PHILADELPHIA — The time for talk is over.
Tennessee basketball is set to open the NCAA Tournament in a first-round battle with Miami (Ohio). The 11-seeded RedHawks earned a trip to Philadelphia after handling SMU in the First Four on Wednesday, and enter as one of the biggest stories in college basketball this season.
Miami (Ohio) posted a 31-0 record in the Mid-American Conference during the regular season. The Redhawks dropped their first game of the season in their first matchup of the MAC tournament, falling 87-83 to UMass. With their selection to the NCAA Tournament, they became the first-ever team to qualify without playing a Quadrant 1 game.
“I just think any time that you win 30 games it speaks volumes about you,” Barnes said Sunday. “Even when you get up around eight, nine, 10 games, the season gets cranking, and you get a big bullseye on your back. It pretty much tells you they’ve been a mentally tough team.”
The Vols saw themselves eliminated from the SEC Tournament by Vanderbilt their last time out, winning a single game against Auburn before falling to the eventual conference runner-up in the quarterfinals. Head coach Rick Barnes’ group is carrying a 2-4 record over its last six games heading into this year’s dance.
Starters
Tennessee
Ja’Kobi Gillespie (G)
Bishop Boswell (G)
Nate Ament (F)
J.P. Estrella (F)
Felix Okpara (C)
Miami (Ohio)
Eian Elmer (G)
Luke Skaljac (G)
Peter Suder (G)
Antwone Woolfork (F)
Brant Byers (G)
How to watch Tennessee basketball
On the TV side, TBS will carry the action between the Vols and RedHawks, while streaming options are also available on HBO Max and the March Madness Live app. Andrew Catalon will handle play-by-play duties, and Steve Lapas will provide color analysis. Evan Washburn will act as the sideline reporter.
Tennessee fans can tune in to their local Vol Network affiliate or use the Varsity Network app to hear Mike Keith and Chris Lofton call the action from their post courtside.