KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 2 seed Tennessee men's basketball will play No. 7 seed Texas in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Saturday in Charlotte. Tennessee is looking to make back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in the Midwest Region matchup at the Spectrum Center.
The Vols are coming off a dominant first-round win over St. Peter's on Thursday night. The 83-49 victory came after two straight losses leading to the NCAA tournament.
RICK BARNES TO FACE A TEAM HE ONCE LED
Saturday's second-round matchup is against Rick Barnes' old team. Texas hired Barnes in April 1998 and he significantly impacted the program for 17 years. He led the Longhorns to 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by a Final Four run in 2003.
Barnes coached two national players of the year, Kevin Durant and T.J. Ford, while winning four Big 12 Coach of the Year awards.
He remains the winningest coach in program history with a 402-108 record at Texas.
TEXAS DEFEATS COLORADO STATE IN FIRST ROUND
The Longhorns are back in the round of 32 after a win over No. 10 Colorado State on Thursday. The 56-44 was a favorable first matchup for the Longhorns to showcase their physicality.
Colorado State trailed 27-11 at the half after Texas closed the half on a 25-3 run. However, the Longhorns only shot 1-14 from beyond the arc, with most of their points coming from two-point baskets. The team only shot 40% from the field.
Dylan Disu and Max Abmas each had 12 points. Off the bench, forward Chendall Weaver had 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
Regardless of the stats, the matchup worked in Texas' favor.
TENNESSEE DEFEATS ST. PETER'S IN FIRST ROUND
Tennessee took care of business against the Peacocks on Thursday night. The lead never slipped from their fingertips from the start.
The Vols led 46-20 at halftime. In those first 20 minutes, UT shot 64% from the field and held the Peacocks to just 23.3%. Dalton Knecht and Jonas Aidoo both had 13 points, while Zakai Zeigler picked up six assists.
The momentum never stopped. Knecht finished with 23 points, Aidoo finished with 15 points, and Zeigler secured a double-double with 11 points and ten assists.
Tennessee is looking for a similar performance against the Longhorns on Saturday.
WHERE AND WHEN TO WATCH
No. 2 Tennessee will take on No. 7 Texas at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday, March 23, at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on CBS.
