CHICAGO — Asked to compare Michigan to an SEC team or any team on their schedule, Tennessee’s players struggled.
Florida, maybe? Because of its size. Tennessee, perhaps for its size and attention to defense. In the end, Michigan is unique. “They are the most talented team (we’ve faced),” Ja’Kobi Gillespie said. “They can really score.”
Added Bishop Boswell: “We have our work cut out for us.”
There was talk of these teams playing an exhibition game. They could have met in the Players Era in Las Vegas. Neither materialized. “It’s crazy how it works out,” Jaylen Carey said. On Sunday, they’ll face for a spot in the Final Four (2:15 p.m., CBS).
Hit the glass
Michigan’s Roddy Gayle Jr. saw the number on ESPN and it caught his eye: Tennessee out-rebounded Iowa State by 21 in Friday’s win.
“I feel like we’ve got the best bigs in the country, but they’re going to be occupied,” Gayle said. He, and the rest of the guards, will have to rebound.
Tennessee ranks first in the country in offensive rebounding rate. “Offensive rebounding is the biggest thing,” Michigan’s Trey McKenney said, noting the importance to hit the Volunteers at the other end. “We’re not really worried about the offensive end of things. That’s really going to take care of itself, but I think just really being physical and offensive rebounding (will be key).”
Tennessee has lost even when it has hit the glass, but four of its five worst offensive rebounding performance have led to losses. If the Wolverines hold up on the backboard they have a great chance at winning.
Make 3s
The Wolverines have made at least 11 3-pointers in each of their NCAA Tournament games. If they do it again, they will advance.
Tennessee allows more three-point attempts than most teams in the country, ranking 331 in the stat out of 365 teams according to kenpom.com. Duke, a 1 seed also playing for a spot in the Final Four on Sunday, allows more, so allowing a bunch is not necessarily a problem.
The 3-pointers teams make against the Vols are much less. Tennessee is one of the best in the country there. “We know they’re heavy in the gap, so being able to get the ball space when somebody drives and play off of that,” Michigan’s Roddy Gayle Jr. said about choosing 3s. “Playing off of close-outs is important because those guys will go from the block, essentially, out to the 3-point line. Being able to take off that and turn good shots to great ones.”
Tennessee: Elite but nothing more
Tennessee Rick Barnes has a reputation of underachieving in the NCAA Tournament. Lately though, his teams have played to their seed. This year, Tennessee exceeded it. The Vols are making their third straight Elite Eight appearances, this time as a 6 seed. They went the past two years as a 2 before losing to the team that reached the championship. The height of Barnes pessimism came after Tennessee, as a 3, lost to 11 seed Michigan in 2022.
All of that is to say Barnes has won this game and made the Final Four just once in his 39 years of coaching, including the last 11 at Tennessee and 17 at Texas before that, getting to the national semifinals in 2003. Michigan has been on a mission since the summer, determined to play on the final Monday of the season. If the Wolverines play close to their best, as they have much of this NCAA Tournament, they will advance.
Prediction
Michigan 80, Tennessee 64
