The Tennessee Volunteers advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, beating the Miami Redhawks 78-56. Tennessee got 29 points out of Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who shot 6-11 from three-point range. Rick Barnes took advantage of an opportunity to rest Nate Ament in the second half, with the 5-star freshman only logging 18 minutes in total. Ament played just five minutes in the second half.
Tennessee now runs into Virginia, who is coming off of a 15-3 season in the ACC. The Cavaliers are 30-5 overall, taking losses to Duke, North Carolina and Virginia Tech in conference play.
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Despite the uncertainty around Ament, Tennessee is a 1.5 point favorite this afternoon in Philadelphia, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The total has been set at 137.5.
Tennessee is looking for yet another appearance in the Sweet 16, which would be their fourth in a row. The Volunteers are coming off of back to back Elite Eights, just narrowly missing out on that elusive Final Four appearance.
Virginia is led by Thijs De Ridder, who is averaging over 15 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. The Cavaliers are KenPom’s 16th-best team, ranked as the 16th best defense in the country. Tennessee checks in at 15th overall in the same metric, boasting the 13th-best defense in the nation.
Virginia had a minor scare in the first round from Wright State, who pushed the Cavs down the stretch. They eventually pulled away though, thanks to 26 points from Jacari White.
Tennessee and Virginia are set for a 6:10 p.m. ET tip-off. TNT will have the coverage.