How did Tennessee basketball reach Elite 8? It made good on a Rick Barnes promise

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DETROIT — Gregg Polinsky dropped into a defensive stance by the Tennessee basketball bench.

The Vols assistant coach crouched and held his arm horizontally in front of him, displaying the perfect arm bar to defend in the post.

J.P. Estrella mimicked precisely what Polinsky demonstrated, driving his right arm into Creighton’s 7-foot-1 center Ryan Kalkbrenner. He took blow after blow as Kalkbrenner backed into him and Polinsky cheered him along.

“When the bright lights come on, we are all ready,” Estrella said.

Rick Barnes promised this game was coming. Tennessee was going to need everyone at some point this season, he has repeatedly declared. It happened Friday. The Vols needed to dig deep into their bench — and the bench responded.

No. 2 seed Tennessee (27-8) is on to the Elite Eight for the second time in program history after topping No. 3 Creighton 82-75 to earn a matchup with No. 1 Purdue on Sunday (2:20 p.m. ET, CBS).

The Tennessee freshman class got into the March Madness mix

Cam Carr thought his 3-pointer might sail long because of nerves. Then it left his hands and it felt perfect — and it was.

Three of Tennessee’s four freshmen played big first-half minutes, starting with Estrella. Carr and Freddie Dilione V stepped in when Jahmai Mashack and Jordan Gainey got in foul trouble. They kept Tennessee in the game for a crucial final 5:06 before halftime.

“Those guys got in and they didn’t flinch,” Vols assistant coach Rod Clark said. “They didn’t run away from the moment . . . They showed an insane amount of toughness to step in and get us to the Elite Eight.”

Dilione delivered a key assist in transition for a 3-pointer from Dalton Knecht, who had a team-high 24 points. Carr entered and hit a corner 3-pointer, then snared a defensive rebound in his two minutes.

The way the trio played Friday was the product of a lot of conversations through the season. Estrella, who played two minutes, said the group has built into each other before and after practices…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/did-tennessee-basketball-reach-elite-090400395.html

Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel

Publish date : 2024-03-30 09:04:00

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