Tennessee basketball should be your March Madness pick for 3 reasons

Rick Barnes has heard the criticism. He made the NCAA tournament 16 times during his 17 years at Texas, but still lost his job in 2015 because his teams consistently failed to make deep runs in the Big Dance, even when he was coaching Kevin Durant. It’s a stigma that followed Barnes last season as he made his first tournament appearance at Tennessee, only to be eliminated in the round of 32 on a Loyola-Chicago buzzer-beater.

If there was ever a time for Barnes to make a deep tournament run, this is it. His Tennessee squad feels like one of the best of his coaching career, an experienced and talented collection of players that has spent two years beating up on the SEC. This team has every ingredient to roll all the way to the Final Four and win the whole damn thing. Now, just have to prove it.

Tennessee gets it done on both ends of the floor, entering the SEC tournament No. 3 in the country in offensive efficiency and top-30 on defense. It’s a team that shares the ball and plays inside-out on offense while protecting the rim with their life on defense. Almost every key piece is either a junior or a senior.

It isn’t exactly now or never for Tennessee, but it’s hard to blame Barnes or Vols fans if they feel that way. This team is that good.

Williams was SEC Player of the Year as a sophomore, which makes his rise during his junior season even more impressive. He has raised his numbers across the board this season, averaging 19.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while taking his efficiency to new levels.

Williams has cemented himself as one of the best players in the country. If he decides to leave school after this year, he’s likely going to a first-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Tennessee will play through Williams in every game of the NCAA tournament, allowing him to work out of the post and giving him opportunities to pick or pop off a screen. If the offense needs a bucket, its best bet is Williams driving the ball to the basket to draw a foul. Vanderbilt found this out the hard way back in January when Williams finished with 43 points off the strength of 23-for-23 shooting from the foul line.

With Williams on their side, Tennessee should be in every game.

Schofield is the best type of college basketball story, a four-year senior who got better every season before establishing himself as one of the better players in the country in his final year.

At 6’6, 240 pounds, Schofield is a load to handle driving the ball to the basket, but he’s made his rise because of improvements to his perimeter game. Schofield is hitting better than 40 percent from three-point range this year, transforming into the most dependable shooter in Tennessee’s lineup. When the Vols knocked off Gonzaga in December, it was Schofield who led the way with 30 points on 6-of-10 shooting from three.

Williams is the star for Tennessee, but Schofield is one of the better co-stars in the country. Tennessee needs both cooking to play up to their ceiling.

Everyone knows Tennessee has great forwards. The question for most of the season was their guard play. Jordan Bone has quieted those concerns by raising his game to a new level since the start of conference play, giving the Vols a third star-level player to keep opposing defenses on their heels.

The junior point guard torched Kentucky in a March 3 win, dropping 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting. At 6’3, Bone is an athletic guard who can create shots for himself and others. He gets most of his attention for his daring drives to the rim, but he’s also top-50 in the country in assist rate (32.4 percent). Also huge for Tennessee is how well he’s been shooting the ball lately, knocking down 41 percent of his threes in SEC play.

The Vols could have to beat Cincinnati and Villanova to get to the Elite Eight. There, a matchup with top-seeded Virginia likely awaits with the winner going to the Final Four.

North Carolina or Kentucky is likely to be the Final Four opponent. Do not sleep on the Vols — even after a bad loss in the SEC tournament title, this team is equipped to make a deep run.