ORLANDO, Fla. — Basketball in Tennessee hasn’t taken it easy over the past six weeks. Of course, the start of the NCAA tournament was anything but routine.
The Vols led by as much as 18 points against Louisiana, then by just three points in a roller coaster ride Thursday night at the Amway Center.
But 4th-ranked Tennessee (24-10) lived on, holding off Louisiana (26-8) in a 58-55 win.
Jahmai Mashack had 11 points and was his usual defensive power against the Ragin’ Cajuns. The Vols meet No. 5 Duke (27-8) for a spot in the Sweet 16 on Saturday (2:40 p.m. CBS). UT reached the Sweet 16 once in 2019 under coach Rick Barnes.
- Advertisement -
INJURED: Zakai Zeigler undergoes ACL surgery not with Tennessee basketball for March Madness in Orlando
DEADLY: Santiago Vescovi is an off-ball magician. In the mind of the Tennessee basketball guard.
The Vols didn’t make it easy, but Jahmai Mashack was great
Tennessee took an 18-point lead twice in the second half, but the Ragin’ Cajuns rolled back on a 13-0 run.
Mashack scored four straight hits with a confident mid-level jumper, then two free throws to bring UT’s lead back to nine. Mashack got Tennessee’s offense rolling in the first half and had multiple steals early on in a key stretch.
Tennessee pulled away with a late run in the first half
The Vols hit six field goals in the first 15:54 and were stuck in a dry spell with Santiago Vescovi on the bench with two fouls. Mashack finally got Tennessee going. He hit a midrange jumper to start an 11-0 run to close the half.
- Advertisement -
UT was 5-for-6 shooting in the final 4:06 before halftime. Mashack hit another midrange jumper and Olivier Nkamhoua hit a 3-pointer that put the run at 9-0.
The Vols had early sales problems
Josiah-Jordan James cornered a pass to Tobe Awaka at 5:04 in the first half. However, Awaka was not there and was lost. It was Tennessee’s 11th turnover in the first half and the Vols had 12 before halftime.
Mike Wilson reports on the University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @By Mike Wilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that gives you access to everything.
- Advertisement -
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball top Louisiana meets Duke in March Madness
Source
