2014 NCAA Tournament: 5 Reasons Why Tennessee Will Be 2014’s Cinderella Story By Taylor Sturm PREV NEXT 2014 NCAA Tournament: 5 Reasons Why Tennessee Will be 2014’s Cinderella Story Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports The Tennessee Volunteers started the 2014 NCAA Tournament as the No. 11 seed, but they have dominated opponents en route to the Sweet 16. After a year of strife and uncertainty, the Vols are within reach of the Final Four. Here are five reasons that Tennessee is 2014's Cinderella Team. 5. Early Season Losses Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports 5. Early Season Losses Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports At the beginning of the season, Tennessee lost games to the UTEP Miners and Xavier Musketeers. Since then, two losses to Texas A&M on buzzer-beaters have hurt them, but that’s not going to keep them down. 4. SEC Criticisms Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports 4. SEC Criticisms Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports One of the reasons a team as statistically talented as Tennessee became a No. 11 seed is because of conference bias. All season long, all we’ve heard from analysts was that the SEC was terrible. Three teams in the Sweet 16 and the only undefeated conference left in the Big Dance doesn’t look like terrible. 3. Cuonzo Martin’s Hot Seat Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports 3. Cuonzo Martin’s Hot Seat Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports The Vol fanbase is notoriously narrow-minded when it comes to losing, and despite Martin having finished in the top five of the SEC every year he was with the team, many were calling for his head. Now, with a trip to the Sweet 16, there’s no way he gets fired. 2. Veterans Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports 2. Veterans Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports Jordan McRae, Jarnell Stokes, Josh Richardson and Jeronne Maymon are all veteran college basketball players who deserve a deep run in March Madness. 1. Defense Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports 1. Defense Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports Defense wins championships, and there may not be a better defense in all of college basketball than Tennessee. Teams in this article » Tennessee Volunteers Share You May Also Like Related Stories Tennessee Basketball Will Struggle In Rick Barnes' First Season, But Vols Fans Shouldn’t Panic Rick Barnes Has Statement Recruiting Day For Tennessee Basketball Rick Barnes Lands First Recruit As Tennessee Basketball Head Coach Was Tennessee’s Rick Barnes or Mississippi State’s Ben Howland the Better Coaching Hire? SEC Getting Serious About Basketball Grading the Hire of Tennessee Basketball's Rick Barnes