No. 6 seed Tennessee moved on against Miami-OH on Friday, handing the Redhawks their second loss of the season. The Volunteers moved on to the round of 32, and are now set to face Virginia out of the ACC. The Cavaliers landed a No. 3 seed after narrowly missing out on a conference title last weekend.
Tennessee got 29 points from Ja’Kobi Gillespie on Friday, which was much-needed with the injury situation going on with Nate Ament. The 5-star freshman was limited on Friday, playing just 18 minutes. His status for today remains in question, though he’s expected to play. How limited he is remains to be seen.
The Volunteers are 6-8 all time against Virginia, winning their last matchup in 2024. Tennessee met Virginia in the NCAA Tournament back in 2007, winning a close one 77-74.
Tennessee will face Ryan Odom in his first season as the Virginia head coach after coming in from VCU. Odom had previous stops at UMBC, Utah State and Lenior-Rhyne.
“I haven’t looked at them,” Rick Barnes said of Virginia. “I have a lot of unbelievable respect for Ryan Odom. I feel in the game. Ryan is a terrific coach. He spent a year at my alma mater, Lenoire-Rhyne. He’s a great coach, basketball coach and quickly put Virginia back where they want to be. I know just from the brief time talking to my coaches, they can really score the basketball at all five positions. They know how to play. They know what they’re doing.”
How to watch Tennessee vs. Virginia
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Time: 6:10 p.m. ET
Streaming: March Madness Live
TV Channel: TNT
Odds: Tennessee -1.5