CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tennessee advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament with a 62-58 win over Texas on Saturday night in Charlotte.
It wasn't the sharpest first stretch for the Vols or Longhorns on offense. Both teams turned the ball over a couple of times and UT missed some shots right at the rim. However, the Vols held a 4-3 advantage through the first media timeout as Josiah-Jordan James scored and Jonas Aidoo threw down a dunk.
Tobe Awaka provided a nice interior presence for UT, scoring four points in the paint off the bench. He picked up his second foul with 11:38 remaining though. UT forced Texas into six turnovers through roughly the first eight minutes and held a 10-6 lead.
Texas turnovers continued to help the Vols build their lead. Up 12-8, Jordan Gainey got a steal and then finished on the other end for a 14-8 lead. Tennessee kept attacking the offensive glass as well. Aidoo got an offensive rebound that led to James scoring a layup for a 16-8 lead.
The Longhorns were able to catch up as the Vols took some touch and sometimes rushed shots. With 7:22, Tennessee led 16-14.
Zakai Zeigler came up with a couple of steals that resulted in three made free throws with Knecht making two and Zeigler making one. UT led 21-17 at the under-four timeout.
The Vols started 0-11 from three-point range. After Gainey made two intentional foul free throws, Zeigler nailed a three-pointer for a 26-17 lead. In the following possession, Dalton Knecht made his first field goal for a 28-17 lead.
UT led 28-19 at halftime, thanks in large part to their defense. They held Texas to 30.8% shooting in the first half and turned them over 11 times. The Vols were 28.6% from the field shooting, just 1 of 13 from three-point range, but made 7 of 8 free throws. Awaka had eight first-half points.
In the second half, the Vols were able to build back their double-digit lead. One time they did so came off an emphatic putback dunk from Dalton Knecht to put UT up 34-23.
The Vols were up 40-28 and then Texas went on a 9-1 run to get the deficit to four points. The Vols went on a stretch where they didn't make a field goal for over four minutes. Zeigler ended that drought with a layup to extend Tennessee's lead to 43-37.
After Texas scored again, Tennessee responded with another big dunk from Knecht. He slammed it home on a defender for the 45-39 lead.
Texas kept fighting as on the ensuing possession Max Abmas hit a three-pointer and it was a one-possession game at 45-42 with 7:11 to go.
Tennessee responded with another dunk. Aidoo gave the Vols a five-point lead after a slam as UT went up 47-42. Knecht made just the second three-pointer of the night for the Vols to get the lead up to eight points at 50-42. After made free throws from the Longhorns, James drilled another three-pointer and UT went up 53-44.
Texas scored on back-to-back possessions and trimmed Tennessee's down to five with 3:12 remaining in the same.
Tennessee got a lucky break as a Dylan Disu three-point attempt rattled in and out. It would have put Texas down two points. James scored a layup on the other end for a 55-48 lead.
Disu made a three-pointer on the next possession and Tyrese Hunter scored on a layup for the Longhorns to then get them down 55-53 with 1:44 to go.
Aidoo went for a dunk on Tennessee's next possession but was blocked by Disu emphatically with 1:26 to go.
Hunter missed on a layup that was once again halfway down but rimmed out. Tennessee would get the ball after forcing a jump ball.
Aidoo was fouled going up for a dunk on the ensuing Vols possession with 48 seconds to go. He made one free throw for a 56-53 lead. Texas trimmed it to a one-point lead on a layup from Abmas with 34 seconds to go. Tennessee led 56-55.
Texas elected to foul Tennessee when they got the ball back. Aidoo went to the free throw line and made both free throws for a 58-55 lead.
The Vols got a stop on the other end and then were fouled again. Knecht made both for a 60-55 lead. With five seconds to go, Hunter made a three-pointer and the Vols were up 60-58.
Knecht was fouled on the ensuing inbounds with four seconds to go. It was a one-and-one again. He sunk both. Tennessee closed it out from there.
The Vols advance to the Sweet 16 for the second season in a row. They will play the winner between Creighton and Oregon in Detroit on Friday, March 29.
