Tennessee basketball is back in the Round of 32 and is looking to advance to the Sweet 16 for the third straight season. Standing in its way is seven-seed UCLA who is looking to return to the Sweet 16 after a one-year absence.
The Vols opened up the NCAA Tournament with a comfortable win over 15-seed Wofford while UCLA routed 10-seed Utah State to open the tournament.
Tennessee is a point favorite entering the game. Here are the RTI staff’s picks for the game.
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Ric Butler
Tennessee’s win over Wofford has me feeling good about Saturday’s game against UCLA. It’s not that the Vols beat the Terriers outright; it’s how they did it—behind Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler.
I was encouraged by what I saw from Lanier and Zeigler on Thursday, as Lanier dropped nearly 30 points in his first tournament game and Zeigler was the leader that the team and fans know him to be. That’s what you need in the tournament, man. Guys who can control a game, put their stamp on it, and impact it more than the other jerseys on the court. I think Lanier and Zeigler are those guys.
The UCLA game isn’t a guarantee for Tennessee. The Bruins could come out strong on the boards, you never know when a cold streak could hit Tennessee’s offense, etc. But I feel good about where the Vols stand entering this game. Rick Barnes said he liked what Felix Okpara brought them on Thursday, which was helping create 14 of Lanier’s 29 total points. Barnes also said he liked what Cade Phillips brought to the table.
Give me the Vols to advance to the Sweet 16.
Prediction: Tennessee 67, UCLA 61
Ryan Schumpert
Welcome to the Round of 32. To me, there’s no more stressful round for a top two-seed. The expectation is still to win and it would be devastating for a team with big goals to lose before the second weekend. But after being massive favorites in your opening game, a two-seed like Tennessee is only mild favorites in the Round of 32 and is very capable of losing to a good UCLA team.
But what about the matchup? UCLA plays a lot like Tennessee in the sense that they’re a really good and physical defensive team with a shaky offense. In fact, the Vols are a good bit more efficient on the offensive end than Mick Cronin’s squad is.
I think it’s a good thing for Tennessee to face a team that’s similar to teams they’ve played this season. A team that is similar to them but just not as good. The SEC team that I would compare UCLA to is Ole Miss. The Vols lost to the Rebels in Oxford and UCLA has the ability to exploit the two areas where Tennessee lost to Ole Miss.
The Vols couldn’t slow down a stretch forward in Jaemyn Brakefield who could put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket. Tennessee also couldn’t defensive rebound in the second half. UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau is a high-level stretch forward. And while the Bruins aren’t a great rebounding team, they have a big front line and are fully capable of dominating the glass.
So there are some negatives that Tennessee has to combat. But I think the Vols come out and get the job done with big games from Zakai Zeigler and Chaz Lanier once again.
Prediction: Tennessee 68, UCLA 65
