Tennessee played a nearly flawless first half Sunday to take control of its second-round NCAA tournament game against 3 seed Virginia.
It then survived a late flurry from the Cavaliers for a 79-72 win that was aided by a late officiating break in its favor.
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With the win, the 6th-seeded Volunteers advance to the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight season. There, they’ll face an uphill climb to advance to the program’s first Final Four and the second in head coach Rick Barnes’ 39-year career as an NCAA head coach.
Virginia rallies after Tennessee’s clean first half
Tennessee committed just one turnover and hit 5 of 11 3s while building its first-half advantage. It then committed multiple miscues down the stretch, including a pair of turnovers on inbounds plays in the final minutes to allow Virginia back in the game.
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Thijs De Ridder hit a 3 to give Virginia a 3 a 71-70 lead with 2:03 remaining, its first of the second half. But Tennessee maintained its composure to retake the lead and caught a late break when officials upheld an out-of-bounds call in the final minute that favored the Volunteers.
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Was this really out on Virginia?
After a Virginia miss, the ball appeared to go out of bounds off the head of Tennessee’s Bishop Boswell. But officials determined on the floor that Virginia’s Dallin Hall touched the ball before it went out of bounds.
Replay appeared to show that Hall didn’t touch the ball, and it was out on Tennessee. But officials determined that the video evidence wasn’t conclusive, and the call on the floor stood. Tennessee retained possession with a 73-71 lead and 27 seconds remaining on the clock.
Virginia didn’t lead again.
In the end, Tennessee committed 10 total turnovers after its single giveaway before halftime. It made up for those miscues on a strong shooting day in which it shot 47% from the floor and 42% (8 of 19) from 3.
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The Volunteers secured a 39-35 rebounding advantage and limited the Cavaliers to 39% shooting from the floor and 34% (12 of 35) from 3.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who led Tennessee’s first-round blowout of Miami (Ohio) with 29 points, once again led Tennessee with 21 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds. Vaunted freshman Nate Ament bounced back from a scoreless effort against Miami with 16 points and 4 rebounds.
The loss ends Virginia’s season short of the Sweet 16 as a 3 seed.
Can Tennessee break through tough regional for first FF?
Tennessee advances with its Final Four hopes intact as a distinct underdog in the Midwest Region. Up next is a Sweet 16 matchup against 2 seed Iowa State, which raced by 7 seed Kentucky earlier Sunday despite playing without injured All-American Joshua Jefferson.
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Jefferson rolled his ankle in Iowa State’s first-round win over Tennessee State and watched Sunday’s game in street clothes and with a walking boot on his left foot. His status at this point for a game next week is uncertain.
Either way, Tennessee will face a difficult matchup after an impressive opening two rounds of NCAA tournament play. Whomever advances out of that Sweet 16 game will face a potential Elite Eight matchup against No. 1 seed Michigan. The Wolverines will take on the winner of Sunday’s nightcap between Alabama and Texas Tech in the Sweet 16.
Tennessee has developed into a consistent winner under Barnes, who’s in his 11th season as head coach in Knoxville. But like their head coach, the Volunteers continue to seek their breakthrough to jump to the next tier in the college ranks.
Tennessee has never advanced to a Final Four. And Barnes has made the Final Four just once in his 39 years of coaching George Mason, Providence, Clemson, Texas and now, Tennessee. Barnes led Texas to the 2003 Final Four, where it lost to eventual champion Syracuse and Carmelo in the national semifinal.
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It won’t be easy, but both have a shot at that breakthrough Final Four next weekend.