Can Tennessee get over the hump?
Through one full weekend of the NCAA Tournament, Tennessee is still dancing. The No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region held off a late push by Texas to advance, despite a pitiful shooting performance from three-point range.
Tennessee shot exactly 12 percent from long range — 3 for 25 to be exact — and still won. There’s something to be said for that, but obviously it can’t happen again moving forward.
The Volunteers move on to the Sweet Sixteen round, where they’ll meet No. 3 seed Creighton. The Blue Jays found a way past 11-seed Oregon in double overtime on Saturday night, pulling away in the closing minutes to win, 86-73.
Tennessee and Creighton will now meet on Friday night in Detroit, with a trip to the Midwest Region final (Elite Eight) on the line. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Volunteers have opened as three-point favorites.
It’s a strength on strength matchup, featuring Tennessee’s elite defense against Creighton’s high-octane offense. Per KenPom, Tennessee ranks third in defensive efficiency, while Creighton ranks 11th in offensive efficiency.
Creighton enters this round with a 25-9 overall mark. The Blue Jays finished second overall in the Big East, but lost in the second round of their conference tournament to Providence. Creighton lost to Providence twice this year, which is interestingly enough coached by former Tennessee assistant coach Kim English.
A win would send the Volunteers to just their second Elite Eight in school history. It would be the first appearance for Rick Barnes in the Elite Eight round since the 2008 NCAA Tournament, when he was with Texas.
Tip-off between Tennessee and Creighton will follow Purdue and Gonzaga on Friday night. You can roughly expect at 10:10 p.m. ET tip-off from Detroit, pending the length of the first game of the night.
Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See DraftKings.com/sportsbook for details.