Tennessee point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie is nearing a single-season milestone that few other Vols have reached. Gillespie enters Friday night’s Sweet 16 matchup against Iowa State having made 97 three-pointers this season. If he reaches 110 made triples, Gillespie will be just the fourth player in program history to reach the mark.
Chaz Lanier broke the Tennessee single-season three-point record a year ago when he made 123 triples. Chris Lofton hit over 100 three-pointers in three separate seasons, knocking down 118 as a senior, 114 as a sophomore ad 106 as a junior.
Santiago Vescovi is the only other Tennessee player to reach the mark, knocking down 102 triples during the 2021-22 season playing alongside Kennedy Chandler and Zakai Zeigler.
Gillespie has currently made the seventh most three-pointers of a Tennessee player in a single-season. The 6-foot-1 point guard remains behind Allan Houston who made 99 three-pointers during the 1990-91 season.
The Second Team All-SEC selection is shooting 34.5% from three-point range this season. It’s a lower clip than last year at Maryland and two seasons ago at Belmont. However, he’s hit more three-pointers this season at Tennessee and the overall quality of look has been lower due to the attention opposing defenses are giving him.
More From RTI: ESPN Personality Gives Major Props to Tennessee Basketball’s Nate Ament Ahead of Sweet 16
Gillespie enters the Sweet 16 averaging 18.4 points along with 5.6 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. EvanMiya‘s BPR ratings rank Gillespie as the fifth most important player to his team in the entire country.
His value to Tennessee goes far beyond the stat sheet. Tennessee lacks other ball handlers and perimeter scorers, that forces the Vols to lean heavily on Gillespie every time out. The Vols excel when their senior point guard is on the court and struggle badly when he’s on the bench.
Gillespie was terrific last weekend in Philadelphia when Tennessee defeated Miami (Ohio) and Virginia to advance to the Sweet 16. The All-SEC point guard combined for 50 points, 15 assists, nine rebounds and four steals in the two games. Gillespie was the third player in the modern era of the NCAA Tournament to total 50 points and 15 assists in his first two games, joining UConn’s Kemba Walker and Providence’s Billy Donovan.
After ending the regular season in a shooting slump, Gillespie found his stroke last weekend. He knocked down nine-of-16 three-pointers in Tennessee’s two wins.
Gillespie is looking to stay hot when Tennessee faces Iowa State and its stout defense on Friday night in the Sweet 16. Tipoff between the Vols and Cyclones is at 10:10 p.m. ET. TNT and TruTv are both broadcasting the game.
