The Vols finished the 2018-19 NCAA Division I men 's basketball season 31 – 6 , 15 – 3 in SEC play to earn a share of the SEC regular season championship . As the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament , they defeated Mississippi State and Kentucky before losing to Auburnin the championship game . They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the South region . There the Volunteers defeated Colgate and Iowa in the Second Round before being upset by Purdue in the Sweet Sixteen
SEC Tournament ,
2019 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
2019–20 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team