KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A trip to the Sweet 16 is on the line.
No. 4 Tennessee faces in-state foe, No. 12 Belmont at 7:00 p.m. Monday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
It was a back-and-forth game, but Tennessee defeated Buffalo in the first round to move to 24-0 all-time while hosting the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
As for the Bruins, Belmont defeated No. 5 Oregon in double-overtime to advance to the second round for the second consecutive year.
The Bruins sit at 23-7 this season. During the non-conference schedule, Belmont faced three SEC teams and also ranked Georgia Tech and Louisville.
"They are excellent and efficient on both ends of the court." Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper said about Belmont. "They're very, very intelligent. They make the right decision and a lot of that is on the defensive end as well. So, I think they're not going to be intimidated. You look at their schedule. They've played a tough schedule. They made a run last year. And this is a very experienced basketball team."
Belmont is led in scoring by sophomore guard, Destinee Wells. The Lakeland, Tennessee native averages 16.6 points per game. Forward Madison Bartley adds 11.6 points per game.
The Bruins won the Ohio Valley Conference tournament, which clinched Belmont an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins are coached by Bart Brooks.
As for Tennessee, the Lady Vols saw dominant performances from their veterans in the first round. Four Lady Vol players scored in double-figures. Both forwards, Alexus Dye and Tamari Key earned a double-double, while Rae Burrell led Tennessee with 19 points and Jordan Walker scored 13 points.
Tennessee will still be without leading scorer and rebounder, junior guard Jordan Horston.
Harper said there is no update on Horston in the last few days.
"She can shoot some because the injury is on her left elbow. So she's been shooting, but that's about it."
Tennessee is one win away from its first Sweet 16 appearance since the 2015-2016 season. The Lady Vols and Belmont are playing in the Wichita Region, which would have them playing the Sweet 16 in Wichita, Kansas.
