Tennessee basketball is back in the Sweet 16 for the second straight season and they’re looking to get over the hump this season and to advance to the Elite Eight for just the second time in program history. Standing in its way is the three-seed in the Midwest Region— the Creighton Blue Jays.
The Vols are back in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament after blowing past Saint Peter’s and surviving a poor shooting performance against Texas in their first two NCAA Tournament games.
Creighton is another team looking to get over the hump. They’ve made it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament each of the last two years and made it to the Elite Eight last season.
The Blue Jays are back in the Sweet 16 after a blowout win over Akron in the first round and outlasting 10-seed Oregon in double overtime in the Round of 32.
Ahead of each Tennessee game in the NCAA Tournament, RTI’s Ric Butler and Ryan Schumpert will make predictions for the Vols matchup. Check out their picks for the Vols’ matchup against the Blue Jays.
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Ric Butler
Tennessee dominates in the first round, survives in the second round. Welcome back to March.
One of the big things that have stood out to me since we first previewed the game was Crieghton’s depth – or lack thereof. Not to say it’s been a hindrance for the Blue Jays this season or it’s a big red flag for the game, it’s just the way their rotation shaped out. Tennessee, meanwhile, has depth. Can it be streaky depth? Yes. But at their best individually, Awaka brings physicality and rebounding, Mashack brings lockdown defense with spurts of offense, and Gainey brings an offensive spark, especially from the perimeter. Tennessee should want to bring the physicality in this game to wear down the Blue Jays.
Kalkbrenner – Creighton’s 7-foot-1 center – is obviously something to watch. It’ll be hard to miss him. What he and guard Baylor Scheierman combine to do is nothing short of impressive and can give any team fits. Creighton’s offense and Tennessee’s defense are certainly a good-on-good matchup in this game.
One more notable statistic is Creighton’s low rate of forcing turnovers. The Blue Jays force the fewest in the country. If you’re Tennessee, you can’t give Creighton opportunities they don’t earn. In other words, don’t beat yourself.
This will be a great game. Stressful for Tennessee fans and those who picked the Vols to advance in their office bracket pool for a couple hundred bucks, but a great game for everyone else. Tennessee’s physicality is ultimately the difference-maker in a game full of memorable guard play from both sides.
Tennessee 73, Creighton 69
Ryan Schumpert
I’ve gone back and forth on this game all week. When the bracket came out, I thought Creighton was a bad matchup for Tennessee and I put the Blue Jays in my Final Four.
And Creighton definitely presents some challenges. Ryan Kalkbrenner is a game-changer and makes scoring at the rim really difficult. That means the Vols will have to hit jump shots, both from the mid-range and three-point range, to win this game. Tennessee hasn’t been consistent doing so all season.
The Blue Jays having three elite scorers also makes it a difficult task for an elite Tennessee defense because there’s so many guys you’re trying to take out of the game.
But on the other hand, Tennessee has had a good bit of success against drop coverage ball screen defense this season, I think Jonas Aidoo can handle Kalkbrenner on the defensive end and Creighton has been prone to struggle with physical teams at times.
And one suspicion I’ve had grow over the week is that Tennessee’s depth is going to show up in this game. Creighton mainly plays six players and gets little production off the bench. Can Tobe Awaka, Jordan Gainey or Jahmai Mashack provide a real spark? That could be significant in this one.
Tennessee 71, Creighton 70
