Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes and the 6-seed Volunteers punched their ticket to the Elite Eight with a 76-62 win over 2-seed Iowa State on Friday night in Chicago. The Vols led for 28 minutes and only trailed for eight minutes as they crossed the Sweet 16 finish line before the Cyclones. Tennessee was the underdog heading into the game, but wound up winning by two touchdowns.
The Vols will now square off against 1-seed Michigan for the Midwest Region crown. That game will take place on Sunday afternoon at 2:15 p.m. ET in the United Center.
Tennessee freshman wing Nate Ament tied a game-high 18 points, while senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie went for 16 points. Tennessee had four double-digit scorers in total, with Felix Okpara scoring 12 and Jaylen Carey scoring 11. Okpara’s 12 points helped him get a double-double on the night with 10 rebounds.
After the game, Tennessee and Iowa State both held postgame press conferences. The Vols’ contingent consisted of head coach Rick Barnes, Gillespie, Okpara, and Carey, while Iowa State’s featured head coach T.J. Otzelberger, Nate Heise, and Tamin Lipsey.
More From RTI: Three Quick Takeaways As Tennessee Basketball’s Bigs Deliver In Sweet 16 Win Over Iowa State
Check out all three interviews below:
Tennessee HC Rick Barnes
Tennessee’s Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Felix Okpara, Jaylen Carey
Iowa State HC T.J. Otzelberger, Nate Heise, Tamin Lipsey
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Basketball coverage. The 6-seed Vols will face the 1-seed Michigan Wolverines in the Elite Eight on Sunday at 2:15 p.m. ET.
