Tennessee basketball is back in the Elite Eight for just the second time in program history after knocking off Creighton 82-75 on Friday night in Detroit.
The Vols got contributions up-and-down their roster on a night where starter Santiago Vescovi was out with the flu. Jordan Gainey hit some big shots off the bench and Jahmai Mashack stuffed the stat sheet with four points, eight rebounds, two blocks, two steals and two assists while playing great defense on Trey Alexander.
Zakai Zeigler was fantastic running the show for Tennessee. He scored 15 points and dished out six assists while turning it over just one time. Josiah-Jordan James was the connector for the Vols hitting big shots on the offensive end and playing strong defense on Creighton star Baylor Scheierman.
SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht did what he’s done all year— hit big shots. Knecht scored 26 points including a pair of crucial late game three-pointers to help Tennessee withstand the Blue Jays’ push.
Knecht wasn’t the only one who hit shots for Tennessee. After the Vols went ice cold from three-point range in their Round of 32 win over Texas, Tennessee made 11-of-24 (46%) three-point attempts to advance to the Elite Eight.
Following the game, RTI’s Ric Butler and Ryan Schumpert discussed the complete performance, Tennessee’s massive 18-0 second half run and much more. Check it out here.
