SCOTT FELTS
The 23rd-ranked, No. 6 seed Tennessee Volunteers faced 6t- ranked, No. 2 seed Iowa State on Friday from the United Center in Chicago in what marked the Vols’ fourth straight Sweet 16 appearance.
The Volunteers (25-11) bullied, battered, and beat the Cyclones (29-8) 76-62 with great defense, and dominant rebounding. The win earns the Vols their third straight trip to the Elite Eight, something only Duke has also accomplished this season.
Let’s go Beyond the Box Score and see how Tennessee did it.
Glorious Gillespie: Vols point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie became the third player ever (Kemba Walker in 2011, Billy Donovan in 1987) to score 50 points and dish 15 assists in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Iowa State’s defensive pressure harassed Gillespie for much of the game, forcing him into five turnovers and 7 of 16 shooting. He still managed to drop 16 points, just two off Nate Ament’s team leading 18.
Momcilovic Mirrored: With Cyclone star Joshua Jefferson sidelined due to an ankle injury, junior forward Milan Momcilovic, a second team All-Big 12 choice that leads Iowa State in scoring at 17.2 points per game needed to step up. The Vols made sure he didn’t do that with intense in-your-face defense on the 6-8 forward. Momcilovic scored only six points and made more turnovers (3) than field goals (2 of 9).
The Other Nate: Nate Heise has been an important player all season for Iowa State, whether it’s been making the extra pass, locking down the perimeter, or hitting timely shots Friday night was no different. Heise scored nine of the Cyclones’ first 15 points on his way to 18, which was enough for the co-team lead.
Tennessee Turnovers: The Vols came in ranked 205th nationally in turnovers per game (11.7) while the Cyclones ranked seventh in the country in turnover percentage forced. Those stats bore out on Friday with Tennessee committing 12 turnovers by the 15:50 mark of the second half and finishing the game with 17 while Iowa State committed only 11. That makes Tennessee -17 in turnovers for the NCAA Tournament.
Double, Double-Doubles: Both Felix Okpara (12 points, 10 rebounds), and Jaylen Carey (11 points, 10 rebounds) reached double figures in both points and rebounds. Six Vols had four or more rebounds on their way to 44 total, a plus-20 advantage on the boards.
Winning Gameplan: The Volunteers came in ranked 14th in defensive efficiency according to KenPom and sit inside the top 20 in 3-point field goal percentage allowed. The way they closed down on shooters like Momcilovic made it tough for Iowa State to find open 3s and it showed with a 22% (5 of 23) success rate beyond the arc. With Jefferson out of the game, the Cyclones struggled rebounding the ball against the nation’s best offensive rebounding team. The Vols enjoyed a 16-5 advantage on the offensive glass.
Up Next: The Volunteers move on to face the No. 1 seed in the region, Michigan (34-3), which defeated Alabama 90-77 earlier Friday. Tennessee and Michigan play for a spot in the Final Four at 2:15 p.m. on Sunday on CBS. Tennessee is the last Southeastern Conference school still alive in the NCAA Tournament.
Tip Ins: The Vols are 34-33 all-time against current Big 12 schools, but this was their first win against one of those schools in the NCAA Tournament in four chances. … Tennessee is now 34-28 all-time in the NCAA Tournament including 15-7 under Rick Barnes. … UT‘s four-year Sweet 16 streak is one of just six by an SEC school since the round began in 1975. … Seven of Tennessee’s 11 losses are by fewer than six points, with four of those decided by one possession. … Ament finished with 18 points on 6 of 10 shooting, four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and two blocks.