Tennessee Defeats Ole Miss, Advances To Quarterfinals

Rick Barnes's defensive adjustments gave the Tennessee Volunteers the edge in their second-round win over Ole Miss.

Despite not being down by much at any point in the first half, Tennessee looked like they were about to play a style of game that they wanted no part of. The Vols were letting Ole Miss get out in transition and as a result, allowing points at an alarming rate. 

Late in the first half though, Rick Barnes made the switch to zone and the Rebels finished the half 1-8 from the field. The Vols at that point, grabbed the lead and never looked back, taking down Ole Miss 70 to 55.

In the first half, it was apparent for Tennessee offensively that they were comfortable in the half-court without Zakai Zeigler. Santiago Vescovi looked great operating off of ball screens and Josiah-Jordan James was knocking down shots as well. Vescovi and James finished with 20 and 15, respectively.

While the half-court offense looked great, there is a noticeable hole in Tennessee's offense without Zeigler. The Vols were outscored 17 to 2 in transition today. Vescovi has made the transition to point guard look effortless, but the fast-break offense is going to take a hit without Zeigler and Tennessee simply has to be able to execute in the half-court to make up for it consistently.

The Vols took control in the second half of the game, leading by around 10 for the first eight minutes or so. The Rebels were able to make a push to get the lead down to 4 with 11 minutes to play, but Tyreke Key hit a big three and from that point on, the Vols were slowly able to get the lead back out to double digits with good man-to-man defense.

Despite a hot start for the Rebels, Tennessee ended up holding Ole Miss to .948 points per possession. Barnes didn't stay in the zone and in fact, Tennessee didn't even go to it in the second half, but it was enough to throw off Ole Miss and get them out of rhythm.

The Vols will now get their revenge opportunity against Missouri tomorrow in the second quarterfinal of the day. The game will tip off 25 minutes after the completion of Alabama-Mississippi State. The Vols ended up not getting the double bye because of a heartbreaking DeAndre Gholston buzzer-beater in Knoxville. Missouri hit some really tough shots in that game to win it 86-85 and it will be very interesting to see if they can shoot like that again. If Tennessee wins, they'll play in the first semifinal on Saturday.

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