2014 NCAA Tournament: Vols Dominate Mercer

Mar 23, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Antonio Barton (2) and head coach Cuonzo Martin celebrates after beating the Mercer Bears in a men

Three games in five days?

That’s no problem for the Tennessee Volunteers, who powered through the Mercer Bears on Sunday by a score of 83-63 to advance to the Sweet 16.

The Vols (24-12), who led by 15 at halftime, never trailed against Mercer (27-9), as they continued their recent hot streak.

Josh Richardson scored a career high 26 points, while Jarnell Stokes turned in a dominating 17 point/18 rebound performance.

Antonio Barton shot 4-of-9 from beyond the arc for 18 points and Jordan McRae added 14 points.

The Vols are peaking at just the right time. They needed a run like this, especially after all the unnecessary “Bring Back Bruce” talk that ceased after he was hired by Auburn this past week. Tennessee’s tournament success has Vol fans saying “Bruce who?” after three convincing wins.

Cuonzo Martin has the Vols playing their best ball of the season and he deserves to be commended for his coaching down the stretch.

The Vols will take on Michigan in the Sweet 16 on Friday night.