A spot in the Sweet Sixteen is on the line this Sunday.
No. 2 seed Tennessee (30-5) will face-off with No. 10 seed Iowa (23-11) on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio to see which team can make it to their first Sweet Sixteen in years. For the Vols, it’s been half a decade (2014) since they were last in the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Iowa, meanwhile, hasn’t been to the Sweet Sixteen this millenium. The Hawkeyes last got to that round in 1999.
Iowa is facing the Vols because they pulled off a 79-72 upset over seven-seed Cincinnati in the first round on Friday. Tennessee is here because they held off an upset-minded Colgate squad that was dynamite from three. The 15-seed Raiders rode the hot hand of Jordan Burns, but their upset bid came up short, as the Vols prevailed 77-70.
The last time these two teams played in men’s basketball, it was in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. The Vols and Hawkeyes faced-off in one of the “First Four” play-in games of that year’s tournament, and Iowa had a five-point lead with four minutes to go in regulation. Tennessee ended up storming back and taking a two-point lead in the final minute, but Iowa’s Roy Devyn Marble hit a jumper with 18 seconds to go to send the game to overtime.
But the Vols would dominate the Hawkeyes in that extra frame.
Tennessee outscored Iowa 14-1 in overtime and won 78-65. The Vols rode that momentum to a Sweet Sixteen run, but they’ve failed to make it back since.
Now, the two teams will play each other with a chance to advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, and they’ll be the first game to tip-off on Sunday afternoon.
Here’s everything you need to know about Sunday’s game. Take a look at our score predictions for the game, and here’s a look at the match-up by the numbers. If you can’t make it up to Columbus, here’s how you can watch and listen to the Tennessee vs. Iowa game in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Tip-Off: 12:10 Eastern, March 24th, Value City Arena (Columbus, OH)
TV: CBS
Streaming Online: NCAA.com/March-Madness-Live
Radio: Vol Network (99.1 FM or 990 AM in Knoxville/surrounding areas)
Line: Tennessee (-8)
