Despite loss, Tennessee's still a No. 1 seed

Two quick thoughts on Tennessee's loss to Vandy, with more to come in the morning.

The Vols are still a No. 1 seed, no doubt.

This piece from the Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy was published before Tuesday's game, but it spells out the top-seed situation fairly well. The short version is the Vols (25-3) are atop the RPI, are 8-2 against the RPI top 50 and are the only team to beat Memphis.

The only team with a comparable résumé is Texas, which is 10-3 against the RPI top 50, with wins against Tennessee, UCLA and Kansas. The Vols do need to keep winning, though, and Sunday against Kentucky won't be a cakewalk.

Second, Tennessee's scrappy style – played to perfection against Memphis – does have its flaws. The Vols were good on defense, but didn't suffocate Vandy's Shan Foster on the perimeter, which resulted in Foster hitting 9-of-13 shots for 32 points (1.76 PPWS!). And the offense was only bailed out by Chris Lofton's hot shooting. He hit 7-of-18 field-goal attempts (the 1.17 PPWS isn't amazing as he cooled off in the 2^nd half); everyone else was 13-of-43. The Vols really need a point guard.

Now, where does Vandy fit in with the rest of the title contenders? More to come tomorrow.

In the meantime, cast your vote for the new No. 1 team here.

Also, the silly numbers from Vandy's win:

• The Vols have played hoops for 99 seasons, but this was their first week at No. 1. Probably the last, too.
• It's the seventh time in the last eight games No. 2 has beaten No. 1. The lone exception was Duke in 2005 against Texas.
• It was the 7^th time the Commodores have beaten a No. 1 team, the most from a school that's never been No. 1 itself. It's also their fourth straight home win against a top-ranked foe.