start, I think we're all going to be used to 'sort of, kind of.' But I will tell you this, I felt like this weekend's SEC Tournament was just an unbelievable atmosphere compared to what we've had to deal with all year long. It felt really like and NCAA Tournament first round game, that's what it felt like. So that made this week really good. We had great support over here in Nashville, which you would expect from Vol Nation. But going to Indy, I don't think we know."

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Matt Ray
MATT RAY

Matt Ray is the publisher of Sports Illustrated-FanNation's Volunteer Country, serving as a beat reporter covering football, recruiting, and occasionally other sports. Matt also is a lead analyst at Sports Illustrated All-American, Sports Illustrated lead authority in high school recruiting coverage. When not at work covering the Tennessee Volunteers or the recruiting trail, Matt enjoys spending time with his wife Destiny traveling the country.