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Live Updates: No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Creighton in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•03/29/24•

GrantRamey

NCAA Tournament March Madness ((Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK) Open practice before the Midwest Regional Sweet 16 round at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Thursday, March 28, 2024.)
(Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK) Open practice before the Midwest Regional Sweet 16 round at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Thursday, March 28, 2024.

DETROIT — Tennessee basketball will look to advance to the Elite Eight for just the second time in program history when the second-seeded Vols (26-8) face No. 3 Creighton (25-9) on Friday night in the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Region at Little Caesars Arena.

Follow along for all of tonight’s updates before, during and after the game on The General’s Quarters

The Tennessee-Creighton game is scheduled for a start time of approximately 10:09 p.m. Eastern Time, or 25 minutes after the early game between No. 1 Purdue and No. 5 Gonzaga tips off. The Boilermakers and Zags are scheduled for a 7:39 p.m. ET start.

Tennessee is 1-8 all time in the round of 16, with the lone win coming in 2010 against Ohio State, 76-73 in St. Louis. The Vols are back in the Sweet 16 for a second straight year for only the second time in program history, after doing so in 2007 and 2008.

Creighton last season beat No. 15 Princeton in the Sweet 16, advancing to the Elite Eight for just the second time in program history, with the other trip happening in 1941. The Bluejays lost to San Diego State last March, with the Aztecs on their run to the national championship game.

How To Watch: No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Creighton

Start Time: Friday, 10:09 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Little Caesars Arena (20,332)

TV: TBS/truTV

Streaming: You can watch the tournament live on Prime Video. Add on your favorite channels and watch at home or on your phone or laptop.

Radio: WNML-FM 99.1 in Knoxville. The Vol Network radio broadcast can be heard on local affiliates across the state of Tennessee. 

KenPom Prediction: Tennessee 73, Creighton 71 (Vols 56% chance to win)

The Line: Tennessee -3.5 (via FanDuel)

A Closer Look: Creighton Bluejays

Creighton is No. 11 overall in the KenPom.com rankings. The Bluejays are No. 11 in adjusted offensive efficiency, scoring 120.3 points per 100 possessions, and No. 23 in adjusted defensive efficiency, giving up 96.2 points per 100 possessions. Tennessee is ranked No. 8 overall, No. 3 on defense (89.9) and No. 29 on offense (116.4). 

The bulk of Creighton’s production comes from six players who all average at least 21.8 minutes per game: Trey Alexander (37.2 minutes), Baylor Scheierman (36.7), Ryan Kalkbrenner (34.4), Steven Ashworth (31.7), Francisco Farabello (22.2) and Mason Miller (21.8).

Scheierman, a third team All-American guard, leads the team in scoring at 18.3 points per game, shooting 44.9% from the field and 37.9% from the 3-point line. Alexander averages 17.7, ahead of 16.4 from Kalkbrenner, the 7-foot-1 center, and 11.0 from Ashworth. 

Scheierman also leads the team in rebounding at 9.1, ahead of 7.6 from Kalkbrenner and 5.7 from Alexander. Alexander also averages a team-high 4.7 assists per game, ahead of 4.2 from Ashworth and 4.0 from Scheierman.

Creighton is ranked No. 362 in defensive turnover percentage, according to the KenPom numbers, and No. 359 in steal percentage.

You can watch the tournament live on Prime Video. Add on your favorite channels and watch at home or on your phone or laptop.

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