Tennessee ousts Miami (OH), advances to play Virginia in Round of 32
By David Wasson
Published:
The Cinderella story of the 11th-seeded Miami (OH) RedHawks came to a crashing halt Friday at the hands of the sixth-seeded Tennessee Volunteers, who advanced to the Round of 32 on Friday with a 78-56 victory in the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Region in Philadelphia.
Miami, one of the March Madness darlings after completing a perfect 31-0 regular season, absorbed its second loss in three games and finished the season 32-2. Tennessee (23-11) will play third-seeded Virginia – which overcame 14th-seeded Wright State 82-73 – in Sunday’s second round.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie shined for the Volunteers, scoring a game-high 29 points – including six made 3-pointers – and dishing out nine assists. JP Estrella dropped 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Felix Okpara added 12 points.
The RedHawks were paced by Peter Suder’s 27 points. After attempting 41 3-pointers in its 89-79 First Four victory Tuesday against SMU, Miami made just 7 of 29 3-point attempts against Tennessee.
Miami’s 56 points were the fewest the nation’s second-hottest scoring team (90.6 ppg) had recorded all season. The RedHawks’ previous low was 69 points in a two-point victory over Eastern Michigan on Feb. 27.
Tennessee out-rebounded Miami 42-25, leading to 40 points in the paint compared to Miami’s 16. The Volunteers also dished out 19 assists.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
