What the Vols must do.
Tennessee and Creighton are set to battle it out for a spot in the Elite Eight on Friday night in Detroit. Rick Barnes is looking to shed his March narrative as he tries to get the Volunteers to just their second Elite Eight appearance in school history.
The Bluejays are trying to make their second straight appearance in the Elite Eight and their third in school history. Creighton is armed with one of the best offenses in the country, powered by 6-7 senior guard Baylor Scheierman. The matchup between he and Dalton Knecht could be one that we remember for a long, long time.
Per DraftKings Sportsbook, Tennessee is a three point favorite over Creighton on Friday night.
So what needs to happen for Tennessee to get past Creighton? Let’s dive in.
Get Dalton Knecht in a groove early
Tennessee has ways to win without Dalton Knecht dropping 30 points, but it sure makes things easier on the offense when Knecht finds that stroke early on in the game. It’s no secret that Knecht struggled in the second round game against Texas — heck, the entire Tennessee offense did. But as we’ve said all week long, that can’t happen again going forward if the Vols want to get to the Final Four.
Facing a stout Creighton offense, Tennessee is likely going to need plenty of production on the offensive end. That begins with Knecht, who can absolutely fill it up when he’s locked in. His ability to score at all levels is special, which makes him hard to guard. Long range, mid-range turnarounds, getting to the basket, Knecht can do it all.
Knecht tends to be a streaky player, and once he sees the ball go through the net a few times, scoring avalanches can follow. If Tennessee can get him the ball and let him get going early, you have to like their chances here. The Vols are hard to handle when Dalton is rolling, but if he’s not? The wheels can come off quickly due to inconsistencies from everyone else.
Attack the paint
Creighton had a clear weakness in their second round matchup against Oregon. The Ducks beat them up in the paint, more than doubling up Creighton’s points in the paint. Oregon scored 40 points to Creighton’s 18 on Saturday night. Going back further, Providence won the battle in the paint 36-28 in their win over Creighton in the Big East Tournament. Taking it one step further, Providence won the points in the paint battle in the regular season, beating Creighton 46-22 on their way to a 91-87 victory.
We know Creighton likes to shoot the three, so dragging them into the mud — just as Tennessee did with Duke last season — makes quite a bit of sense. The Bluejays have a legitimate force in the post in Ryan Kalkbrenner, but Tennessee can counter with a seven-footer of their own, Jonas Aidoo. Tobe Awaka reminded everyone last week that he can be a difference maker in the post, while a slashing Dalton Knecht can certainly make things happen at the rim.
Defend the three-point line
We know what Creighton wants to do. They take 29 three-pointers per game, which is a double-edged sword. Creighton ranks sixth in three-pointers made per game. Tennessee performed well this year against a similar team in Alabama, winning both matchups.
Frankly, this seems like a tough matchup for Creighton, with Tennessee able to throw plenty of length and experience at them defensively. Josiah-Jordan James and Dalton Knecht both check in at 6-6+, while Jahmai Mashack and Zakai Zeigler can get after you as man defenders.
Tennessee ranks 31st in D-1 in three-point percentage allowed, giving up just 30.9 percent of shot from deep. They’ll need to match that on Friday night to dispose of Creighton, who will be firing away for better or for worse.
Tip-off between Tennessee and Creighton is (roughly) set for 10:10 p.m. ET on Friday night. They’ll follow the Purdue-Gonzaga game in Detroit.
Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See DraftKings.com/sportsbook for details.