On Saturday night, the 6th-seeded Tennessee Volunteers took down the two-seeded Iowa State Cyclones.
Coming into the game, we knew that Iowa State would be without its best player, Joshua Jefferson. However, the Cyclones’ high-powered offense still wasn’t going to be easy for the Vols to tame.
That’s exactly what the Vols did, though, holding the Cyclones to just 62 points and escaping with a 76-62 victory. Milan Momcilovic, who was one of the best three-point shooters in the country this season, had
a difficult time dealing with the Vols’ defense and ended with just six points.
Meanwhile, the Vols were led in scoring by freshman phenom Nate Ament. Ament led all scorers with 18 points and added four rebounds and two blocks. Felix Okpara, Ja’Kobi Gillespie, and Jaylen Carey all scored in double figures as well.
Now, the Vols advance to the Elite 8 for the third season in a row and will face off against the Michigan Wolverines on Sunday. Let’s identify the key takeaways from the big Sweet 16 victory.
Rick Barnes deserves more national appreciation
I feel like it’s a little understated how good a coach Rick Barnes is. Barnes came to Tennessee in 2015 and has since led the Vols to three Elite Eights and five Sweet Sixteens. Before Barnes came to Knoxville, the Vols had only reached the Elite Eight once in history.
Also, the game plan for Saturday was amazing. With Jefferson out, Momcilovic became the focal point, and the defensive effort on the star was incredible. Not only did Momcilovic not factor in much on offense, but he wasn’t even allowed to get many shots off. Tennessee’s swarm defense allowed Momcilovic to attempt just nine shots.
The game plan was clearly to make Iowa State’s other players beat the Vols, and they couldn’t do it. It was a masterclass performance from Deacon Barnes.
Rebounding was a major difference
The Vols have been able to out-rebound a ton of teams this year. The combination of J.P. Estrella with Okpara and Carey has been a nightmare for smaller teams, and that trend continued on Saturday.
The Vols doubled the Cyclones up on the boards, ending with 43 rebounds compared to Iowa State’s 22. The Vols had more defensive rebounds than the Cyclones had total rebounds. On a night when shots weren’t falling for the Cyclones, it became impossible for them to get back in the game because they couldn’t get any second-chance opportunities.
Against Michigan, it will be much tougher to dominate the glass, but not impossible. If the bigs come to play, the Vols can beat anybody.
Jaylen Carey’s explosion off the bench
It also cannot be understated how impressive Carey was off the bench. The big man came in and played 22 minutes and ended with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 boards.
Carey also had a few nice passes, ending with four assists. The big man was a big part of why the Vols were able to beat the Cyclones’ zone defense. Not many teams have a big man coming off the bench who can drop a double-double. Carey could be a key part of the game plan against Michigan’s size on Sunday.
