Tennessee beats Duke to advance to Sweet 16 in East Region
A team Kentucky beat twice this season is on its way to the Sweet 16. No. 4 Tennessee beat No. 5 Duke 65-52 to advance to the East Region semifinals in New York City next Thursday. The Vols will face the winner of No. 16 Fairleigh-Dickinson and No. 9 Florida Atlantic, a game that takes place tomorrow night at 7:45 p.m. ET.
How did Tennessee take down Duke, one of the hottest teams coming into the tournament? Elite defense. The Vols held the Blue Devils to a season-low 52 points and only 21 in the first half. That’s the fewest points Duke has scored in the first half of an NCAA Tournament game in school history.
The Blue Devils had few answers for Tennessee’s physical play. Uros Plavsic bullied Duke 7-footer Kyle Filipowski and the Blue Devils’ guards Jeremy Roach and Tyrese Proctor also struggled against the Vols’ style of play. Tennessee’s Olivier Nkamhoua took over in the second half, tying his career high with 27 points, including 13 straight during a crucial stretch. The Vols only turned the ball over nine times after committing 18 turnovers in the first-round win vs. Louisiana-Lafayette.
Hard to pick a team you wanted to win this one, but the Vols will head to New York, where they could possibly face Kentucky in the Elite Eight. Before we worry about beating a team three times in one season, let’s just focus on the Cats getting out of Greensboro with a win.
The scene in Tennessee’s locker room was something:
East Region Bracket
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