Adam Rittenberg
Multiple Authors
CHICAGO — The Tennessee groups that reached the Elite Eight in 2024 and 2025 featured mainstays corresponding to Zakai Zeigler. The present squad is made up of 11 newcomers, a brand new workforce with acquainted objectives.
Coach Rick Barnes thought if all the brand new items match, the Volunteers might accomplish nice issues.
“I remember the first day, in our meeting with Coach Barnes, he said we could win the national championship,” stated ahead Jaylen Carey, a switch from Vanderbilt. “We have the team to do it.”
Tennessee now has the prospect after thumping Iowa State 76-62 on the United Center to succeed in its third consecutive Elite Eight below Barnes. The sixth-seeded Volunteers will face No. 1 seed Michigan on Sunday with an opportunity to assert the Midwest Region and attain this system’s first Final Four.
“We have some unfinished business,” stated ahead Felix Okpara, one among few Tennessee holdovers from the 2024-25 workforce.
Okpara, Carey and the Volunteers’ entrance line flexed in opposition to the Cyclones throughout a dominant second half, actually and figuratively, because the 267-pound Carey gestured towards the gang after Iowa State was compelled to name timeout with 12:57 left. Tennessee held huge edges in complete rebounds (43-22), offensive rebounds (16-8) and factors within the paint (42-30).
Carey and Okpara each recorded double-doubles, and 4 different Volunteers gamers had 4 rebounds.
“Last year, we had no post presence at all,” Barnes stated. “We knew at some point in time that we’re going to have to get it again. I can’t say enough about Felix’s improvement, his development.”
Just how dominant was Tennessee on the glass?
“We were just fighting for every rebound, and we were kind of just exhaling when we got it,” Iowa State ahead Milan Momcilovic lamented.
Tennessee’s inside struggles have been uncovered in final 12 months’s 69-50 Elite Eight loss to Houston, which had a 42-35 rebounding edge and held the Volunteers to 29% capturing. Okpara, who had 9 rebounds in that loss, stated Tennessee “felt like we should have won that game,” however the Volunteers scored solely 15 first-half factors.
They really feel higher geared up this 12 months to deal with Michigan’s huge entrance line and in the end attain a program milestone. Before Barnes’ arrival, Tennessee had made just one Elite Eight, in 2010.
Barnes is searching for his first Final Four since guiding Texas there in 2003.
“Last year, I said to Rick, ‘You’re turning Tennessee basketball into a blue blood,’ but that was from three straight Sweet 16s, two straight Elite Eights,” athletic director Danny White stated. “And now four straight Sweet 16s and three straight Elite Eights. It’s phenomenal. It’s fun to be around it.”
Iowa State felt the lack of All-America ahead Joshua Jefferson, who labored to rehab his sprained left ankle up till tipoff however in the end could not play. An emotional Jefferson advised reporters he wasn’t near returning and had simply began to jog however nonetheless skilled ache. He did not suppose he would have been prepared Sunday if Iowa State had superior.
“Just a really tough circumstance to deal with,” Cyclones coach T.J. Otzelberger stated. “We did everything in our power to get him out there, ready to play, and it just wasn’t enough. He’s a fierce competitor.”
ESPN’s Pete Thamel contributed to this report.
