Miami (Ohio) opened its first-round Men’s NCAA Tournament game by hitting 3-point shots on its first two possessions against Tennessee basketball. That wasn’t a sign of things to come on March 20 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
Once the Vols raised their intensity and extended their perimeter defense, the RedHawks’ 3-point attack repeatedly came up empty. No. 6 seed Tennessee (23-11) was on its way to a 78-56 victory in the Midwest Region.
No. 11 seed Miami (32-2) advanced to the first round by making 16 3-pointers in an 89-79 First Four victory over SMU on March 18. But after those two quick 3-pointers against Tennessee, the RedHawks were out of luck and clearly overmatched.
In fact, the Vols stole the 3-point show in the first half. Led by Ja’Kobi Gillespie’s 22 first-half points, which included 5-for-6 3-point shooting, Tennessee took a 51-32 halftime lead when Ethan Burg beat the buzzer with UT’s eighth 3-pointer of the half.
Gillespie finished with 29 points and nine assists, but the Vols weren’t nearly as sharp offensively in the second half. Their turnovers mounted, and their perimeter shooting dropped off. But they scored too easily inside for the RedHawks to make a game-turning run.
There was nothing mysterious about Tennessee’s defensive success against the RedHawks. It pressured them on the perimeter and forced them to take deeper 3s, which too often were off-target.
“They looked really comfortable, against SMU,” Gillespie said in a halftime interview at courtside. “We wanted to make them more uncomfortable.”
Mission accomplished.
No one looked more comfortable than Gillespie, who invariably got wide-open shots against a defense that looked a step slow compared to what the Vols encountered in the SEC. Tennessee’s size was another plus. That was evident right away when center Felix Okpara dunked off alley-oop passes on back-to-back possessions.
The Vols were so dominant so fast that it was easy to overlook Nate Ament’s ineffectiveness. The 6-foot-10 Ament is trying to play through a serious late-season ankle injury that sidelined the freshman star for two games. He missed all three of his field-goal tries, failed to score and had three turnovers in 18 minutes.
Those numbers didn’t matter against the overmatched RedHawks. But if Ament isn’t closer to full strength against Virginia in the second round, the Vols will be hard-pressed to keep advancing.
Unlike Miami, the Cavs (30-5) have the necessary size to contend with the Vols in the paint. Their size proved decisive in an 83-72, first-round victory over Wright State. They outrebounded the Raiders 39-24, and their height advantage was just as much a factor on defense.
Every opponent on the Cavs’ schedule can attest to the troubles caused by their interior defense.
Virginia leads the nation with an average of 6.5 blocks per game, thanks mainly to a tall front line that includes 7-foot center Ugonna Onyenso, who averages three blocks per game; Thijs DeRidder, the team’s leading scorer; and Johann Grunloh, another 7-footer.
The Cavs haven’t won 30 games solely due to size, though. You were reminded of that against Wright State when they made 13 of 26 3-point attempts.
Their depth was also a plus.
Guard Jacari White came off the bench to score a game-high 26 points in just 24 minutes. White made 10 of 12 field-goal tries – and six of eight 3-pointers – in a career-best performance.
Those 3-pointers will be harder to come by against Tennessee’s perimeter defense. But the Vols likely will need more offense − and a healthier Ament − to get past the Cavs.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or [email protected].
