Dalton Knecht is why Tennessee basketball will beat Creighton. It’s not that complicated. | Adams

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You will find little evidence of the NCAA Tournament’s upsetting nature in Detroit this weekend. Tennessee basketball and three of the other top five seeds in the Midwest Region have advanced to the Sweet 16.

But those programs all can attest to how troubling March Madness can be for higher seeds. They too often have experienced it firsthand.

Let’s start closest to home. No. 2 seed Tennessee (26-8), who will play No. 3 seed Creighton (25-9) on Friday (10:15 p.m., TBS), have never made the Final Four, have advanced as far as the Elite Eight only once (2010), and consistently have been upended by lower seeds.

Purdue, the No. 1 seed in the Midwest, made history in last year’s tournament. And that’s not a compliment.

The Boilermakers became only the second No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed. Fairleigh Dickinson knocked them out of the tournament in the first round. Despite achieving significant regular-season success and establishing themselves as an NCAA Tournament regular, the Boilermakers haven’t reached the Final Four since 1980.

Creighton is playing in its 16th NCAA Tournament since 1998 and has won 20 or more games for nine consecutive seasons. But the Bluejays have never reached the Final Four. They came close last year, barely losing to San Diego State in the Elite Eight.

No. 4 seed Gonzaga has become a national power under coach Mark Few. The Bulldogs haven’t won fewer than 25 games since 2007 and have played in two Final Fours. However, they haven’t won a national title.

In summation, you have four successful basketball programs who have two Final Fours among them in the past 45 years. Which team is least fazed by their tournament track record might be the most likely one to reach the Final Four.

Creighton and Tennessee have something in common besides their tournament history. Both survived close calls in the second round.

The Vols quickly established their superiority against Texas, led by as many as 12 points and were still up by nine with 4:23 to play. But you…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/dalton-knecht-why-tennessee-basketball-092056361.html

Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel

Publish date : 2024-03-26 09:20:56

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