Tennessee Volunteers Silence Virginia Cavaliers in a 79-72 Win to Advance to Sweet Sixteen

Jacob Perrine
Tennessee Volunteers forward Nate Ament (10) shoots the ball against the Virginia Cavaliers in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament.

In a day that featured multiple upsets across the college basketball world, the Tennessee Volunteers made sure to add their name to that list as they sent the 3rd-seeded Virginia Cavaliers home early on Saturday night to clinch a trip to the Sweet Sixteen.

Volunteers Defense Shuts Down the Paint

In order to win in the month of March, a team must take away what their opponent does well and force them to do what they’re uncomfortable with, and Tennessee fully exposed all of Virginia’s weaknesses in their win. The first of which came when the Volunteers effectively sealed off the paint on defense, which forced the Cavaliers to play from the outside to the inside on offense. While this approach worked for Virginia for a spell, as they knocked down 12 threes in the game, their 26 points in the paint marked the second-lowest in a game this season for them.

Much of that lockdown paint defense was due in part to the Volunteers’ defensive stalwart in Felix Okpara, who put on a shot blocking clinic in the win. Okpara would finish the game with 4 blocks, as he turned back or altered a multitude of shots that made going into the paint a living nightmare for Virginia. The Volunteers would also hold Virginia to just 39% from the floor in the game, a testament to how effective a defensive coach Rick Barnes is.

While the defense was leading the way for Tennessee in their win, the offensive side of the ball was also going quite well for the Volunteers. The three biggest leaders on that end of the floor were the outstanding trio of Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Nate Ament, and Bishop Boswell. Gillespie would be the leading scorer with an impressive 21 points, Boswell would also add in 13 points on 4 made threes, with Ament rounding out with a solid 16 points in the win.

Cavaliers Unable to Overcome Slow First Half Start

Despite the game being close heading into halftime as Tennessee held a narrow 36-31 lead, the Cavaliers would simply be unable to close the gap from the jump in the game. After jumping out to a quick 4-point lead in the first few minutes, the Volunteers would soon wrestle that slim lead away from Virginia and would not give up the lead the rest of the game. The Cavaliers’ offense was primarily predicated on both threes and transition points, as they couldn’t crack the Volunteers’ stout half-court defense.

The only player able to give Virginia a bit of a jolt on offense was the solid play of Thijs De Ridder, who had a masterful night in the loss. De Ridder would finish with a game-high 22 points, as he was the only player for Virginia to find any holes in Tennessee’s defense. The only other player to have a positive impact on the game for the Cavaliers was backup guard Chance Mallory, who finished the game with 10 points and 6 rebounds off the bench.

Can Tennessee Finally Exorcise Their March Madness Demons?

When thinking of some of the most successful programs over the past several years, the Volunteers are often at the top of that list. Unfortunately for Tennessee, they have been unable to break through to just the final four during Rick Barnes tenure, as they’ve gone as far as the Elite Eight the past two seasons. Their game on Friday provides a great chance for them to fully put to bed all of their past tournament failures, as they’re set to face off against the 2nd-seeded Iowa State Cyclones in what should be the most physical game in this entire tournament.