If the outcome of Saturday’s NCAA basketball tournament second-round showdown between Tennessee and Michigan in Indianapolis was determined strictly on season-long credentials, the Volunteers would prevail in a runaway.
The third-seeded Vols will enter the South Regional matchup (5:15 p.m. on CBS) having won 13 of their past 14 games, including last weekend’s romp through the Southeastern Conference tournament in Tampa. Tennessee followed its Sunshine State showing with an 88-56 pulverizing of Longwood University, setting a program accuracy record for an NCAA game by making 33 of 55 shots for a 60% clip.
Santiago Vescovi scored 18 points and Josiah-Jordan James 17 to pace five Vols in double figures against the Lancers.
“I think we’re playing really good basketball right now,” James said Friday afternoon in a news conference. “I also think we have a lot of areas where we can get better, and that’s the exciting part of it. I think we have to continue getting better, but I would say this is the best we’ve played so far.”
While the Vols are sizzling with a 27-7 record and entered NCAA play ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press poll, the 11th-seeded Wolverines were fortunate simply to make the 68-team field with their 17-14 mark. Michigan was able to advance Thursday by regrouping from an early 15-point deficit against sixth-seeded Colorado State and rallying for a 75-63 victory.