Tennessee Advances to Elite Eight for Third Consecutive Year

The Tennessee Volunteers defeated Iowa State 76-62 in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region semifinal, earning their third straight Elite Eight appearance. Tennessee will face top-seeded Michigan in Sunday's regional final.

The Tennessee Volunteers punched their ticket to the Elite Eight for the third year running after defeating Iowa State 76-62 in Friday night’s NCAA Tournament Midwest Region semifinal matchup.

Leading the charge for sixth-seeded Tennessee were Nate Ament with 18 points and Ja’Kobi Gillespie contributing 16 points in the victory over the second-seeded Cyclones. The Volunteers (25-11) earned a showdown with top-seeded Michigan in Sunday’s regional championship game, marking coach Rick Barnes’ third consecutive Elite Eight appearance with the program.

Tennessee dominated the boards with big men Felix Okpara and Carey both recording double-doubles. Okpara finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Carey contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds to the winning effort.

Iowa State (29-8) played without key contributor Joshua Jefferson, their second-team All-America forward who was sidelined with a sprained left ankle suffered during their tournament opener against Tennessee State. Nate Heise and Tamin Lipsey carried the offensive load for the undermanned Cyclones, each scoring 18 points.

The Volunteers controlled the glass throughout the contest, outrebounding Iowa State 43-22, including a decisive 16-8 advantage on offensive rebounds. Tennessee held a narrow 34-33 halftime lead, with Okpara contributing 10 points and eight rebounds in the first half. His two free throws in the final seconds before intermission gave the Volunteers their halftime edge.

No. 1 Michigan 90, No. 4 Alabama 77

Yaxel Lendeborg delivered a dominant performance with 23 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, leading the top-seeded Wolverines past Alabama in their NCAA Tournament Midwest Region semifinal clash in Chicago.

Michigan received additional scoring from Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney, who each contributed 17 points as the Wolverines captured their ninth victory in their last 10 contests.

Alabama’s Labaron Philon Jr. topped all scorers with 35 points, connecting on 6-of-14 attempts from beyond the arc. However, the Crimson Tide struggled from three-point range as a team, shooting just 29.8% compared to Michigan’s impressive 48.1% clip.

EAST REGION

No. 1 Duke 80, No. 5 St. John’s 75

Isaiah Evans poured in 25 points while Cameron Boozer recorded 22 points and 10 rebounds, propelling the Blue Devils past the Red Storm to secure a spot in the East Region championship game in Washington.

Duke (35-2) received a boost from Caleb Foster, who returned from a right foot fracture to score 11 points in the second half in his first action since the March 7 regular season finale victory over North Carolina.

The Blue Devils extended the nation’s longest active winning streak to 14 games and will face second-seeded UConn in their third straight Elite Eight under fourth-year head coach Jon Scheyer. St. John’s (30-7) got 17 points from Zuby Ejiofor and 15 from Bryce Hopkins, building a 10-point lead early in the second half before falling short.

No. 2 UConn 67, No. 3 Michigan State 63

Tarris Reed Jr. led the way with 20 points while Alex Karaban chipped in 17, with both players making key contributions down the stretch as the Huskies outlasted the Spartans to advance to the East Region final in Washington.

UConn (32-5) also got 12 points from Solo Ball as they moved forward despite surrendering an early 19-point advantage and being outrebounded 39-30 by Michigan State.

The Spartans (27-8) saw their season end despite 14 points from Carson Cooper. Coen Carr and Jeremy Fears Jr. each added 13 points while Jaxon Kohler scored 12 in the losing effort. Michigan State dropped three of their final five games to close out the campaign.