Tennessee stifles UCLA, Chaz Lanier stays hot as Vols advance to third straight Sweet 16
LEXINGTON — Zakai Zeigler drove to the rim only to sling shot the pass back out to the top of the key late Saturday night, with Jordan Gainey waiting to hit another shot from the 3-point line.
When Chaz Lanier hit a three on the next Tennessee possession, his fourth of the night to build the lead to 15 points over UCLA, all he could was turn, smile and run back down the court.
The Vols were feeling it in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Tennessee fans were feeling it, too, as Rocky Top echoed throughout Rupp Arena during.
No. 2 Tennessee was well on its way to a 67-58 win over No. 7 UCLA to advance to its third straight Sweet 16 and its fourth in seven tries under head coach Rick Barnes.
Tennessee (29-7) took control with an 8-0 run to end the first half and never let go after halftime. Chaz Lanier stayed hot with 20 points on four 3-pointers, breaking Chris Lofton’s single-season program record of 118 in the process and giving him 49 points over the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Zeigler had 15 points and had six assists, Gainey scored 13 off the bench and Igor Milcic Jr. scored four points and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.
Skyy Clark scored 18 to lead UCLA (23-11) despite battling foul trouble from the opening minutes. Tyler Bilodeau had 15 points and Aday Mara scored all of his seven in the first half.
Tennessee advances to face either No. 3 Kentucky or No. 6 Illinois in Sweet 16
The Vols advance to face either No. 3 Kentucky or No. 6 Illinois in the third round on Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Illini and Wildcats play Sunday at 5:15 p.m Eastern Time on CBS.
No. 1 Houston will face No. 4 Purdue in the other Midwest Region semifinal in Indianapolis.
A Zeigler three-point play to start the second half extended an 11-0 run and the back-to-back threes from Gainey and Lanier in the opening minutes built the lead to 15 points, the biggest of the game at the time.
Lanier tied Lofton’s Tennessee single-season 3-point record with his second three of the game, with 12:55 left in the first half. He entered the game with 116, after hitting six against Wofford in the first round on Thursday. He hit No. 117 with 15:52 left in the first half.
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Tennessee closed the first half on an 8-0 run over the final 2:50 before halftime to lead 32-25 at the break, the biggest lead of either team over the first 20 minutes.
Lanier scored 12 points in the first half, including a three-point play with 27 seconds left, after coming up with a steal at half court. Gainey scored seven in the first half after missing his first four shots of the game.
Vols advance to third straight Sweet 16, fourth under Rick Barnes
Zeigler had five points, two assists and a rebound in the first half and Milicic had a game-high six rebounds in the first half.
Jahmai Mashack and Cade Phillips picked up two fouls in the first 12 minutes, with much of the first half defined by whistles on both ends. UCLA’s Eric Dailey and Clark picked up two fouls each in the first four minutes.
Tennessee is back in the Sweet 16 for a third straight season and the fourth time under Barnes. The Vols went to the Elite Eight for just the second time in program history last season, after beating Creighton in the Sweet 16.
Florida Atlantic upset Tennessee in the 2023 Sweet 16 at Madison Square Garden. The Vols lost to Purdue in overtime in the 2019 Sweet 16 in Louisville.
