Tennessee basketball overcomes Creighton and ghosts of March Madness past | Adams

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Tennessee basketball put its postseason problems behind them Friday night in Detroit. The Vols defied their track record and are on the verge of school history with an 82-75 victory over Creighton in the NCAA Tournament.

SEC player of the year Dalton Knecht scored 24 points as the second-seeded Vols advanced to the Elite Eight for only the second time in school history. They played up to their seeding with a victory over No. 3 seed Creighton. And they accomplished as much without senior guard Santiago Vescovi, who was sidelined by the flu.

Tennessee has failed to overcome lesser teams than this one in the NCAA Tournament. But those upset losses to schools like Florida Atlantic, Oregon State and Loyola Chicago faded deeper into the past on Friday. They were overwhelmed by the present.

The opponent made the victory that much more impressive. Creighton is a basketball somebody, though you couldn’t tell as much when the Vols outscored it 18-0 early in the second half to take control of a game that was virtually even throughout the first half.

The Bluejays are one of the few teams to beat overall tournament No. 1 seed UConn this season. They came within one shot of making the Final Four last season. And they have won 20 or more games for nine consecutive seasons.

But their basketball pedigree didn’t matter against Tennessee, whose only other Elite Eight appearance came 14 years ago under then-coach Bruce Pearl. The one-point loss short-circuited the Vols bid for their first-ever Final Four.

UT fans might have wondered if the ghosts of tournaments past would overtake the Vols down the stretch. Never mind how superior the Vols looked during that 18-0 run, which left them with a 16-point lead. Creighton came roaring back to cut the lead to three points before the Vols hit the brakes and clinched one of the biggest victories in school history.

Now, the next game will be even bigger − with a Final Four berth on the line. And the opponent will be more formidable.

No. 1 Midwest…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/tennessee-basketball-overcomes-creighton-ghosts-052428962.html

Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel

Publish date : 2024-03-30 05:24:28

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