Tennessee basketball is heading back to the Sweet 16 after outlasting Texas 62-58 in the Round of 32 on Saturday night in Charlotte.
The Vols had one of their worst shooting performances of the season, making just three-of-25 three-point attempts on a night where both Zakai Zeigler and Dalton Knecht were uncharacteristically quiet on the offensive end.
But on a night where Tennessee’s offense struggled, its defense and toughness picked them up. The Vols held Texas to just .853 points per possession while holding its two leading scorers, Max Abmas and Dylan Disu, to 22 combined points on seven-of-28 shooting from the field.
And while it was a quiet night for Tennessee’s offense, a few players did step up in a big way. Tobe Awaka scored 10 points in 11 minutes while battling foul trouble and the much maligned Josiah-Jordan James scored nine points including the Vols’ final two baskets to go along with nine rebounds.
Following the game, RTI’s Ric Butler and Ryan Schumpert broke down the poor shooting night, Josiah-Jordan James stepping up and much more. Check out the RTI reaction video here.
