Ja’Kobi Gillespie admitted he was aiming for 30 points late in Tennessee’s game, but someone smacked his arm.
The wayward shot turned into a lob and a basket for a teammate as sixth-seeded Tennessee ended Miami (Ohio)’s season with a 78-56 win in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Gillespie scored 29 points and hit six 3-pointers.
“When he starts making shots, he’s unstoppable to guard him,” Volunteers forward J.P. Estrella said. “When we get him in a flow, there’s nothing teams can really do about him.”
Volunteers Overcome Rough Patch
The Volunteers (23-11) shook off a rough end to the season, having lost four of six games. They advanced to play third-seeded Virginia in the Midwest Region.
Gillespie hit five 3s in the first half. This helped the Volunteers push ahead by 20 and squash any chance the 11th-seeded RedHawks (32-2) could carry over their First Four win and pull off a signature victory.
Tennessee made 12 of 19 shots to start the game. They included long 3s and 20 quick points in the paint.
Ethan Burg hit a 3 at the first-half buzzer for a 51-32 lead.
“It took maybe our best half of the year to beat them today,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said.
Gillespie’s Near Miss and Team Effort
Gillespie nearly reached 30 points, a feat only two other Volunteers have achieved in the NCAA tournament. His misfired dunk turned into a lob to Felix Okpara.
“I was trying to dunk it,” Gillespie said with a laugh.
“He thought he was going to dunk it? He can’t dunk in traffic,” Barnes quipped.
Estrella had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Volunteers. Peter Suder was the lone Miami player in double digits with 27 points.
“This loss doesn’t take away what we have done all year,” Suder said.
Transfer Portal Success
Gillespie, who was 11-of-21 from the floor and 6-of-11 on 3s, is one of many standouts enjoying March success in a new uniform thanks to the transfer portal. He started 36 games last season and averaged 14.7 points, shooting 40.7% from 3-point range, to help Maryland reach the Sweet 16.
Had Gillespie peeked at the scoreboard, he could have caught a Villanova update. Kevin Willard, last season’s Maryland coach, had the Wildcats in the tournament.
Tennessee’s Tournament History
What has remained a constant in March is Tennessee winning. The Volunteers have been a top-six seed in all eight of their NCAA tournament appearances under Barnes. They are 8-3 overall in the past three tournaments.
The Volunteers are trying to break through and reach the Final Four after the past two tournaments ended with losses in the Elite Eight. Virginia is 8-6 in the series, with the last win coming in 2024.
Miami had a March highlight when it beat SMU in the First Four.