Michigan and Tennessee are set to meet for another NCAA Tournament bout on Sunday with a spot to the Final Four on the line (Sunday, 2:15 p.m., CBS). It’s the fourth time the teams have met in the NCAA Tournament since 2010 — all Michigan wins. A first-round game in 2011, a Sweet 16 game in 2014, and a second-round game in 2022.
Now, the two teams will complete the set in the Elite Eight.
The Vols also have postseason history with Dusty May. His Florida Atlantic team beat Tennessee in the Sweet 16 en route to the Final Four in 2023.
Rick Barnes has long had a reputation for underachieving on the biggest stage, but he has it rolling lately. This is Tennessee’s third straight Elite Eight, and it is 11-3 in its last four NCAA Tournaments.
The 6-seeded Vols have spent almost the entire season ranked somewhere in the 10-to-20 range on KenPom. They are 25-11 with the No. 31 offense and No. 11 defense in the country, ranked 11th overall. Tennessee finished 11-7 in SEC play, but advanced to this round with wins over Miami OH, Virginia, and shorthanded Iowa State.
The Volunteers
Tennessee is the best offensive rebounding team in the country. The Vols rebound at a Division I-leading 45% of their missed shots, which is something Michigan should be somewhat familiar with. The Wolverines have faced the No. 3 (Illinois), No. 5 (Duke), and No. 9 (Michigan State) offensive rebounding teams in the country this season.
The Volunteers are 3rd nationally in second-chance points per game and 19th in paint points per game. Their offensive rebounding effort is concentrated around their two starting bigs and 6-foot-8, 267-pound reserve big man Jaylen Carry.
The offensive rebounding is elite, but nothing else really stands out offensively for Tennessee — 149th in eFG, 225th in TO rate, 95th in FTA/FGA. The Vols shoot 52.3% on twos (158th) and 34% on threes (170th) for a 51.9 eFG% (149th).
Outside of hitting the offensive glass, Tennessee’s offensive identity is off-ball movement. The Vols rank 94th percentile in cut volume, 98th percentile in off-ball screen volume, and 98th percentile in putbacks. They also play out of the post aggressively (90th percentile in volume), and are one of the best teams in the country at creating post seals. Expect a lot of “floppy” actions and sets, and expect two non-shooting bigs to be on the floor at almost all times.
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