The Volunteers got an abundance of contributions, their second-half outburst focused on staples and finally a gimmick defense got them back into the game.
After the Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Creighton Bluejays 82–75 in the Midwest regional men’s semifinal, there are three things to remember:
1. Due to illness, guard Santiago Vescovi, who has started 144 games in five seasons for the Volunteers, was not available. However, despite lacking its defensive core, Tennessee managed to qualify for the first-ever Final Four in program history inside 40 minutes thanks to a wealth of other players’ contributions, some of whom were expected and others of whom were not.
The 24 points scored by star Dalton Knecht was anticipated, as were the 18 and 17 points from Josiah Jordan-James and Zakai Zeigler. However, head coach Rick Barnes reached farther into his bench than normal to coax a few crucial plays out of infrequently used rookies. After seeing just six minutes of action in the nine games prior, Freddie Dilione V contributed an assist in his three minutes of play. After playing just five minutes in the previous nine games, Cameron Carr made a corner three-pointer.
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