The Tennessee Volunteers are becoming Elite Eight veterans of sorts. In each of the last three seasons, the Vols have reached the doorstep of the Final Four ... and each time, they've fallen short, most recently falling to Houston in 2025. This year's Tennessee team suffered some unexpected losses late in the season and ended up landing the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. But what could have been foreshadowing an early exit has instead ended up as something far different.
The Vols just whooped No. 2 seed Iowa State in the Sweet 16 on Friday night, landing a date with top-seeded Michigan on Sunday. The Wolverines have looked as good as every other No. 1 seed this year and have yet to be truly tested in the Big Dance so far. On paper, Tennessee's season should end in all too familiar fashion. There's reason to believe this Vols team is different from previous years, though.
Tennessee has adapted to the modern age of college athletics
Tennessee welcomed 11 new players to this year’s squad, fully embracing NIL and the transfer portal. A coincidence that it could be their best chance to finally get over the Elite Eight hump? Probably. But it also shows that Rick Barnes knows what it takes to win in today’s college basketball environment. Among those newcomers is Ja’Kobi Gillespie, a Maryland transfer whose sensational tournament so far is proof that the portal is vital to building a championship roster.
Gillespie is, after all, a seasoned hand, a leader of what is a veteran Vols roster overall. That experience, especially on the perimeter, is crucial this time of year. The bulk of Tennessee's transfer portal additions were upperclassmen; it’s the modern way, and Barnes is playing along.
Tennessee’s defense during March Madness is the key to their tournament run
If Arizona’s defense has been suffocating, I’m not sure what you’d call Tennessee’s defense. They’re holding their three opponents to 63.3 points per game; offensively, they’re averaging 77.7 points per game. They entered the NCAA Tournament with the No. 11 defensive rating in the country, per KenPom. For what it’s worth, Iowa State has the No. 22 ranked offensive rating — the Cyclones were without their second-leading scorer in Joshua Jefferson, but the point stands.
After Friday night, Tennessee fans should have nothing but confidence going into their game against Michigan. The Wolverines has the best defensive rating in college basketball, with size at basically every position. But if anyone can match that interior physicality and muck things up enough, it's this one, with an enormous frontcourt of their own and the ability to slow things down and turn any game into a half-court affair. Everything the Vols have done in this NCAA Tournament proves they’ll learn from their previous mistakes.
Why Tennessee fans should be confident about this year’s team
One of the biggest reasons Vols fans should be optimistic is that Michigan hasn’t had a tough test yet in this NCAA Tournament. Alabama was the toughest team they'd faced to date, and they were without one of their top players in Aden Holloway.
Taking nothing away from Michigan’s schedule, which featured all the top teams in the Big Ten plus a non-conference tilt against Duke, but it's fair to point out that they've largely been able to be frontrunners this season. The Vols aren’t just on a Cinderella March Madness run, they’re taking down the top teams, too. Virginia had the No. 17 ranked defensive rating, and Iowa State No. 5. This Vols team is finding a way to win against teams with really good defenses.
Their next challenge is the top-rated defense in college basketball. There’s no reason why Tennessee can’t continue their hot streak.