'It's Tennessee Basketball': Vols had a point to prove in 67-58 win over UCLA
LEXINGTON — Tennessee players saw the Friday afternoon press conference. They heard and read the quotes from the UCLA players.
“It’s going to be a dog fight,” junior guard Dylan Andrews said while previewing the matchup between the Vols and the Bruins in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena.
“They’re a very physical team,” senior guard Lazar Stefanovic said. “We are as well.”
“Whoever out-scraps who,” junior forward Tyler Bilodeau added.
After hearing that talk, Tennessee players vowed to be the bigger dog in the fight, to be the more physical team and to out-scrap the outspoken Bruins.
“It’s Tennessee basketball,” assistant coach Rod Clark told Volquest. “That was actually the statement that was made before the game. Hey, we got to be Tennessee basketball. Show them what that looks like.”
‘These guys knew it was going to be a dogfight’
What it looked like was Tennessee turning up the heat on defense to close the first half and never letting loose of the stranglehold it took on the game. What it looked like was an 8-0 run going into halftime and picking right back up to start the second half.
What it looked like was a lead that ballooned to 19 points and a third straight trip to the Sweet 16 after a 67-58 win, as Tennessee fans sang Rocky Top deep into the night in Kentucky’s storied basketball venue.
“Those guys over there knew it was going to be a dog fight,” Clark said of UCLA. “They kept talking about in the media. Our guys talked about how it was going to be a toughness battle. So we knew coming in that the game was going to be won on the defensive end.”
Aday Mara scored to give UCLA a 25-24 lead with 3:21 left in the first half, after the Bruins had led for just under 10 minutes, only for Tennessee to answer with eight straight to take a 32-25 lead into halftime.
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The Vols used a trapping half-court press to force two turnovers during the run, then two more early in the second half, quickly stretching the lead to 15 points after a Chaz Lanier three with 14:14 left.
“That’s a press that we’ve kind of toyed with all year at different moments,” Clark said, “but obviously it helped us get to that 8-0 run which I thought was huge. It gave us some momentum going into the next half.”
Up Next: Sweet 16 vs. No. 3 Kentucky/No. 6 Illinois, Friday
The press forced a Kobe Johnson turnover with 30 seconds left in the first half, leading to a three-point play for Lanier on the other end. A Dylan Andrews turnover to start the second half led to a Zakai Zeigler three-point play, to make it 11 straight points.
UCLA was feeling the pressure from Tennessee’s trademark defense and the Vols could see it.
“It’s sharks and bloody water, man,” sophomore forward Cade Phillips said. “That’s the nature of playing defense. When you see teams starting to get frustrated and getting flustered, that’s when you amp it up.”
With a spot in the Sweet 16 and a date in Friday’s Midwest Regional semifinal on the line — No. 3 Kentucky or No. 6 Illinois will be the opponent at Lucas Oil Stadium — the Vols weren’t going to let the opposing team win the defensive battle. They weren’t going to get out-scrapped or pushed around.
Tennessee wasn’t going to get beat at its own game with its season on the line,
“We knew what kind of game it was going to be as soon as we saw who we were playing,” senior guard Jordan Gainey said, “and we were more than ready for it.”
