Here we go again.

Tennessee basketball is no doubt a top 10 team in the country right now and right at the top of the SEC alongside Alabama. The 16-3 Vols have beat Kansas, Maryland and USC and currently rank No. 4 in the AP Poll. By all measures, the Vols are one of the best teams in the country in a year with no true elite CBB squad.

College basketball analyst Seth Greenberg told Paul Finebaum Tuesday that he think this is Rick Barnes’ best team and is “Final Four” good.

This is not a crazy take at face value, but history is not on Tennessee’s side here. Yes, the Vols have the No. 1 defense in the country according to KenPom, a strong group of veteran talent and one of the top freshmen in the SEC, Julian Phillips. But long documented are Rick Barnes’ struggles in March.

Since Barnes was hired at Tennessee in 2015, Tennessee has not made it past the Sweet Sixteen despite immense regular season success. The Vols were the No. 1 team in the country in 2018-19 and fell to Purdue in the S16. Another strong Vols team fell to Loyola Chicago the year prior in the Round of 32.

Then there’s last year’s squad, the same that won Tennessee its first SEC Tournament title since 1979 and fell in the 2nd round to No. 11 seed Michigan.

This team seems different, but that’s been said every year. Do the Vols have a chance to make some noise in March this season or will history repeat itself?