Josiah-Jordan James stresses Tennessee's focus for Florida Atlantic

In the Sweet Sixteen, Tennessee is going to clash with FAU. Ahead of that game, Volunteers point guard Josiah-Jordan James stressed how important it is for Tennessee to stay focused on the task at hand.

FAU, being a mid-major, could be easy to overlook. However, James knows that this could easily cost the Volunteers a shot at the Elite Eight.

“Yeah, we respect each and every opponent that we play against,” Josiah-Jordan James said. “And we know making it to March Madness, being one of the 64 teams selected, like you deserve to be there. So we’re not overlooking anybody. They’ve made it just as far as we have, so they have every right to think that they can beat us, and any team can be beaten on any given night.”

Josiah-Jordan James knows that FAU deserves respect. The Owls are a talented team and have proven that throughout the season. Still, it’s easier said than done to focus on a mid-major when there is a bigger prize than them at the end of the tunnel.

“They have really talented players. They’ve only lost three games. It’s going to be a really, really tough fight. We’re definitely not overlooking any of their players or their coaches. We know they’re going to come prepared, and it’s not going to be easy.”

FAU and Tennessee will meet on Thursday night. The winner moves on to the Elite Eight, where they will take on either Kansas State or Michigan State.

Josiah-Jordan James compared FAU to Alabama

Ahead of the game, Josiah-Jordan James compared FAU to a team he’s already seen this season, Alabama. With the Crimson Tide expected to make a deep push, it’s high praise.

“They like to get a lot of threes up and play at the rim. They don’t really like playing in the mid-range area. And one team that is like that in our conference is Alabama,” James said.

“They like to play a similar play-style on offense. We have to go back and learn from what we did well against Alabama. And, hopefully, apply it to this game.”

It’s a stylistic comparison more than anything. In particular, on the offensive end of the court. The Volunteers, with their elite defense, have proven they are capable of stopping that offense already. Now, they’ll need to do it in the Sweet Sixteen.