Tennessee basketball is headed to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season after knocking off Saint Peter’s and Texas in the opening weekend of the tournament.
But for much of the Vols’ 62-58 win over Texas, they were flirting with disaster as they turned in their worst shooting performance of the season. In that way, the similarities in Tennessee’s opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament nearly mirrored its 2022 tournament where they lose in the Round of 32 against Michigan.
Here’s how.
Opening Game Similarities
In 2022, three-seed Tennessee obliterated 14-seed Longwood 88-56 (32 points) after using its size inside to get out to a quick start.
This season, two-seed Tennessee dominated 15-seed Saint Peter’s 83-49 (34 points) after using its size inside to get off to a quick start.
But the Vols had more than a size advantage in the two games. They also shot incredibly from three-point range.
Against Longwood, the 2022 Vols shot 14-of-24 (58%) from three-point range. Against Saint Peter’s, the 2024 Vols shot 11-of-24 (46%) from three-point range.
As Rick Barnes says, everything looks easy when you make shots.
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Round of 32 Similarities
There are less similarities in this game because of the obvious fact that this year’s Tennessee team beat Texas while the 2022 Vols fell against Michigan.
But Tennessee ran into the same issues in both games.
Against Michigan, the 2022 Vols shot two-of-18 (11%) from three-point range as the Wolverines outlasted Tennessee to earn a 76-68 victory.
Against Texas, the 2024 Vols shot three-of-25 (12%) from three-point range becoming the first team to ever win a NCAA Tournament game shooting less than 15% from beyond the arc.
How Tennessee Made The Obvious Difference
We’ve discussed the main parallels in the two years but there’s the obvious difference that the 2024 Tennessee basketball team is preparing for more games while the 2022 Tennessee team’s season ended in disappointing fashion.
What was different? Michigan won the battle on the glass against Tennessee while the Vols controlled the glass against Texas and scored 12 second chance points.
Tennessee was also better on the defensive end, holding Texas to 16 less points than Michigan. The Vols defensive performance illustrated how this group of Tennessee players have matured, not letting its poor shooting affect its defense.
It’s also another reminder of how important matchups are in March. Michigan had 7-foot-1 star center Hunter Dickinson who Tennessee wasn’t equipped to handle.
But Texas was a guard heavy team and Volunteer guards Zakai Zeigler, Santiago Vescovi and Jahmai Mashack are elite defensively. And Texas star power forward Dylan Disu was just 6-foot-9 which allowed the versatile Josiah-Jordan James to defend him while Jonas Aidoo still defended the rim.
